Boomers stay busy by getting down to business

In our attempts at creativity and coming up with ways to not beat our heads against the wall during the pandemic, I wonder how many boomers (including me) decided to start a small business.

 

There are even some nifty acronyms for us — SIB (seniors in business) and NDY (not dead yet). 

 

I won’t mention any details of the business a friend and I have started — there are words for that, too-shameless, brazen and taking advantage of a captive audience.

 

A friend, “M”, who has years of business experience under her belt, has recently branched out and combined her love of oil painting and fabrics into a whole new experience. She comes up with her designs and then relies on a printer and a fabricator. Occasionally when one or both are unavailable, she warns, “Be careful. You might need multiple resources to carry out your plan.”

 

Another of “M”’s thoughts:  

 

“Everyone relies on social media so much, often a challenge for us, as well as production and marketing/distribution.”  

 

“J,”  a website designer and small business owner (and nowhere near boomer-dom) totally agrees:  

 

“The digital realm can be the scariest part, at any age.” Although he surely skipped past Fisher-Price and had a computer before he could walk, I tend to believe him. He gets almost as frustrated as I do when the right keys produce the wrong results.

 

Another experienced and clever business person, also a “Generation W” member, “K” has some great advice: “Base your business on something you love to do; include people of all ages; don’t be afraid to learn new things; try to think forward and not just do what you did in the past.”  Her last bit of advice is my favorite — “Have fun!”

 

Before my business partner and I could feel comfortable (ish) with our web platform, I had truly lost count of how many times we had to change our passwords in order to just get in. We emailed, called and texted “J” so many times that I’m quite sure he considered going into the witness protection program. 

 

My son-in-law walked into our kitchen the other day and saw my brand-new business debit card sitting on the kitchen counter. “You guys are an LLC? That is amazing. Who set that up for you?”

 

I told him (proudly) that my business partner is quite savvy in her field. (I, on the other hand, rely on a totally different side of my brain!)

 

There are good days and bad days for sure. One in particular was when we woke up to no TV or internet. 

 

Being at a critical point in loading our website, I tried to explain that to our internet/TV company for two hours, while they had me turning things on and off and pressing buttons and such. 

 

I was finally told cheerfully that they would be out to try and fix everything in a week! I spent the rest of the day talking to “Alexa” (a very good listener, I found), eventually deciding to try and relax and read a new book. I picked up my Kindle and lo and behold, I can’t load a new book without the internet.

 

So, patience, I would say is my best advice for starting a new business. And perseverance. There is always a way. Trust me — this SIB is NDY!