You, too, can be an entrepreneur. Many of them are part of the first wave of America’s 76 million baby boomers who are taking early retirement and turning their hobbies into small businesses. Very small businesses.
They say their microbusinesses are a way to give focus to a favorite pastime, get more zest out of life and make a little money. The best part is they do not care if the ventures fail.
Carl Boast, owner of Peaceable Kingdom Photos in Moneta, Va., was making a hefty salary in New Jersey as a neuroscientist in the pharmaceutical industry when he decided he “wasn’t a fan of working for a living” and began plotting his departure.
Against the advice of his financial adviser, who worried about how much money he was letting slip away, he quit his job five years ago at age 55 and moved to a five-acre property on Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia that now includes a 2,700-square-foot home, a guesthouse, a pontoon boat, a canoe, a tandem kayak, three single kayaks, two one-person sailboats and a jet ski.
He says he is too busy hiking, boating, reading, writing songs and traveling to fit the definition of an entrepreneur. “I’ve put very little effort into marketing,” he said. “I’m not out to make money or change the world.” He has created a Web site, he says, but it is “buried in Earthlink somewhere” and is out of date.
What really motivates him, he said, is “sharing my pictures to convey the idea, ‘Wasn’t this a neat moment?’
“Somebody paid me $12 for an 8-by-10 photo of a squirrel,” he said. “I way underpriced the photo, but still. It was such a rush, actually selling what I had produced, instead of giving it away. Over two days, I made $200. Since then, I’ve given this woman several other squirrel photos.”
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Photo by Don Petersen.
Early Retirees In New Ventures
July 10, 2008 by Rich | 5 Comments
In Boomers, Niche, Retirement
smaelz83 on July 10th, 2008 at 8:58 am
wow.. making hobby into career.. that’s hard to do for engineering field.. Anyway, well good job
cassy on July 12th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Lots of people are really making money of their hobbies. They maybe paid small amount but seeing the one who like his masterpiece is a great feeling already.
Stacy on July 13th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
I am trying to make a business from home where I print messages, images and peoples’ pictures on fresh and silk roses and it is hard work. I wish I could be so casual about it. GOOD work. Happiness cannot be paid a price for.
Stacy on July 13th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
I am trying to make a business from home where I print messages, images and peoples’ pictures on fresh and silk roses and it is hard work. I wish I could be so casual about it. GOOD work. Happiness cannot be paid a price for.
http://www.apersonalizedpetal.com
Gavin on July 14th, 2008 at 4:31 am
Hi
I think it is a excellent idea to turn a hobby into a business especially when you retire as it still helps to keep the mind active