Starting a Business in Middle-Age

People over fifty are setting up their own businesses at a growing rate. They are doing so for various reasons like redundancy, a job market that's geared more to youth making it difficult for them to get back into it. They may have just had enough of taking orders and being subject to the daily discipline of working for someone else. Or they may have just decided that the time was right to follow their dreams.

The job market may be geared for youth but the self-employment market has no such discrimination. Anyone can start a business and the good news for mature people thinking of taking this route is that you have the skills to succeed.

Skills like communication and self-confidence are crucial to succeeding in business, mature people have usually honed their social skills and are comfortable in social situations, and happy to pick up the phone and talk to clients and potential customers.

Starting a sole business is relatively easy and can be done for little initial cost by utilizing the internet and cheap technological solutions. There's also plenty of excellent software out there designed to help you run your own business from bookkeeping software to accounting.

Another advantage of being middle-aged is that the kids will have left home leaving you with plenty of space to set up an office and storage area. Make use of empty bedrooms and create your own work area to run your business from.

Deciding what you're going to do is the major step. We all have skills that we have acquired over a lifetime of work. If these skills are no longer relevant, like shovelling coal into steam engines, for example, it's not a problem; learn some new skills.

Look at what you are interested in. If you have an interest in programs like Photoshop for example, take an online course and get to know it inside and out. This is a great skill to have and is always in demand. Look at what your interests are. It's not necessary to start a business around something you are interested in but it's better if you can.

The passion you will have for things you have an interest in will drive you through the down times of running your own business. Middle-aged people today do not have to lie down and die because the job market has shunned them. There's never being a better time to start your own business and enjoy a happier and healthier lifestyle where you are in total control.