Tips For Going Into Business After 50

By Susan “Honey” Good

THE CHALLENGES

On a most positive note, don’t let your age hold you back.

On a serious note and warning, “Don’t tread into waters you know nothing about because in most instances you will drown.”

I leaped with no experience. I had no idea of the ins and outs of running an Internet company. You cannot touch anything. Nothing is tangible. You have to know how to find ‘all the Untouchables.’ I have paid the price. Not become I was dumb but because I was naïve. My determination and love for what I do have been my saving grace.

In most cases, dear readers, love and determination will not save you. Experience will.

My leap into the business world started as a hobby. I never, in my wildest imagination, dreamt of
owning an Internet company, until the day my closest girlfriend phoned and said, “I read your three-month diary and I think you have a message to share with women over 50. I know you are not a professional writer but what I like about your writing is you just talk your talk; your messages resonate with me and I think they will resonate with women all over the world who are 50 years and older.”

Her kind words opened up a new window of thought.  I kid you not; my gears started racing.

As I mentioned, I am an adventurer and optimist to the max, in everything I do. If I did not live outside the box, I would smother. I will travel anywhere, look forward to meeting opposite types of women, try the most exotic type foods, open myself up to new thoughts and ideas, you name it I will try it with glee. Taking a chance did not scare me; I had an adrenaline rush.  And I leaped.

Am I sorry four years later? Absolutely not. Why?

I came away a winner because learning the ins and outs of the technical side of the Internet has left me a wiser woman in an industry that is front and center on the world stage. And I am much older than 50.

The most significant and momentous part of owning a company after 50, has been the emotional impact. Writing my Honey’s Diary is a heartwarming experience. I have women friends all over the world who interact with me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn and on my site, HoneyGood.com, sharing their thoughts. These interactions provide me with daily gratification. And I, of course, share my stories with them on relationships, beauty, fashion. Survivorship and my Sunday Stories.

Would I undertake to start this business again?  Yes. But, I could have prevented many needless challenges if I had Internet knowledge and skill. I have had to learn everything ‘on the job.’

I had to determine what to do and how to do it to run my company.

I hired ‘my girls,’ to carry me through to the finish line. They are an essential part of the equation. My team provides my company with Internet and exposure.

I drive them crazy bombarding them with a million daily emails.

I question:

“Are my writings in google docs or Dropbox?”

“Is the Twitter password an old password or new one (I must have 100 passwords.)”

Nothing in my business is tangible. I am frustrated and what takes a younger person five minutes could take me 30 minutes or… I never figure it out, and I email:

“I cannot figure this out. Now what!”

They always respond:

“I will help you.” 

“Yes, Honey,”

 “Thank you, Honey,”

 “I sent that to you three times today, Honey.”

 “I will resend, Honey.”

I know they want to say,

“You are driving me crazy, Honey!” 

Harmony is fundamental with your co-workers! And we are 99% of the time in sync and appreciate each other’s skills.

THE PERSONALITY TYPE

I believe you have to have:

A driven personality.

An upbeat attitude.

Persistence.

Failure may not be in your vocabulary.

Passion.

You must be:

A problem solver.

Competitive.

Open to help.

None of the above is easy, darlings, and yet… a goal in the second half of your life is to feel visible, powerful and happy. You attain this when you know you are a relevant woman. If you desire to open a business, if you are educated in the field, if you have an entrepreneurial spirit…my advice is to spread your wings and go for it.

There are the ins and outs of going into business after 50, but remember, there are the ins and out in daily living. So live your life in style… be vibrant, be visible, be YOU.

Your attitude should be: THE BEST IS YET TO COME AFTER 50

Susan “Honey” Good is the founder of HoneyGood.com where this blog originally appeared. The site is a collection of lessons learned, life advice and insights from not only her, but from a fantastic group of contributing writers, each adding their own spice to the recipe. Honey Good.com representing “a family tree of women” — wives, mothers, daughters, granddaughters, mothers-in-law, daughters-in-law, sisters, aunts, cousins and girlfriends — coming together to talk about what makes them tick as well as what they have in