Becoming A Baby Boomer Entrepreneur

Are you over 50 years old? Have you ever thought about becoming a boomer entrepreneur? That may sound like a crazy idea, but listen...

Have you worked for someone else all your life and been a good employee? I respect your faithfulness and dedication. I'm impressed, but I may be one of the few people that are.

The current economic climate doesn't always reward your hard work, does it? Now it's all about the bottom line. If you're over 40, you may be on the HR department's “hit-list" for when things get tougher.

If you're over 50, you're on that list for sure! But you have lots of years of work left in you, and still have bills to pay. If your job's being outsourced or downsized, what's an older adult supposed to do?

How do you compete with a bright-eyed twenty-something with an excellent education and impressive current resume? I'm not sure you can win against that competition. Just your age makes you an insurance risk.

What are your job-search options really like? Well, if you're trying to ignore my suggestion about becoming a boomer entrepreneur, there's a few things to try.

1- Pound the pavement.

You can look for another job like the one you had. But the way positions are disappearing, that's not going to be easy.

“Keep your eyes & ears open, network like crazy, tailor your resume to the job opening that you're applying for. Oh yeah, we're supposed to try to look younger too. When I read that in my local newspaper, I felt insulted and patronized. Oh well. Our generation is the one that said “Don't trust anybody over 30.” Brilliant, huh?

2- Hit the books.

Another option is to go back to school to get more skills. Make your resume more competitive while making yourself more marketable. That's not a bad idea, but colleges are full of people like yourself now. And budgets are being cut at those same schools, making the classes you need harder to get into.

The problem with re-training is... there's no guarantee that your next trade or skills won't disappear too. Why, if you've already been burned by outsourcing or downsizing, would you trust any industry again with your ability to support your family or yourself?

If you're on unemployment, you may have the time & a cash cushion to do both of the above suggestions. If not, you'd better have some savings to live on for a while. Kind of depressing, huh?

3- Create work for yourself!

The best idea I can offer you is to work for yourself. Yes, own your own business. Become a “boomer entrepreneur.” Create your own work. Maybe you're thinking "Hey, I was about to retire!" Well, sorry about your luck. Now you'd better get resourceful.

That's why being a boomer entrepreneur is an asset. You have a lifetime of experience to draw on. You've had set-backs before and done okay. So you'll get a handle on this too.

Have you ever thought about working for yourself before? It's the only real way to be secure in a job. No, the income isn't guaranteed. Easy to do? That depends on you. Secure? Well, you'll never downsize or out-source yourself. Rewarding? Yes, I think it is.

Because being self-employed is about self-sufficiency. It's a state of mind that says “I'm free to do things my way.” Either save the world or just make money- it's up to you.

Don't get me wrong. There's nothing wrong with a regular paycheck. But those old days of having job security working for someone else are over.

“Adapt or perish,” the man said. So what are you waiting for? At least give the idea of becoming a baby boomer entrepreneur a little thought. Look around my website for some ideas. Maybe some idea will be just crazy enough to work for you!