According to a study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, people starting their working careers will face the following situation when they retire age at age 65: they will have annual incomes between $4,000.00 and $26,000.00. According to the Social Security Administration, today’s retirees can only count on corporate pensions and Social Security for 61 percent of their income at retirement. The remainder must come from other sources. If the same holds true in the future, today s workers need to accumulate enough in personal savings to make up a 39 percent shortfall in their retirement income. The solution for many after they have played enough golf and caught enough fish will be to start a small part-time business. Detailed in this new book are over 100 business ideas that can be started for very little money and yet may provide retired people with a lot more money than they would earn being paid by the hour. This is a collection of businesses selected especially for retirees who are interested in augmenting their income. These businesses can be started with minimum training and investment and are all capable of producing extra income. Most can easily be operated by one person and eventually be sold for an additional profit. Many of these businesses can actually be started with less than one hundred dollars and some can really be started with next to nothing. Some can even be operated from home. Starting and managing a business takes motivation and talent. It also takes research and planning. This new book is intended to serve as a roadmap for starting your business. It is both comprehensive and easy to use. It also includes numerous Web links for additional information. While providing detailed instruction and examples, the author leads you in developing a winning business plan, setting up the structure of the business and accounting and bookkeeping procedures, tending to legal concerns, devising sales and marketing techniques, calculating pricing formulas, getting the right computer systems to save time and money, generating high-profile public relations and publicity, developing low-cost internal marketing ideas, finding low and no-cost ways to satisfy customers, building sales, and keeping customers coming back. Thousands of great tips and useful guidelines will show you how make the most of your retirement years.
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Kit Perez –
A great number of people dream of starting their own businesses, and retirees are no exception. This book addresses not only the basic ideas behind being a small business owner, but the real and specific concerns of the retired generation.
The book is divided into clear, concise sections, and the first, titled “Retirees and Self-Employment,” deals with some of the things facing retirees looking to start their own business, such as financial concerns, pros and cons of any kind of self-employment, and even specific problems that can crop up for those entrepreneurs over 50.
The author takes the time to list a number of resources and places that would-be business owners can turn to for help getting started, and success stories throughout the narrative add to the positive tone of the book.
An entire chapter is devoted to self-evaluation, and while the author is encouraging, she makes a point of stressing the importance of goals, planning, and research into the type of business the retiree is looking to start. Marketing, administration, startup costs, and expected earnings are all discussed in a very easy-to-understand way.
Once the book gets into the actual listings of businesses available to start, the author is very thorough. Typical earnings, required equipment, business base, and expected clientele are laid out, as well as starting points for each business. The first section of businesses can be started for only $100. What makes the listings so interesting is that there are literally jobs in every field imaginable: Administration, graphic design, freelancing, hobbies, writing, sports, real estate and much more. The author even covers a list of pursuits known as “sister businesses,” which complement and augment the businesses listed earlier in the book.
Once the retiree has decided on a business type, it’s time for the business plan. Shepherd walks the reader through a sample business plan, pausing to explain each section, its purpose, and how to effectively convey the business’ needs and projections.
Next is establishing the business, and the author starts at the beginning–naming the venture, and setting up the legal entity. Which is better–a limited liability partnership or sole proprietorship? All of the options, from a one-man show up to a corporation are explained in a way that doesn’t leave the reader feeling overwhelmed and confused.
One of the things I liked about this book is that while it claims to cater to retirees that wish to begin a business, the information and tips contained in it are applicable to anyone who is looking to take that leap into self-employment. The style is informative yet engaging, and overall this is a solid purchase.
Lucy Davis –
Needed more info.
Boris Petrenko –
I found this book useless.
Sumanasar –
Good book
Julie N –
I give this book three stars!
I really have only read the first 10 pages, I was currently reading something a little more exciting. I will come back to this book later!
I’m not sure how I really feel about this entire book just yet. I purchased it, because it suit’s me where I am in life right now!
Q. E. Brown –
I am no where near retirement age, but with my parents getting closer and closer to that phase out stage I am increasingly aware of the need for them to have something that they can call their own. An income producing business that will allow them the flexibility of long vacations visiting the grandkids, or just weekends off when they need it.
Heather L. Shepard comes to the rescue with her timely book, “101 Businesses you can start for less than One Thousand Dollars for Retirees”. This book is informative while telling it like it is. Starting your own business is not easy and you are not going to get rich quick. And this is a good way to start the book because it’s been my experience that any book that makes making money sound simple will not deliver between the covers. The meat of Ms. Shepard’s book does not fail to deliver. Ms. Shepard gives an honest look into starting your own home business and goes on to give a step- by- step guideline for getting it done. She first explores whether or not starting a home business is what you should even attempt. After all not everyone is able to manage himself or herself. She then goes on to tell, in detail, how to do it. This is refreshing as so many how to books tell you what to do, but fall short on the “how to do”.
The text is presented in a readable format that won’t leave retirees bored or re-reading paragraphs over and over trying to pick apart the meaning. I am sure that this alone will make this book popular amongst the retiree set. My parents, who love to read, do not enjoy wasting their time trying to dissect verbose paragraphs that lead to nowhere.
The personal profiles presented in the book were a nice addition as well. Ms. Shepard gives an in depth look into how these people took their businesses from concept to reality. The profiles were interesting to read and encouraging to any retiree who is not quite ready to hang up their “work shoes”.
What makes this book a jewel is that Ms. Shepard then goes on to give ideas for the kinds of businesses that retirees can start and provides detailed information on how much it will cost, how much you can expect to make, and how much time and energy you will have to put into making a go at each prospective business. She also references helpful websites and organizations that retirees can use for guidance.
This book is a must have for anyone who is ready to call their own shots.