BoomerPreneurs or How To Shift Gears
Wednesday, March 21, 2012 at 11:47AM 
To my surprise, I have been contracted by the Small Business Development Center to present workshops on the art of Customer Service. This all came about when I answered an ad for instructors through the local community college. The range of topics was diverse and many are part of my professional career. There is an art to teaching and if you are experienced and dedicated, you find many opportunities.
The position was for a pool of instructors and the SBDC markets classes based on the topic and instructors that fit the need. Apparently there is a demand for Customer Service training among business both large and small. The experience has been exciting but also unexpected.
Several friends in my age bracket are finding themselves laid off, not quite ready to retire financially, or bored with retirement, although I can't imagine. Turns out in this dire economy there is a demand for out of the box thinkers. Using the skills acquired over the years and a little ingenuity, Boomers are finding opportunities in unusual places.
As children we grew up with backyard carnivals, lemonade stands and "home" theatre. We were young entrepreneurs eager for the next project. M.B. Izard has captured the essence of that eager anticipation and creative energy in the book, BoomerPreneurs. It serves as a personal coaching approach for those interested in an alternative to retirement or looking for extra money to make retirement more enjoyable.
Utilizing your life and career skills along with the network of contacts made over the years, this is an ideal time to dust off the imaginations and shift gears. Although customer service seemed like a thing of the past with technology isolating business owner from the customer, it never occurred to me that there was a need to teach this skill. In the past 3 months I have had five teaching gigs for The Rules of Customer Engagement, a curriculum I developed for the SBDC.
I have been a writer most of my adult life and have worked as a music teacher as my professional career. With the arts being cut from schools, I made a few contacts with local teachers and youth organizations and now teach creative writing and script writing for children. As a music teacher, it was not part of my professional career, but the skills translated well to adding this to my resume.
Opening your mind to new ideas, new avenues and new opportunities, Boomers are in the right place and time to start a new business or expand their careers. I invite you to share your change of direction with readers. What have you done to kick start your career?
Reader Comments (2)
I read your post in which you mentioned my book, BoomerPreneurs. You nailed it when you said BoomerPreneurs utilizes a personal coaching approach to business start up for those 50+ years of age. My goal was to walk aspiring entrepreneurs through the business start up process while, at the same time, factoring in the many differences when starting a business at 50 or 60 rather than 25 or 35.
Mary Beth
Author, BoomerPreneurs: How Baby Boomers Can Start Their Own Business, Make Money and Enjoy Life
www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com
Thank you for the comment, Mary Beth. As someone who is still finding new opportunities at age 60, I have found the book to be a good resource. Keep writing!