Wow! Times change and yet they stay the same at least for the baby boomer entrepreneur. Note it was 2006 and Entrepreneur.com was noting almost 4 years ago that boomers were foregoing traditional retirement and baby boomers are starting businesses in droves. The trend has not stopped – yet the location of those businesses and the types of businesses us boomers are starting in droves are different in 2009 and 2010. Location, location, location and traffic, traffic, traffic the mantra of real estate and retail for decades are still ringing. It is now internet, internet internet and still is traffic, traffic , traffic. Successful baby boomer entrepreneurs are discovering an online business can be the perfect location for them to bring their decades of business experience. It may be just the right vehicle to use their extensive business skills and achieve their dream of being their own boss. And the key to success online is traffic, traffic, traffic!
Having arrived here myself in 2007 it did seem like the wild, wild west and all the gunslingers in town were 20 and 30 somethings! What was a baby boomer wanna-be successful entrepreneur to do? Well I found that the road to successful entrepreneur for this baby boomer was NOT to follow exactly what the 20 and 30 somethings were doing! No disrespect – but come on marketing on myspace – yeah see how long that lasted. Baby Boomers Marketing on Facebook? Promoting yourself on Twitter? Your main form of advertising? You gotta be kidding. No disrespect – I found most of the successful young internet entrepreneurs had no clue how to build and sustain a real business – they had never been on the inside of one, contributed to the building of a brand or participated in a strategic planning session. They were proud to state their sole business experience was working at a restaurant or local service station. And yet within 90 days were telling anyone who would listen on myspace, facebook and twitter – they were now an internet marketing coach – “Look at me – successful in 90 days – you can be too!”
So like Coach John Wooden was fond of saying it’s not who starts the game but who finishes it. The seeds for online businesses were laid by excited, young and enthusiastic entrepreneurs! They have paved the way and actually recruited us to see just what all this was all about. Now it is up to us to take the lead – to come together and build real businesses. Real businesses that have value over time, businesses we can sell or grow into a big business. A business that can serve you in your life. That ONE KEY THING: The pieces are here, the time is right, baby boomers need to find a mentor you can relate to and learn from. I say look for one from your generation, with experience – who is looking to help others! We can learn new tricks – some of us may have to – to survive. But I believe this is the right place and the right time for the right generation to lead. We are at the front of the product adoption curve – the right time to get involved.
If you are looking to build a real business that will serve your life – and tired of the hype – join the conversation!
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Glenn
Really great post – couldn’t agree more with you – baby boomer entrepreneurs are in the right place and time now to take a lead in establishing the entrepreneur recovery too! I see it similarly as a baby boomer – finding a mentor you can relate to is important. Business mentorships usually have an age difference older mentor – younger new employee. Personally I don’t think the chances for success are increased when a baby boomer entrepreneur connects with another baby boomer – one with real success. I really like your site here – once again a masterpiece. Thanks!
Jen
Nice to see you again and thanks so much for your nice comment! I look forward to connecting with you again soon – reach out and give me a call. Noelle and I would love to hear how things are going
Glenn – thanks I too see this as the optimum time – the front end of the product adoption cycle! Smart industrious baby boomer entrepreneurs can lead us out of this economic mess by producing, saving and throwing out the crazy politicians that don’t listen to what we want – change! You are right this is The Right Time And Right Place
Hey Larry Thanks for stopping in. I am such a fan of the idea of the right place – the internet and right time… I picked up the domain LOL http://www.therightplacerighttime.com. I really have been a disciple/user of the product adoption lifecycle/curve for much of my business career. It is such a great tool to help you understand your customer’s motives/ decisions etc and to make certain your marketing language and style fits appropriately for where you are.. Again thanks and best wishes
Glenn, I’d been a university marketing teacher for many years until the California economy forced many of us “nontenure track” folks to seek other income streams.
And as always seems to happen, when one door closes, another one opens. It’s interesting for me to think back to a year ago when I was thinking how “satisfying” it was to “work for the man” — as Seth says in his newest book Linchpin.
However, now that I am truly on my own, a whole new and exciting world has opened. I think how lucky I was to be “forced” to see the New Lights in the New Normal. So many people, as Seth points out, stay unhappy and unsatisfied in positions where they are underpaid and under-appreciated.
Our time to create new and more wonderful experiences has come, and lots of us are out there spreading the word.
Shari – Know the one door closes (slams) and another one opens – very well myself! Have been a fan of Seth’s for a long time… saw him at a Leadership conference in San Diego back in 2001. Seems like each of his books betters my previous favorite. Although Linchpin is written to the “worker-bee” it applies so-well to us entrepreneurs. Love your blog – Continued good luck with it and I look forward to getting to know you better!
Glenn
Wow, you are so on point. I am also waiting to see more baby boomer business associations emerge. We are a group and power to be bargained with. Thanks for this insightful and motivating post
Hey Rosie – Nice to meet you! I appreciate the comment and the rss headsup! Talk to you soon!