Congratulations, you have earned respect and dignity throughout your career, and now you are about to spend your life in a more peaceful way, no hassle, no workload and no work stress. It is good to hear that you will give your time to your family, but sometimes it seems monotonous and sluggish, a bit arduous to pass by the day when you have no specific schedule.

Many people after retirement rave about missing their productive days and therefore they plan to start a business. Starting your journey as an entrepreneur post retirement is not very easy. Since you need to invest your hard-earned money in your business, you have to be very careful with your move. Your one impetuous decision can leave you broke.

Identify your niche

Whether you start an online store or a brick-and-mortar store, you need to find out a niche. Unless you know which product or service you want to deal in, you cannot get it off the ground.

Here count your experience and skills. The skills and experience you have gained throughout your career will help you be a successful entrepreneur. Take stock of all things and see what you are good at.

It is not necessary that you will invest in a product. You can be a service provider. Whatever you learnt throughout your career – whether it was raising children or it was providing education – it can be relevant to your business.

Consider your finances

Once you have come to know your niche, the next step is to calculate your start-up cost. Since your business will not immediately start generating profits, you need to take into account a buffer so that you do not run out of money for your business operations. The investment will also include your marketing cost, advertising cost, rent, and the like.

Make sure that running a start-up will not affect your regular expenses unless it goes beyond breakeven point. Post retirement, people normally rely on pension funds. The financial condition can be a bit tough after investing in a start-up.

After finding the estimate of your start-up cost, check out if you have enough money. In case of cash shortfall, you can take out quick loans with the same day in Ireland.

Get some advice

Though proof is in the pudding, there is nothing wrong to test the water. You are risking your lifetime hard work, after all. Research the market whether your business idea is likely to be successful. In addition to leveraging your knowledge and wisdom, you should talk to consultants to know whether your idea is viable.

You should run your idea through these stages to know if you are getting off on the right foot.

• Does your business solve a problem? The success rate is likely to be higher for a business if it is solving the current problem.
• Validate your idea through user feedback. Whether they like your idea, whether this is what they are truly looking forward to, and whether this renders a solution. This is when you will know that you are not reinventing the wheel.
• People should have interest in your product or service, and they are ready to pay the desired price.
• You are passionate about the product or service.

Have a solid marketing plan

You cannot earn money unless people know about your business and therefore you will need a marketing plan. This will help you know how you will identify your target audience and approach them with your offerings.

There are various marketing methods to assist you with attracting customers, for instance, networking, direct marketing, advertising, media releases, and the like. You should contact a marketing expert who will create a plan.

When it comes to promotion, your contacts can play a paramount role. Tap into your connections and let them know what you are doing. Encourage them to use your product or service and spread words about your business.

• Announce about your business via phone calls and emails.
• Promote your business on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
• Try to create a video on your business – what it is and what you do.
• The more people know about your business, the sooner the sales graph will go up.

Have an exit plan

Of course, you are not going to have your business forever. After your revenues hit a certain level, you will decide to pass it on to your children. Running a business is time-consuming, and as you age, it becomes arduous to tackle. Before it is too late, you should know when to stop and pass it on.

Starting a business post retirement is not unrealistic. As long as you have a spirit to become an entrepreneur, go ahead. Remember that life is unpredictable. Sometimes it does not move as per your plans. Therefore, you should consider the odds against your business too.