Online Business for Seniors: Part 3 of 3 

The last couple weeks I’ve been focusing on online business for seniors.

In part one I discussed how seniors working online can actually fare better than offline jobs.

In part two I gave you some online business ideas for seniors.

Today I’ll wrap up this mini-series with some closing advice and some really helpful ‘done-for-you’ resources.

It All Starts With a Can-Do Mindset

Senior entrepreneurs often begin their online journey out of necessity. Perhaps they involuntarily lost their jobs through no fault of their own or had to retire on a savings that’s totally inadequate for today’s cost of living.

It’s easy for seniors to get into a negative mindset that prevents them from keeping up with the world, getting things done and enjoying life to the fullest. They may think they’re too tired, too old or just don’t have the skills necessary to embrace a can do mindset.

Retirement sometimes makes couch potatoes of seniors who can still make a difference, but are afraid to try. It’s true this is a fast-changing world and new skills are necessary to do almost anything – for the young or the old.

Most seniors today find it difficult to make ends meet – even after a lifetime of saving money. Pinching pennies wasn’t what they had in mind for their retirement years, yet it’s the way most seniors live.

That can be depressing and limiting. Fortunately, today there are ways seniors can begin new careers and learn new skills to make their lives better. But before you can take advantage of these new opportunities, you have to develop the right mindset.

To get yourself in the right mindset to become a senior entrepreneur, do some research and find out what you have to know to begin a startup online business. Don’t worry if you’re overwhelmed with information.

Narrow it down as you go to skills you could learn or perhaps already know and decide how you could turn a passion into a profit. By the end of your research period, you’ll likely be enthused about the possibilities that exist on the Internet.

If you’re short on computer skills, you may want to think about joining an online help group or taking a class at your local college. Keep negative thoughts at bay by chatting with other seniors online.

Social media is a great way to foster friendships and find others who are in the same boat as you. Stay away from negative people or those who tell you it will never work. You’re never too old to change your mindset and you may have to bend a little to wrap your mind around starting a new business and learning skills you never thought about.

But, the quality of the rest of your life will be determined by the decisions you’re making now. Don’t label yourself by your age – or call yourself old. Envision yourself as an entrepreneur who is reinventing him-or her-self and find and do what you need to develop skills which will lead you to success.

The world is changing rapidly and you should embrace all of the good things those changes have to offer.

Common Obstacles for Senior Entrepreneurs

You will encounter obstacles along the way, and that’s when your can-do attitude is most needed.

There are certain challenges in building a business on the ‘net that are unique to some seniors. One problem is that many seniors don’t know or understand the intricacies of the new computer technology. They may flounder or become discouraged as they try to learn.

One danger of trying to learn the new technology is trying to do too much – too fast. It takes time to learn even the basics of a computer and how the Internet works. Starting a business can be a scary transition from working for someone to working for yourself and when you have the added obstacle of learning a new technology, it can be very daunting.

Luckily, starting a business on the ‘net doesn’t require breaking the bank with startup costs. If you have a computer and access to the Internet, you’re already well on your way to gaining the business acumen you’ll need.

Websites and other types of help exist that promote senior entrepreneurial activities and offer solutions to any and all problems seniors may face. At first, seniors are intimidated by all they have to learn to become an online entrepreneur.

They’re afraid they may not have the mental prowess, business acumen or energy to make an online business work. They also don’t want to take on financial burdens and run a risk of losing their savings.

Most media stories tend to focus on younger entrepreneurs such as guru, Mark Zuckerberg, who became a young billionaire by introducing Facebook – a socializing network used the world over.

But, there are plenty of senior entrepreneurs who have been enormously successful with startup businesses. At the very least, seniors can easily supplement their retirement income and live a better lifestyle than before the Internet made it possible to become successful with home-based businesses.

It’s a fact that age isn’t a factor in Internet startup businesses. If you have the passion and can make a commitment to learn and utilize all that computers and the Internet has to offer, you can profit during financially tough times.

Remember, you do NOT have to do everything yourself. There are easy and inexpensive outsourcing options for nearly every task you’ll need to complete. In fact, here are some fiverr gigs I recommend for some online business tasks you can’t do or don’t want to do yourself:

Recommended Outsourcing Options:

In closing this three part series for seniors…

Don’t be content to waste the best years of your life living a financially strapped and lackadaisical lifestyle. Shakespeare wrote, “Leisure is a fine garment for a day, but is horrible daily attire.” Learn how the Internet can help make you into a senior entrepreneur.

To your success online, no matter what your age!

Jim Daniels

P.S. This post was created using PLR from my colleague Tiffany Lambert – ghost writer to the gurus. You have my permission to republish this as is. If you would like PLR to the GIANT package I purchased from Tiffany called Internet Marketing for Seniors, please follow this link.