7 Business Models That Actually Work
👋 Your Weekly Spark
This week, I keep thinking about a conversation I had with a fellow entrepreneur who said, "I wish someone had told me these business models existed before I wasted two years trying to figure it out on my own."
That hit home. We've spent decades mastering our fields, but when it comes to building something new at this stage of life, we're often flying blind—until now.
Today, I'm sharing the seven business models that actually work for our demographic. No fluff, no pipe dreams, just proven approaches that match where we are in life. By the end, you'll have a clear action plan and know exactly where to start.
🌟 Words to Inspire
"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today."
— Chinese Proverb
Sometimes the most profound wisdom comes in the simplest forms. This proverb captures exactly what I've learned about starting over at 60+: We can't change the past, but we can absolutely shape what comes next.
📖 Featured Story: The 7 Business Ideas That Actually Work
After three decades of building financial strategies, leading teams through complex challenges, and watching businesses succeed or fail based on sound decision-making, I found myself at 62 facing an unexpected question: What's next?
The conventional wisdom suggested scaling back, maybe picking up some part-time work, or finding ways to "stay busy" in retirement. But sitting in my home office those first few months, I realized something important: I wasn't done building.
I was done with corporate politics, unnecessary meetings, and someone else's vision consuming my days. But creating value? Solving real problems? That drive was stronger than ever.
So instead of taking the predictable path, I made a choice that surprised even me. At 62, I enrolled in a Master of Science program in Entrepreneurship. At 63, I launched Retirepreneur, proving to myself that our most innovative, fulfilling work might be ahead of us, not behind us.
I remember staring at a blank notebook in my first week of retirement, thinking, "So... what now?" Turns out, that blank page was a blueprint waiting to be drawn.
If you're feeling that same restless energy, wondering what's next beyond the traditional retirement playbook, here are seven business models that consistently work for experienced professionals who refuse to coast into irrelevance.
1. Strategic Consulting & Executive Advisory
Build trust, not just services
Your decades of experience aren't just résumé lines—they're your competitive moat.
The difference between seasoned professionals and younger consultants isn't just knowledge; it's pattern recognition. You've seen economic cycles, leadership transitions, and market disruptions. You know what works, what fails, and more importantly, why.
Here's the key: Don't position yourself as a traditional consultant. Position yourself as a strategic advisor who brings institutional memory and crisis-tested judgment.
Start here: Write down three critical decisions you've helped organizations navigate successfully. What frameworks did you use? What landmines did you help them avoid? That's your service offering.
Example: A retired healthcare executive launches a practice helping medical practices prepare for regulatory changes. She charges $250/hour and books months in advance because she understands where regulatory bodies are headed before they announce changes.
The demand for fractional executives is massive—fractional CFOs, CHROs, and strategic advisors who can step in during transitions or growth phases. These roles offer the perfect blend of meaningful work and schedule flexibility.
2. Knowledge-Based Digital Businesses
Teach what you know, once—and scale it forever
This might be the most significant mindset shift required: Your expertise can work while you sleep.
After spending years trading time for money, the idea of building something that scales independently feels almost revolutionary. But it's not magic—it's strategic thinking applied differently.
Consider the retired bank president who created an online course for community bank board members. In his first few months, he matched what he used to earn quarterly—without a single commute or client meeting.
Start here: What do people constantly seek your advice about? That recurring question is your first course outline. Record yourself answering it thoroughly once, and you've got the foundation of a digital product.
The community advantage: Don't just sell information—build connection. The most successful knowledge-based businesses create communities where customers learn from the expert and each other. Professional isolation is real among our demographic. Solve for connection, and you'll build something with lasting value.
3. Specialized Local Services
Become the go-to expert in your backyard
Sometimes the best opportunities are hiding in plain sight in your own backyard.
Local businesses trust experience. When the family-owned manufacturing company needs help with succession planning, they're not hiring the recent MBA graduate. They want someone who's been through transitions, understands family dynamics, and can speak from experience, not textbooks.
High-demand areas include: Business succession planning, financial restructuring for growing companies, interim executive roles during transitions, and compliance consulting for specific industries.
Start here: Survey your professional network. What challenges do business owners mention repeatedly? Your next venture might be solving that exact problem for similar businesses.
4. Strategic E-commerce & Digital Products
Find the niches others miss
This isn't about competing with Amazon or chasing viral trends. This is about identifying underserved niches where your professional background offers insight that younger entrepreneurs simply don't possess.
Example: A retired HR director creates a line of employee onboarding templates specifically for small professional services firms. She understands exactly what these businesses needed because she'd built those systems throughout her career. First-year revenue: $180,000.
Start here: What tools, templates, or processes did you develop during your career that others might pay for? Can you package your "greatest hits" into digital products?
The beauty of digital: Test everything with minimal investment. Start with a simple PDF guide. If it sells, expand it into a course. If that works, build a community around it. Each step validates the next investment.
5. Industry-Specific Training & Certification
Bridge the gap between theory and practice
Your industry knowledge represents decades of learning that can't be googled or absorbed in a weekend workshop.
Professional development never stops, and experienced practitioners often make the best teachers because they understand both the theory and real-world application.
Opportunities include: Creating certification programs for emerging professionals, developing continuing education courses, or building specialized training for industry transitions.
6. Business Brokerage & Advisory Services
Help others navigate what you've mastered
The baby boomer generation owns millions of businesses, and many will need to transition ownership in the coming decade.
This creates unprecedented opportunities for experienced professionals who understand both the operational and emotional aspects of business transitions.
Focus areas include: Business valuations, succession planning, merger and acquisition advisory, or specialized brokerage services for specific industries.
7. Specialized Coaching & Mentoring
Share wisdom, not just frameworks
Executive coaching isn't just for Fortune 500 companies anymore. Small and mid-sized businesses increasingly recognize the value of experienced guidance from someone who's sharing wisdom earned through decades of real-world application.
The differentiator: You're not just teaching frameworks, you're sharing wisdom earned through experience.
The deeper truth: Many of us spent decades building other people's dreams. Now we get to build our own.
If one or more of these sparked an idea, here's how to take the first step this week...
📝 Your 15-Minute Action Challenge
This Week's Mission: Choose Your Business Model Sweet Spot
How to do it:
- Step 1: Review the seven business models above and circle the two that feel most aligned with your experience and energy level
- Step 2: For each one, write down three specific problems you could solve based on your background
- Step 3: Research one real example of someone successfully using this model (LinkedIn is perfect for this)
Success looks like: Two potential business directions with concrete problem-solving focus, plus proof that others are succeeding in these areas.
Share your insight: Reply and tell me which models resonated most and why.
💡 Quick Win: Your Network is Your Net Worth
Think Like a Strategist: The biggest advantage you have over younger entrepreneurs isn't just knowledge—it's relationships. Your network includes people with real decision-making power and purchasing budgets.
Try it today: Make a list of 10 professional contacts who might need expertise in your strongest skill area. These are your first potential clients or referral sources.
While relationships are your unfair advantage, it's also clear we're part of a bigger movement...
🛣️ Pivot 65: Strategic Life Change
Our generation is rewriting the rules of what business ownership looks like after traditional careers. According to recent data, 13% of "new entrepreneurs" are aged 55-64, and 6% are 65-74—proving that experience is becoming the ultimate competitive advantage.
Are you ready to leverage your decades of wisdom into something that's entirely yours?
The path is there and it's clearer than it's ever been. What's missing? A guide to walk it with you.
🚀 Turn Strategy Into Action
Choosing your business model is just the beginning. The real challenge—and where most experienced professionals get stuck is the implementation. Not because you lack capability, but because entrepreneurship after 55 requires different strategies than the startup world preaches.
That choice, between traditional retirement and strategic reinvention, is exactly what we call your "Pivot 65" moment. The Retirepreneur Hub gives you the frameworks, tools, and community support to execute your strategic life change with confidence, not guesswork.
Whether you're exploring possibilities or ready to launch, the Hub provides the roadmap and community to make it happen.
🤝 Know Someone Who'd Benefit?
Enjoying Retirepreneur Weekly? If you know someone who could use practical second-act guidance, forward this newsletter or send them to Retirepreneur to subscribe.
Helping others discover their next chapter is one of the best ways to strengthen your own journey.
🛑 Parting Words
I hope this week's business models helped you see that you're not starting from scratch—you're starting from strength. Your experience isn't a limitation; it's your competitive advantage in a world that desperately needs wisdom-based solutions.
Next Week: From Empty Nest to Creative Renaissance We'll explore how to rediscover dormant talents and turn them into meaningful pursuits—because sometimes the best business ideas come from rediscovering what we loved before life got in the way.
Keep building something that matters,
Curt
P.S. Don't forget to follow us on LinkedIn for weekly insights and connect with our growing community of second-act entrepreneurs.
