Ok, so you know you want to make some money on the side for retirement, but you aren’t quite sure what you want to do.
Or even sure whether it will be another job where they dictate your pay, or your own business where you dictate your pay.
And yes, your own business can be scary, but YOU’RE THE BOSS!
You call the shots.
Do you have it in you?
There’s a lot of older women with online businesses that are making money, and some of them are making A LOT of money.
So let’s take a look at how some of these women came up with their successful online businesses.
Successful Female Entrepreneurs Over 50
Anita Mahaffey – Cool Jams
Talk about thinking outside the box — Ms. Mahaffey was so sick and tired of hot flashes while she slept that she actually started a business called Cool-jams, Inc.
Her business sells moisture-wicking pajamas, bedsheets and more.
Ms. Mahaffey was 61 when she started Cool-jams. She said she sees herself leaving the company one day so she can enjoy retirement, but she’s not ready yet — there’s more she wants to do.
Jodie Davis – The American Cuckoo Clock Company
Her love of cuckoo clocks lead her to start The American Cuckoo Clock Company – and she knew absolutely nothing about the making of cuckoo clocks.
Ms. Davis was in her mid 50’s when she started her business. She recently finished a clock commissioned for Sesame Street and has another big project in the works, not to mention what she sells through her site.
According to Ms. Davis “Cuckoo clocks become family heirlooms, we see our mission as creating charming cuckoo clocks that will spread smiles and create memories for generations to come.”
And Ms. Davis plans on becoming one of the biggest cuckoo clock makers in the nation.
Leslie Polizzotto – The Doughnut Project
Ms. Polizzotto was a practicing attorney in Los Angeles and gave that up to open a doughnut shop in New York City called The Doughnut Project.
All because of a conversation she had with a bartender while visiting New York City — and the bartender actually became her partner.
Now The Doughnut Project has two locations, 24 employees and over $500,000 in annual revenue — all because of a random conversation.
Angie Higa – Sky Dreams
Ms. Higa retired early after 30 years in the banking industry to take care of her granddaughter when her eldest daughter was deployed to Afghanistan.
What lead Ms. Higa to her business idea was catching a cold on a seven hour flight that provided no blankets, nor were there any available.
And Sky Dreams was launched (a year after she retired) as a manufacturing company specializing in, yup, you guessed it, travel blankets and matching comfort pillows.
Mary Rawles – Fit For The Rest of Your Life
Ms. Rawles retired in her 60s from her school teaching position.
But when she was in her 50s she transformed her health due to all of the weight she had put on.
Then when the pandemic hit, at age 73, she launched her first business — an online workout class and weight loss support business.
Ms. Rawles loves to share the joy of transforming oneself, no matter the age.
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Business Ideas for Women Over 50
The women mentioned above took their off the wall ideas and created a business that they love.
Businesses that make them feel joy and also confident about their future.
Angel Cornelius, who started her business at age 60, https://maison276.com, initially as a side job while still working full-time, states “We older women are really tough, extremely competent and definitely innovative because there’s so much we want to see in the world that doesn’t exist.”
Here are some suggestions for a side job:
- Consultant – this could be connected with an industry you are familiar with.
- Pet Sitting – Take your love of animals to the next level
- Crafts – If you love knitting, crochet, making quilts, making ornaments, or whatever craft you love to do, you can sell online or even teach like minded people what you know.
- Financial – Good with budgets, or perhaps you work as a financial advisor. Teaching people how to stay on track with their money is a very lucrative business.
- Bookkeeper – Experience with accounting and your love of numbers is definitely an area that you can start on the side. A lot of companies outsource this type of work.
- Graphic Designer – With the amount of websites that are popping up online daily – with some experience in graphic design you can start advertising (for free) for side jobs on sites that connect you with potential clients.
- Content Writing – Creating content for businesses can be very profitable if you love writing. Once again, with all of the websites out there, you can surely find sites that you would love to write for, and if not, start your own website and write what you are passionate about.
- Party Planner – Do you enjoy organizing and planning? Ever think about planning parties for people or organizations, like holiday parties, graduations, fund raisers, or even birthday parties.
- Travel Coordinator for the “Over 50 Crowd” – Your love of travel and being able to plan out trips could have you starting your own booking agency for group trips over the age of 50.
- Music Teacher – This could be done either in person or over the internet (thank you Zoom)
Keep Your Eyes and Ears Open
There are so many different avenues we can go nowadays because of the internet.
Start paying attention to conversations people have about things they need, or wish they could find, or wish they knew someone who did a certain thing, or people you want to help.
Keep a notebook with you and write things down as they come to you or that you see and hear. Things that you think “Wow, that’s a great idea!
You can find inspiration when you least expect it.
Have a Wonderful Day!
