Business Week has a couple of great articles on senior entrepreneurs that I want to share. (See links at the bottom of this post.) The articles are inspirational, and a little scary. While there’s no guarantee that any business will succeed, these senior entrepreneurs are using their years of experience to launch their own dreams.
I graduated from New Ventures this summer, which is a program for women entrepreneurs sponsored by Women, Work & Community and the University of Southern Maine. There were 14 women in the class, many of them past the half century mark but all of them determined to launch businesses. While none of us have yet reached the success outlined by the entrepreneurs in the Business Week articles, it’s still obvious to me that older Mainers are making great contributions to their communities and local economies with these business start-ups.
Lucy Rogers
Take Lucy Rogers of Lovell, for example. Lucy’s business, Hilltop Handspuns, is having a good year as people return to knitting and weaving. Lucy dyes her hand-spun yarn with environmentally-safe dyes, often made from natural elements like roots and flowers. A retired nurse, Lucy’s business venture is one she planned for years. As an expert knitter, she offers help and advice as well as beautiful yarns. Lucy buys almost all of her fleece from Maine farms, and also buys yarn from other spinners and small mills to dye. She sells at craft and agricultural fairs, from her own shop, and on-line.
It’s exciting to see older Mainers bring new ideas to market. Do you know anyone, older and daring, who has started their own business? We’d like to know about them. Deborah
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_47/b4156000102751.htm?campaign_id=smallbiz_related