Top 5 tips for success as an Olderpreneur

The phrase ‘olderpreneur’ could apply to me because as an over fifties baby boomer, I am finally now my own boss. Age discrimination does not exist when you are your own boss. See below for my top five tips on how to make it in your golden years! Age is just a number!

1. Be fearless.

One of the biggest challenges that come with starting a business is overcoming your fear of the unknown. Once you can harness your fears and make the leap to starting out on your own, you’ve already begun the journey of becoming a leader in your chosen field.

It’s not easy to start a business, particularly in an industry that is quite crowded like aged care, but when you are driven by a clear vision and solid purpose you can keep driving forwards with success, despite any roadblocks along the way.

2. Adaptability is key

To be successful I believe that our company needs to be innovative, flexible and adaptable, so when the challenges do arise (which they inevitable will) you have the flexibility to work with them rather than go against them. This will help your business to grow and thrive. To get stuck in one way of being as a business owner can often be a downfall but I’ve found the more flexible I am, the easier it has been to cope with adversity.

Find your passion point

Make sure you have passion! My business idea sprung from my passion for caring for the aged, as I really wanted to do something meaningful and I felt people would really benefit from my services. When you have a passion for something it helps to drive you and your business vision forward and keeps you on track. So, during those times when I start to feel deterred it’s this deep-rooted passion which keeps me pushing onwards positively.

4. Don’t forget the work-life balance

Even though you may want to become a workaholic when you have your own business, after all when you’re a business owner the buck does stop with you, it’s important to retain the work-life balance. This includes having the priorities of your life clearly identified. Make sure you set yourself boundaries to ensure you’re maintaining a healthy work-life balance by setting some ground rules. 

By the very nature of my business, we’re an ‘always on’ service and we can receive emails and phone calls at any time of the night. However, setting some boundaries and delegating to other members in the team is important to protect your personal time. Having family members working within my business allows each of us to switch off as we can share the various responsibilities 

5. Make technology work for you

The ability to work from mobile devices may make it easier for employees to stay in touch and work on the go, but can also make it difficult, if not impossible, for employees and management, alike, to “unplug” at the end of the day. This is where taking tip 4 on board is important, so you don’t drown in technology and make your ‘me time’ a priority, switching off devices if needs be and getting into a different head space, whether that be through a hobby, meditation or exercise, for example.

Creating thoughtful technology that works for both our workers and our clients enables us to deliver better services for the care worker and the client, so they can get support when they need it. Carefully selecting programmes and creating bespoke technology solutions have enabled us to create solid business foundations and enable us to enhance our working environments.