Self employment after ER?

[citrine]

I plan on doing energy work late into my life....along with having my own line of aromatherapy products, and teaching massage technique. I also want to become certified as a life coach which will add another source of income.

 

[Free To Canoe]

What someone needs to start is a listening business ! A lot of older people are always cornering me in the local supermarket to discuss anything from their back pain to how to tell if a melon is ripe . So somebody should just start a business that they can call when lonely and have someone to talk to . I'd love to do it but I usually fall asleep in the middle of their World War 2 stories and how they don't make good cars anymore and Bless her soul but nobody made apple pie like Betty and have I told you how Doc Smith cured my lumbago .

I think you are on to something big here. Right now the market is handled by telemarketers. Why would anybody deal with these people? Because they are lonely and need someone to talk to.

Free to canoe

 

[Free To Canoe]

I plan on doing energy work late into my life....along with having my own line of aromatherapy products, and teaching massage technique. I also want to become certified as a life coach which will add another source of income.

What do you mean by "Energy Work"?

Free to canoe

 

[REWahoo]

What someone needs to start is a listening business ! A lot of older people are always cornering me in the local supermarket to discuss anything from their back pain to how to tell if a melon is ripe . So somebody should just start a business that they can call when lonely and have someone to talk to . I'd love to do it but I usually fall asleep in the middle of their World War 2 stories and how they don't make good cars anymore and Bless her soul but nobody made apple pie like Betty and have I told you how Doc Smith cured my lumbago .

I think someone did - you're using one right now.

Nice thing about it is no one knows when you fall asleep...

 

[jug]

Work after ER, well I've already prowled the "massage joints" behind the strip in Vegas and got 3 contracts to do the sheets, linens and towels for them.

This business can really take off, but got to handle things with gloves and put the contents in airtight plastic bags, have to watch for sharps.

Jug
Towel boy

 

[Moemg]

I'm surprised this thread didn't go far. I'm considering a small business, maybe starting with ebay and moving to an own webstore, when I RE. Not too much work, just enought to occupy some time, socialize with customers/suppliers, and pay for occsional longer trips. I thought many more people would be thinking along the same lines.

I started selling on ebay as a hobby and it has progressed to a small business . I really enjoy doing it . It occupies some of my time but not that much and I can stop for awhile when I get tired of it or are going away . It pays for fun extras and has let me leave my investments in ICU were they are recovering from a bad bruising .

 

[Red Rover]

What someone needs to start is a listening business !

I thought of something like this a while back when I was looking for another business to start. The idea was that older people/shut ins/etc. (or their relatives) would pay a small amount (maybe $25/month) and every day someone would call and check on them to make sure they were okay. If they agreed to be one of the callers they would get a big discount. That way they would have a chance to talk to someone and interact and feel useful, and it would also be a way to ensure that everyone was okay.

 

[ziggy29]

I thought of something like this a while back when I was looking for another business to start. The idea was that older people/shut ins/etc. (or their relatives) would pay a small amount (maybe $25/month) and every day someone would call and check on them to make sure they were okay. If they agreed to be one of the callers they would get a big discount. That way they would have a chance to talk to someone and interact and feel useful, and it would also be a way to ensure that everyone was okay.

Having a system like this in place (not from a paid service, but with a neighbor) probably saved her life at one point:

http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/showpost.php?p=795643&postcount=4

 

[Red Rover]

She was very lucky. I'm glad she had a system in place. I think it's really important to have something in place - whether it be a paid service or a neighbor thing. One of the reasons I get the paper every day is so that if I don't get it for a day or two my neighbors will know something is wrong and come check on me.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

What someone needs to start is a listening business ! A lot of older people are always cornering me in the local supermarket to discuss anything from their back pain to how to tell if a melon is ripe . So somebody should just start a business that they can call when lonely and have someone to talk to . I'd love to do it but I usually fall asleep in the middle of their World War 2 stories and how they don't make good cars anymore and Bless her soul but nobody made apple pie like Betty and have I told you how Doc Smith cured my lumbago .

It already exists. It is called 'bartending'.

 

[Arif]

I was at my cell phone company's store today and got to chatting with the tech there about mail in rebates. She mentioned that if she collected customer's mail in rebates that never get mailed in she would be rich. I told her she should start up a business and offer to submit customer rebate info for a small fee. I figure you can charge $10 for a $100 rebate. Since I'm guilty of never sending in rebates I rather liked the idea.

 

[kumquat]

Isn't w*rk, even self-employment, after ER an oxymoron?


AFAIK, self employment is still w*rk.

 

[Moemg]

Isn't w*rk, even self-employment, after ER an oxymoron?


AFAIK, self employment is still w*rk.

No , If it is enjoyable it is more like a hobby that pays . I never feel like my ebay selling is work . I enjoy it . It fills my need to be busy and productive .I worked for forty years and sitting around is not in my genes . In my mind it is no different than volunteering since most of my ebay money goes to charity or my daughter or grandson .

 

[kumquat]

No , If it is enjoyable it is more like a hobby that pays.

If it a hobby, it isn't w*rk. I'd encourage anyone who is ER and has a profitable hobby to continue it. Starting one, expecting it to be both enjoyable and profitable is another matter.

 

[Moemg]

If it a hobby, it isn't w*rk. I'd encourage anyone who is ER and has a profitable hobby to continue it. Starting one, expecting it to be both enjoyable and profitable is another matter.[/quo


I started doing ebay out of curiosity and also to clear out some closets . It awakened the little girl who ran the kool aid stand in me . I never thought I would enjoy it this much but I do and it has been profitable .

 

[Radiophilejapan]

Isn't w*rk, even self-employment, after ER an oxymoron?


AFAIK, self employment is still w*rk.

I think it is a matter of being able to choose. If you're going to do it because you need the money to survive, it is an obligation and will bring in all the stress and stuff we are trying to get away from. So you won't really be retiring, so you're right, it will be an oxymoron. But, as moemg put it, if you do it for fun, to occupy your time, you can drop it anytime you feel like it, and the money is just a nice plus for discretionary spending, I would still call it ER. Now, I personally would like to stay away from anythig related to the job I have worked in for over 3 decades, but this is a subject for another thread.

 

[kumquat]

I think it is a matter of being able to choose. If you're going to do it because you need the money to survive, it is an obligation and will bring in all the stress and stuff we are trying to get away from. So you won't really be retiring, so you're right, it will be an oxymoron. But, as moemg put it, if you do it for fun, to occupy your time, you can drop it anytime you feel like it, and the money is just a nice plus for discretionary spending, I would still call it ER. Now, I personally would like to stay away from anythig related to the job I have worked in for over 3 decades, but this is a subject for another thread.

IMHO:

If you do it because you [-]like it[/-] want to: It's a hobby.

If you do it because you have to: It's a j*b.

 

[Radiophilejapan]

I started selling on ebay as a hobby and it has progressed to a small business . I really enjoy doing it . It occupies some of my time but not that much and I can stop for awhile when I get tired of it or are going away . It pays for fun extras and has let me leave my investments in ICU were they are recovering from a bad bruising .

Glad to know you have gone this route and it is working well for you. I'm looking forward to my turn.

 

[Radiophilejapan]

IMHO:

If you do it because you [-]like it[/-] want to: It's a hobby.

If you do it because you have to: It's a j*b.

Well summarized. Couldn't agree more.

 

[davemartin88]

Has anyone established a part-time home business/self employment after they ER'd? If so, how did it go?

Only been ER'd since October so just starting out. I bought a portable sawmill and I'm starting to get a few more jobs- have 2 this week plus I'm sawing wood from a farm with the hope that we can sell it next spring. My mill, the farm owners logs and we'll split what we get for the lumber.

Love the work, it's outside, it's on my own schedule, and I've lost 20 pounds since I retired by being active. So far no pressure and doesn't feel like a job plus making a few bucks. Way better than the meacorp job but nowhere near the same pay.

 

[Radiophilejapan]

Love the work, it's outside, it's on my own schedule, and I've lost 20 pounds since I retired by being active. So far no pressure and doesn't feel like a job plus making a few bucks. Way better than the meacorp job but nowhere near the same pay.

Congratulations, Dave. Sounds like you have found the balance in life many of us are looking for. I'll get there someday.

 

[rescueme]

Isn't w*rk, even self-employment, after ER an oxymoron?


AFAIK, self employment is still w*rk.

I'm with you on this one.

 

[citrine]

What do you mean by "Energy Work"?

Free to canoe

Reiki, Polarity, Reflexology....

 

[kumquat]

No, don't comment. Do not express opinion. KEEP QUIET!!

 

[Moemg]

We all occupy our retired days in different ways . Some of us hike , read endless books , join clubs , spend endless hours in the gym or other ways to occupy our time and some of us have hobbies that have become profitable . It does not mean we have given up on retirement and returned to work . None of us are doing anything that resembles our former jobs and sorry if you would rather see us at a bridge club or bowling but this is what interests us .

P.S. I also spend a lot of time swimming and at the gym and I do read endless books and take classes