4 Ways Older Entrepreneurs Can Win Against Their Younger Counterparts
When I told my friends and family that I was quitting my marketing job at a well-respected global company to start Sixty and Me, I was greeted with confused looks. After all, at age 64, I was supposed to be “winding down” and preparing for retirement.
Like the thousands of older entrepreneurs that start a business in their 50s, 60s or beyond, I didn’t see it that way. With 20 to 30 years ahead of me, I wanted to fill my remaining years with new adventures and valuable work. Now, with Sixty and Me growing and changing lives, I’m glad I did. At the same time, my experience raises some important questions. Read More
Removing Mental Blocks to Starting a Small Business After 50
Since starting Sixty and Me, I have had the opportunity to meet and interact with 100’s of talented, passionate older people. Many members of the community have the skills and experience to supplement their income in retirement – either as freelancers or business owners. So, I often wonder, why is it that so few men and women of my generation set out to supplement their income as they approach, or enter, retirement?
The conclusion that I have come to is that most people allow their own mental blocks to prevent them from having the lifestyle that they want. Read More
It’s a New World! 5 Things that are Different about Grandkids Today
Grandkids are a treasure for many women over 60 – but just as is the case with so many other aspects of our world and our new stage of life, many things are much different than previous generations might have expected. Read More
Fighting the Most Common Myths about Aging (Video)
Many boomer women are in transition. They are leaving behind full time jobs, family responsibilities, and roles that defined them in the past. They are changing the way that they relate to the world. Read More
60 Ways to Find Meaning in Life After 60
Does the meaning of life change after 60? That’s the question I found myself asking, recently, as I sat in a small café, writing and preparing for the week to come. Read More
6 Tips for Dealing with Grumpy Grandkids
For many women in our community, being a grandmother offers the opportunity to apply their experience and wisdom to shaping and nurturing their grandkids. Read More
Book Club: I Feel Bad about My Neck, by Nora Ephron
“I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman” is a collection of essays about the experience of growing older by Nora Ephron. She is best known for her movie scripts for romantic comedies like “Sleepless in Seattle” and “When Harry Met Sally.”
As Ephron reflected on her aging body, she decided to use humor and lighthearted cynicism to reveal her observations. She applied her dry sense of humor to soften the edges of the emotional and physical aches and pains emerging as she got older. It is a light read about a serious topic and a welcome addition to Ephron’s collection of books in light of her death in 2012. Read More
Book Club: Thrive, by Arianna Huffington
“Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom and Wonder,” is the latest book by Arianna Huffington. Arianna was born in Greece. She moved to England as a teenager and graduated from Cambridge University with a degree in Economics. The mother of two teenage daughters, she also happens to be the well-known co-founder and editor in chief of Huffington Post and the author of 13 books. Read More
Where’s the Financial Support for Older Entrepreneurs? Could Microfinance Help?
In a recent US Senate hearing, Elizabeth Isele, co-founder of Senior Entrepreneurship Works and Conchy Bretos, the CEO of MIA Senior Living Solutions outlined the opportunities and challenges facing older entrepreneurs. Presenting to a panel of senators and government officials, they explained that small businesses provide huge value to the economy. They also revealed that, in fact, individuals between 55 and 64 make up the largest percentage of new small business owners. Read More
Book Club: Orphan Train, by Christina Baker Kline
“Orphan Train” is a fascinating story of friendship between women from two generations. According to a New York Times review, the book is “A revelation of the universal yearning for belonging, for family, for acceptance and, ultimately, the journeys we must all make to find them.” Read More