The Baby Boomer Entrepreneur

Maybe it’s because it’s almost back to school time, but I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting in the past week. I’ve been thinking about what it was like during the first few weeks and months of being in business full time. It was an equally exciting and frightening time.

I had a business and marketing plan and was reasonably confident I would succeed. On the other hand, I didn’t really know I would succeed.

I was also venturing into new territory: creating a website from scratch; juggling business and family; having to be 100 percent responsible for my income - an income that was very unpredictable. And in spite of years of working in marketing and promotion, I found that marketing my own business was an entirely different kettle of fish.

Looking back at my first year in business, I see I made a lot of mistakes. If I had avoided them, I might have gotten to where I am a lot sooner. Here are some of my beginner mistakes:

Not being aggressive enough in marketing

People often say, “It’s just business. It’s not personal.” But when you’re a solo-preneur, selling a service, marketing yourself is personal. It’s all about you and the results you provide. And for many of us, this is very difficult. We’re taught not to brag, not to toot our own horn. And yet, as an entrepreneur we need to do just that. Continue Reading »

Today’s post is a guest post by Brian Tracy. If you don’t know Brian Tracy, you’re in for a treat. He is a business and personal success consultant who has numerous books, articles and courses available. I took his Phoenix seminar years ago and learned so much. I’ve also read many of his books and have always found something that really spoke to me. Your ability to achieve your own happiness is the key measure of your success, of how well you are doing as a person.

You learn the key to happiness that has been the same through all of history. You learn how to dispel the two myths that may be holding you back and how to achieve more happiness in everything you do.

Dedicate Yourself to Your Best Talents

The key to happiness is this: dedicate yourself to the development of your natural talents and abilities by doing what you love to do, and doing it better and better in the service of a cause that is greater than yourself.

This is a big statement and a big commitment. Being happy requires that you define your life in your own terms and then throw your whole heart into living your life to the fullest. In a way, happiness requires that you be perfectly selfish in order to develop yourself to a point where you can be unselfish for the rest of your life.

Imagine if you could become a millionaire today!

Your life would be easier and more fun. You could be taking more vacations, and spending the kind of time with your family that you really want. Continue Reading »

Start off the week with some great new posts by the members of the Blogging Boomers Carnival #83. This week’s Carnival is hosted by Gen Plus. Written by Janet Wendy Spiegel, this blog is about jobs and life for those aged 50 and older. Even if you’re a hair younger than 50, I think you might enjoy Janet’s blog.

This week’s Carnival includes - as always - a wide variety of topics. From reflections on the 1968 Democratic Convention, on the eve of this one 40 years later, to a Boomer’s guide to communicating with Gen X and Gen Y at work and on to a new product designed to deal with the dilemma of a once youthful décolleté that is now a wrinkled mess.

Please zip on over to Blogging Boomers Carnival #83 and check out these posts. Then come back tomorrow for a fresh new post from The Baby Boomer Entrepreneur.

Andrea J. Stenberg

As a former swimmer, I watched Michael Phelps with great excitement at these Olympics. Watching him swim to eight gold medals was truly something to behold. I got chills each time he got closer to his goal.

What struck me most about his accomplishment was a story the commentators told. When Michael was 11 his coach approached Michael’s mother and said, “I have a plan for Michael.” She replied, “Okay. What are we doing next week?” His coach responded, “No. Not for next week … for the next 14 years.”

For the next 14 years.

Winning eight gold medals at one Olympic games is not a fluke. It’s not luck. It’s not an accident. It is part of a long term plan.

While it may be awe inspiring - or shocking - that a coach could have this kind of plan for an 11 year old boy, think about the alternative.

Without this lofty goal, it’s difficult to keep working so hard. Getting up at 5 am to go to a cold pool. Heading off to the pool after school instead of playing with your friends. More pool on weekends as you head off to swim meets.

When Phelps became a teenager, what kept him in the pool instead of out picking up girls? The long term goal. Continue Reading »

BloggingBoomers is a collection of bloggers writing for the middle aged reader. They are an interesting and eclectic bunch and I’m excited that The Baby Boomer Entrepreneur has been invited to join their group. These blogs cover a variety of topics including health, finance, marriage, retirement, nostalgia, and a look at mid-life. Each week a different member acts as the host of the carnival, including links to the best posts of the previous week.

Please take a visit to BloggingBoomers Carnival #82. Not only will the Carnival lead to some interesting articles but it will also help you discover some new blogs to follow.

Happy reading!

Andrea J. Stenberg