What do you do if you're a late career entrepreneur looking to leverage your experience and expertise?

I'm in my 60's and I don't plan on stopping anytime soon! I believe in the power of providing value to your community and network. If what you are doing is providing value, you are already 50% of the way there. Do not let your age be a deterrent to your goals.

As a late career Entrepreneur, I found the following steps to be invaluable: 1. Lean in heavily to what you are doing right now. Learn all the lessons from your current situation 2. Get deeply in touch with what you thrive at. What are you doing when you are at you best? What are you energized by? 3. Discover bigger problems companies are struggling with (the bigger the company, the more value you can add / unlock and get paid for) 4. Figure out how you scan solve those bigger problems using your unique skills and experience. 5. Confirm this - and now you have your new business 6. Find other doing it well - ASK FOR HELP ENJOY the rest of your life, doing what you love and helping others solve their biggest problems!

Self-Assessment: Start by taking stock of your skills and knowledge. What are you particularly good at? What industry niches do you have deep expertise in? Identify your strengths and tailor your business idea around them. Established Connections: You've likely built a network of professional contacts, mentors, and industry influencers over the years. Leverage these connections to get valuable advice, secure funding, find strategic partners, or attract top talent for your new venture. Experience Pays Off: Your experience in navigating complex business situations and making sound decisions will be invaluable. Use your knowledge to create a comprehensive business plan that outlines your goals, strategies, target market.

If you're a late-career entrepreneur looking to leverage your experience and expertise, start by assessing your goals. Reflect on what you want to achieve with your entrepreneurial venture and how your past experiences can help you get there. Identify your unique strengths and skills that set you apart from younger entrepreneurs. Use this self-assessment to shape your business strategy and focus on areas where your expertise can make the most impact.

I have been in business 30 years. Experience has taught me the value of helping others and how to do it. You don't sell people on what you do. You talk to them. Get to know them and they get to know you. Build a relationship but do let them know what you do. I attend as many conferences and event as possible to network with people and stay UpToDate on what is going on in my industry.

Many of my clients launched businesses later in life, after successful corporate careers and had clarity on gaps to be filled. 1. Previous skills and experience are transferable and extraordinarily useful when launching a business in your field. 2. Market research is now accessible even to neophytes without deep research skills, thanks to a combination of AI, insights from your own network, and a trainable ability to ask people in your niche honest, non-leading questions. 3. Validating market-fit for your services and products is much easier now than it was even last year. 4. Finding your niche and understanding if prospects are willing to buy your offers requires effort but is not prohibitively expensive.

Look, just get your hands dirty with some serious market research. Understand what's happening out there and find those empty spots that need YOUR expertise. It's not about brewing up something new from scratch, but knowing when and where to play your cards. Hunt down that perfect niche— it's unused and screaming for attention. And that's your ticket to a business that's not just doable, but downright crucial.

Focus on online niches ('digital blue oceans' I call them since 2001). With people that you can really help. With relevant experience and knowledge. You are unique. Focus on that. What are relevant experiences and knowledge and for whom? It's matching with and for the right people online and offline. On values. Answer the question 'why you?'.

I could imagine that being a late career entrepreneur would be much more advantageous in networking. It's certainly easier now than when I first started my career. ?? Look to your existing network for support, advice, and opportunities. ?? Colleagues and acquaintances can open doors and provide valuable insights. ?? You just never know when your friends might be able to help out

I've found that networking is not just about expanding your contacts but also about nurturing existing relationships. I often tap into my existing network for advice, support, and potential collaborations. I believe in building a strong community around my business that can provide ongoing support and opportunities. For me, the value of networking lies not only in the size of my network but also in the depth and quality of the relationships I've cultivated over time.

Networking is important..... In the right and relevant networks. If you want to become a successful AI-Entrepreneur, corporate networks around Gartner, Forrester, the large ict-companies and management consulting companies (including universities and business schools) are not very usefull. So decide where you want to go and what you want become and network with trustworthy people in relevant networks. Including on @linkedin.

Experience taught me that getting clarity on three pillars helps you build a business that generates cash: 1. Figure out your value (USP), aka, exactly what you offer. Express it in 140 words. 2. Whom do you serve and how (get the niche down). 3. Validate fit between your product/ offer & client need. Do they want to pay for it? This may sound simple, but it is not. We live in fast-changing times and your business plan may get old very quickly. Spend time validating, tweaking, and talking to clients. Then put it all together in a one-pager PLAN that you keep adapting. And when you do, start with the end in mind—what do you want as goals & revenue? Your market and sales strategy will be determined by clarity on those three pillars.

Create a plan that clearly outlines what your vision is and what strategy you will use to get there. It will guide you in your journey and help in pivoting if the situation arises. This shows that you have a clear direction and you are ready to tackle the challenges that come your way.

The form and size of business plans depends on for whom and why you make such a plan. The trend for small business plans is on since 2001 online for successful entrepreneurs. So make small business plans for yourself and your team. And change and adapt them often and quickly. And focus on Cash-flow and fast paying customers, not on costs and external financing. Be 'customer-ready' instead of 'investor ready'. The trend is 'short'. ps And do not use business model canvas (bmc) or The Lean Startup.

Whip up a strong business plan sketching out your vision, strategy, and financial guesswork. It's your entrepreneurial compass and one hell of a tool for bagging some bucks, if needed. A properly cooked plan shows investors or partners you're not shooting in the dark—you're aware of the risks and ready for the rewards of your venture.

Brand building is not only about investing in some communication agency, or web agency doing the job for you. You should be the first promoter of the quality of your service, and the best way to let people know about the quality of your services is to include your customers in your communication, letting them know how good you are, or how different you are from the competition. Regularity in the communication (on-line, off-line, yourself, your brand, openly, with your clients) will help you build a strong brand.

Most really successful entrepreneurs were "late-entrepreneurs". That's mainly due to the experience they're putting on the table. Learning will be a non-stop action when you're in entrepreneurship.

Late career entrepreneurs have the advantage of deeper expertise and network, so it's important to take stock and leverage on both. Although it may seem you are late to the party, experience can help you circumvent and side step around unnecessary detours. Being an entrepreneur requires more skills than a single person can usually possess, and the way to acquire those skills quickly is to leverage on your network. Work with those who have the skills to do what you can't, be it marketing, UX design, coding etc. By utilizing your resources well (i.e. your resourcefulness), you may be "late" and yet get to your destination faster.

I just had this conversation with a dear colleague, a serial entrepreneur, yesterday. Anyway, a recent research from Harvard Business Review found that the average age of startup founders was 45 when they began their companies, so don't feel rushed to jump to anything new. This indicates that there are people on both spectrums of that number who are becoming entrepreneurs. Now, before leveraging experience and expertise or accumulated network, take a moment to assess who you are. What is your purpose? What is your calling? These questions of self-identity will allow you to evaluate your experience through a different prism and help you direct your knowledge correctly toward a better state.

I literally just shared some stuff on my new freelancing business's Fiverr and LinkedIn pages when I saw the invite to this question. The tech economy has forced my hand — I'm 38 and know that I will have better luck marketing myself independently then relying on a single source of employment income. And 38 is young. Don't believe the hype about the ageism against people over 35 or not having made the "30 under 30." For one, you don't have time to worry about ageism and for two, "30 under 30" is better at featuring future convictions for fraud than it is actual innovation. You are DEFINITELY able to get something started at an older age. Anyone not giving you the time of day because of your age would be a waste of YOUR time anyway.

I think the basic core values of honesty, trust, willing to adapt, learning new skills. Loving your work and patience will go a long way will help your transition.