Starting an online business in your later years has never been easier. And that’s a fact. There are millions of people who are benefiting from having a business that makes money online. And there are probably just as many who would like to, but don’t know where to start. This post is to show you some of the retirement hobbies that make money online and seniors have turned them into profitable online businesses. And just think, if you started an online business before you retire, all that money can be put towards your retirement. If they can do it, why not us! Seniors Making Money Online Blogging   Margaret Manning, Sixty and Me – This blog was started by Margaret Manning to help other women her age to live happy, healthy and financially secure lives. Ms. Manning has a community of over 500,000 women and it just keeps growing. She covers health issues, travel, beauty, aging, money, mindset, dating, and just life in general. Ms. Manning doesn’t reveal her monthly income, but I would hazard a guess that it is quite substantial due to the fact she has over 500,000 followers.   Writing   Bonnie Nicholls, Hear Ye Writing – Ms. Nicholls was laid off from her corporate job at the age of 50. Ms. Nicholls states that age discrimination is a very real problem for anyone over 45. And according to AARP, 76% of respondents said ageism affects their ability to find full-time employment. As a freelance writer, Ms. Nicholls says her clients only care about whether she gets the job done. Because her writing business is online, she gets to spend the day at the beach if she likes, or she’ll take off and go camping (with her laptop of course).   Travel   Leyla Giray Alyanak, Women on the Road – In her mid-forties Leyla was dissatisfied with pretty much everything going on in her life — job, relationship, and had a severe case of wanderlust. So she did what she thought best — just took off to see the world. Leyla is still traveling, but now she helps women with the ins and outs of solo travel, all done online. Leyla shows women: How to Plan a trip How to stay safe What to take on your travels How to budget your trip How to avoid getting lonely Leyla started her blog in 2006 and is still going strong.   Fitness   Debra Atkinson, Flipping Fifty – Ms. Atkinson is a fitness expert over 50 who helps women in menopause and beyond get the energy and the vitality they want, need, and deserve in their later years. Today she runs the first and only, exclusively dedicated to women in menopause fitness club “The Flipping Virtual Gym Membership”. Not only is Ms. Atkinson a busy entrepreneur with her online business, but she also is a speaker and life coach, encouraging women to stay active and understanding exactly what menopause does to our bodies. Dane Findley, Over Fifty and Fit – I wanted to add Mr. Findley because he is a health advocate and developed his site to provide wise workouts, lifestyle tips and diet strategies to men and women who are middle aged and beyond. Mr. Findley wants to inspire adults to improve their mental and physical conditioning. Mr. Findley goes on to explain how he keeps his body the healthiest it has ever been. And he started his online business (you can sign up for his fitness course) because of his desire to help older people stay in shape, which is his passion.   Pets   Frankie Locallo, Puppy Love – Ms. Locallo’s love of dogs made her think outside the box to find a way to share her passion. And she found it in Puppy Love. Ms. Locallo started her business by providing puppies at children’s birthday parties so the kids could play with the puppies. Now her business has expanded and includes adult events and also video taping the interaction for later viewing. She even had to hire staff as her business has grown. Ms. Locallo does not have a website for her business as she keeps it local and it has grown just by word of mouth. And it all started because of her love of dogs. Carol Gardner, Zelda Wisdom, Inc. – At the age of 52 Carol Gardner’s husband divorced her and she got hit with a huge amount of debt. Her attorney told her to find a therapist or get a dog. She chose the dog. Ms. Gardner entered Zelda, her sad-faced bulldog, in a greeting card contest and won. Zelda quickly became a greeting card sensation and eventually a licensing empire. The Zelda Wisdom product line has made Ms. Gardner a very comfortable millionaire. And it all started because her attorney suggested either a therapist or a dog.   Crafts   Mark Nelson, Way West Saddlery – When Mr. Nelson retired at the age of 60 he spent most of his time hunting, fishing, and messing with his horses. After about a year of doing this he realized that he needed to do something productive. He said play time was over. After an accident limited his working options, he thought about how much he always loved working with leather as a kid, and that’s when he decided to start making saddles. He invested money for a course in Montana where he spent six weeks learning how to make saddles. The saddles that Mr. Nelson makes now run around $2,000 each and they are made like the old western saddles of the 19th century. And it all started because he received a saddle making kit at the age of 13.   Baking   Franny Martin, Cookies On Call – Franny spent much of her childhood in the kitchen alongside her grandmother. When she got older her career choice was in marketing and at one point she was the national director of marketing and public relations for Domino’s Pizza. But

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.     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