I answered an ad on the coffee shop wall for a Farmers Market Manager in my town. They needed an on-site manager for just a few hours a week. It would get me outdoors and with people. And I had a yen to manage something with tangible results.

 Twenty years later, I’m still at it. Why? It is” just a little, part-time job”.

In a previous blog, I talked about 3 things to consider about quitting your job or business to “retire”.

1. What would you lose by not working?
2. What would you gain by still working?
3. What could you do with more income?

In this article, let’s look at Number 2. Here are some ways you can grow and gain by continuing to work.

-Work with a different set of interests and skills. Or learn new ones.

The Farmers’ Market is a retail laboratory for my business coaching. I learned about sales, marketing, merchandising, recruitment, and retention—all challenges that help me help my clients.

I learned about the food supply, small agriculture, nutrition, and the environment.  And the business challenges of small farms and start-up food businesses.

A little job in a different field gave me improved skills, expertise in a new industry, and an easy way to start a conversation! It’s a lot of fun, and we eat really well.

-Return to something you loved to do before.

A sculptor had turned to a more “professional” career as his family grew and needed a steadier income. Thirty-five years later, now in his 70’s, he resumed his artistry.

• He is using 21^st-century tools and computer-generated design techniques.
• Production and marketing are underway, with sales not far behind. 
• Bitcoin payments and NFT’s are on the table.

This is not your 1980’s art business.

-Combine your expertise with business skills to start a new career.

One client had to close her studio in the pandemic.

Should she re-start? She had advanced training as a movement specialist, and over ten years running her own fitness business.

 Should she start over in a new field of interest? She’d be a newcomer, in a crowded field, which didn’t pay much to start-ups.

 She sought advice.  Her coach asked some hard questions. Her mastermind team helped clarify how formidable a package she could bring to the right organization.

Her new hybrid business model combined

• her entrepreneur’s experience (get someone else to find the prospects)
• her highly-specialized skills (which turned out to be in high demand)
• for a high-end market.

She now has a job and a business! A captive audience, a base salary, and is upselling her own training services.

What if she had quit?

You’re not quitting? 

Hooray.  That option wasn’t available very long ago. 

You used to work till you retired (then what?), work till you dropped, keep working till your 401k recovered (how long do you have?)

It was considered embarrassing to take a smaller job, with fewer responsibilities and less pay.

Today, there are many paths to a satisfying solution. Semi-retirement. Part-time work. Seasonal work. Volunteering. And of course, running your own business.

What’s next?

The three business owners in the examples all value outside guidance. They share dilemmas and craft successful strategies with a coach. 

To navigate your own options for NOT quitting, contact Lorette.

Isn’t this a great life!  Why would you quit?

Lorette Pruden, Ph.D. coaches, consults, speaks and writes on the transition from working for others to building a successful business. After nearly 30 years with Mobil, Lorette entered the world of the Formerly Corporate™. 

Lorette has helped hundreds of small business owners, sales professionals, entrepreneurs, and community leaders grow their businesses and manage that growth since 2000. She specializes in the Formerly Corporate—so many small business owners who’ve worked with her come from a corporate background that she finally wrote the book on it. Formerly Corporate: Mindset Shifts for Success in Your Own Business.

People who ask that question are either pitying or jealous. Is this you?

Pitying—because you assume the “older worker” HAS to work, rather than HAS CHOSEN to work.

“Too bad,’ your thinking may go. ”But I’m glad that’s not me.”

Jealous—because your own life is not very interesting, or rewarding.

Because you are bored. Or isolated. Or lonely. Or feeling stuck and anxious.

You might have FOMO—fear of missing out, of losing touch with the world as it changes. 

And you might wish for some more income.

“Why not just QUIT?” The pitying and jealous ask.  Why keep to the grind, the clock, the aggravation? For a pittance, or the risk, or being tied down, and the wear and tear of it…

But let’s ask this:

Why NOT Quit?

What would you lose by not working?

• Health. Mental stimulation. Staying physically active.
• Staying engaged with the world. Camaraderie. Meeting new people.
• Fresh ideas. Expanded knowledge. Getting paid for your hobby.
• A sense of security, of well-being, of having something to look forward to.

And more tangibly, you get paid.

What would you gain with more income?

• Pay for your bucket list.
• Travel, visit family, or just go to a college reunion.
• Sweeten your daily experiences—get a massage, have lunch with friends, buy more flowers
• Help others—Donations to war zones, or food deserts, or those with needs you don’t have
• Grow your nest egg (because you know, people are living longer, especially women). 

Here are a few things some of my clients and friends have done in their later years.

A textbook editor began to take on writing jobs.  They are very different skill sets with different demands. She loves both. She got much pickier about which projects and clients she would work with. She doubled her rates. And got them.

“I thought I was looking at the end of my working life as my 60^th birthday approached. Now, after a year working with Lorette, I see how much life and living I have ahead of me!”

A speaker friend launched a personal styling business after raising 6 children. She also started a women’s networking dinner party, and the speakers (and attendees) ranged from 50ish to 90 plus.

I attended her party soon after my 60^th birthday. The three speakers were in their 90’s and still practicing their crafts and professions. I went in feeling kind of sorry for myself, and left feeling like I had 30 more good years ahead! 

At 99, a woman learned to use a computer and blogged regularly till she died at 109. Her obituary was in the New York Times.

In the small business world, it is not at all surprising to find people who say, “I’ll never quit!”

This is a great life!  Why would I quit?

Lorette

PS. Yes, this premise depends on being healthy, of sound mind, and able to work. Not all of us are so endowed, and I count my blessings

PPS. If you have stories of your late-blooming or perennial career, don’t keep them a secret. Please email lpruden@teamnimbusnj.com.