A Rewarding and New Chapter in Life
By Sharon E. Wilkerson-Gilpin
My life changed forever on a rewarding new path one summer morning when I took my first step toward starting a business after age 50. As I stepped into my county administration building to apply for my business license, I was excited and thankful for courage to start a new journey of business ownership!
Fulfilling my dream of becoming a business owner has been a joyous, rewarding, new chapter in my life. Becoming a business owner has helped me to pursue my passion of helping families. I started my writing and consulting services business with the mission of enriching the lives of women and their families through holistic family health and wellness books, e-books, websites, articles, essays, speeches and workshops.
My entrepreneurial spirit was nurtured in my childhood. My grandmother, Mrs. Gwinette Carter Washington, inspired me when I was a child. A pastor’s wife and mother of seven children, grandma talked about her experience of starting a home-based business in cosmetology. She shared how she loved serving her customers. She always encouraged me to seek God first, take good care of my family and serve people with love.
Grandma was my first mentor, and she nurtured my gift of serving others. She taught me how to “walk in love” by showing others love through acts of kindness. I cherished quality moments we shared talking and walking together hand in hand during my childhood. As we walked together, grandma greeted every one we saw with a smile and kind words. When I visited her in the quiet, peaceful, rural community of Noel, VA, she shared words of wisdom like The Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” I’ll never forget what grandma taught me about loving and serving others.
My parents, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wilkerson Jr., also nurtured my passion for serving others which is at the heart of my mission as a business owner. They both loved helping people and worked in helping professions. Dad worked as a nurse, and mom worked in public education. They always encouraged me to trust God and to never give up on my dreams of helping people.
Identify Your Passion and Pursue It
What do you love to do? What do you do well? Asking yourself these questions will help to lead you to business ideas.
Next, do your market research. Is there a profitable market for your business idea? How will you market your business as a product or service? Who will your customers be? What business type would best match your idea–sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation or LLC? Learn about each business type before you make a decision.
After you’ve done your market research, develop your business mission statement and your business plan. For guidance in starting your business, developing a business plan and complying with legal requirements for businesses, go to the Small Business Administration website at https://www.sba.gov.
Connect with a Mentor for Guidance, Encouragement and Support
Mentors can be sources of wisdom, guidance and positive encouragement for small business owners. Surrounding yourself with positive people and thinking positive thoughts are important while starting and managing your business. According to the SBA, a survey by the UPS Store found that 70 percent of small businesses that received mentoring survived more than five years –double the survival rate of non-mentored businesses.
Connect with your SBA District Office for help with counseling and other SBA services including funding programs, federal contracting, certificates and disaster recovery. Each U.S state or territory, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, has at least one local SBA District Office.
Starting a business after retirement can be a very rewarding experience. It’s an opportunity to start a new chapter of life full of new possibilities for personal growth and service to others!