The EncoreEntrepreneurs.com
The Journey of Becoming.
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CREATE YOUR OWN SUCCESS AS AN
ENCOREENTREPRENEUR.
The Business Page.
Be...... So that you are.
To borrow a phrase from AARP’s Purpose Prize, “Making a difference is
ageless.” Who is an “ageless entrepreneur”? Ageless entrepreneurs fix
problems. They are people in the second half of life who use their
experience, wisdom, and networks to work from a core purpose, build
solutions, and create organizations that help people, enhance their
communities, and strengthen themselves. Ageless entrepreneurs make life
better. Being an ageless entrepreneur is a way of life.
According to Dr. Carl Schramm, former president of the Kauffman
Foundation for Entrepreneurship (a leading organization in
entrepreneurship research) and author of Burn the Business Plan (Simon &
Schuster, 2019), entrepreneurs over the age of 55 are creating more new
businesses than their younger counterparts in the under-35 age group. And
it’s no surprise why the Boomer generation has a collective wealth of
experience, stable retirement income, and transferrable skillsets that make
them perfect candidates for the entrepreneurial journey. Schramm also
reports that the rate of success for businesses increases with their founders’
age. Boomer’s businesses have up to five times the success rate of
businesses started by Millennials or Gen Zers. Clearly, this cohort of
ageless entrepreneurs are busy building startups that stand the test of time—
ageless startups.
Research backs the idea that there has never been a better time for
ageless entrepreneurs to start their own businesses. In fact, older
entrepreneurs are the fastest growing segment of the startup world.
According to the 2017 Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurship, the number of
startups by younger people has dropped significantly since 1996. There is
not an uptick in the percent of new entrepreneurs in the last 20 years until
you get to those people 45 and above. The rock stars? Entrepreneurs aged
55 to 64 increased as a percent of total startups from 15 percent of the new
entrepreneurs to 25 percent between 1996 and 2016.
You can join this revolution. This is the renaissance age of
entrepreneurship, and it’s just beginning. The world needs you. Your
community needs you. It’s time for you to contribute. There has never been
a better time to launch your own small venture. You can pursue your own
goals and grow your income while changing your community and possibly
the world.
The time to share your skills and begin building the income you
need is here.
Start small.
Start smart.
Start. Right. Now.
That’s what I hope you do after you read this book. I write this mostly
for my friends in the second half of our lives, the ageless entrepreneurs who
want to build ageless startups (though there are insights for everyone
interested in starting a new venture). You and I both have knowledge,
experience, and networks lacking in younger entrepreneurs. We can use
what we’ve learned over a lifetime to start valuable new enterprises of our
own.
There are plenty of problems to fix. If you can’t find one, you’re not
looking hard enough. There are not enough people in the workforce in
general. Organizations large and small, for-profit and nonprofit, all need our
help to bridge the knowledge gaps and human capital challenges of a
changing business landscape that is increasingly dominated by a gig
economy mindset.
And to do that, you need to know how to maximize the skillset you
bring to the table as a veteran of the workforce, including networking.
Entrepreneurship is a game of networks. You need to act in concert with
others. Your knowledge and networks are your intellectual property, your
greatest strength. Remember the saying: “networking is one letter away
from ‘not working.’” This book will help you build smart networks to help
take your ageless startup to the next level.
You don’t need profound insight to start. You don’t need to change the
world (though you well may). You need to act. You are the driver of what
comes next. Which path will you take?
If you need to chase the startup myths of fame, fortune, and adulation,
maybe you shouldn’t be reading this book. I can’t help with those things.
But if you’re brave enough to consider taking actionable steps that can
bring you more independence, increased income, and a chance to help
people, then go ahead and give yourself permission to put your ideas into
practice.
If you accept the premise of this book—that you should launch your
own small enterprise—welcome to your life’s next chapter as an ageless
entrepreneur.
THE EVIDENCE IS ALL AROUND YOU.
The cofounder of Starbucks didn’t open his first coffee shop until he was
51. The founders of McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, and Kentucky Fried Chicken
were all over the age of 50 when they established their businesses.
That’s just a snapshot of ageless entrepreneurs in the second half of
their lives who have built new organizations to support ideas and causes
they were passionate about. Some of those companies were designed to
serve their lives only as solopreneurs. Others are growing into national and
global businesses designed to employ many. Some are small businesses
tailored to help their founders pursue work they love, while others are
enterprises positioned to change the world, sometimes by solving small
problems one at a time in improbable, difficult locations at home and
abroad. Still others are becoming new platforms to help inform and educate
people about valuable subjects they love. Most of these ageless
entrepreneurs are taking skills, knowledge, and know-how they have built
up over the first half of their lives to reach out and serve others in their
second half of life.
Many ageless entrepreneurs are following long-suppressed passions
they have nurtured for years. Many are looking for better alternatives to
sub-par options in the new economy. No matter what entices you about
founding and growing an ageless startup, the spirit of entrepreneurship
likely guides your path. Entrepreneurship, as I’m covering it in this book
applies to most kinds of enterprises including for-profits and nonprofits,
slow-growth and fast-growth enterprises. For the most part, the approach I
recommend is to avoid raising outside money and pursue self-funding your
new enterprise as much as you are able. Go slow, plan carefully, and launch
with the attitude of the professional you are.
​
The two books above are here for you. This is where you start.
But my desire and is to get you started on the road.
Once you are on the right track, you will go on the journey as far as you desire to.
Making the decision is the hard part.
Even harder is to be getting launched.
Not for all, but for many overcoming the subconscious mind and the self-imposed limitations can be difficult.
I share my learning to assist you. This business has everything I required.
No physical product.
Full time income with part time flexible hours.
A business system.
​
Welcome. The Money Story.
An Example Story.
I want to say that your presence here is a great indication of your interest. I would love to assist you in the foundational stages of creating the life you desire. Visit the jump start page to see ways I can assist you in the early stages. The wheel does not need to be re- invented. The pathway has been illuminated.
theencoreentrepreneurs.com
The challenges facing the encore entrepreneur.
You may be reading this because you are experiencing problems running your SME.
Like many others, you have probably tried lots of different strategies to turn your business around but end up just tinkering around the edges and not effecting any real change.
The great news is that you can break through the entrepreneurial ceiling to a business that provides freedom, satisfaction and even joy.
A business that provides a great lifestyle for you and your family.
A business that is scalable and rewarding.
Millions of businesses have trod this path before you.
But while this journey is simple, it is not easy.
It will require you to let go and face your fears.
It is these fears that have you photocopying the same day repeatedly and keeping you and your business stuck.
You must let go of the fear of the unknown and embrace uncertainty.
Commit to being different, to doing things differently, and to operating in a way that will feel unfamiliar to you.
You will learn how to remove yourself as the bottleneck – the single point of failure – and leverage your knowledge into business systems that will enable others to do what you once did.
Welcome to the concept of difference.
We live our life by expectation.
This is why change is difficult.
Different business Design.
Yes, you will be different.
I will show you how you can create an aspirational path so compelling that it will sustain the journey, provide a new perspective when things are tough and inspire others to follow.
I have great empathy and admiration for you, the brave souls who have backed yourselves and ventured out to forge your own path.
This book is the culmination of the journeys of many others – journeys I have had a ringside seat to.
The journeys of business owners just like you, who have gone from chaos and overwhelm to freedom and reward.
Owners who have put in place the building blocks that have ultimately led to their business by design.
The book by Chris Green the Business by Design is a foundational reading to be able to apply these concepts to any business.
Creating a business by design is not for the faint hearted. But those who have achieved breakthrough, and there are plenty, will tell you they would not swap their journey for the world. They have created a wonderful business that serves them, their families and their people.
Who you work with is important.
The best place to begin is with the foundational training. You cannot build anything without a strong foundation.
