👋 Welcome - Your Weekly Spark
This week, we're tackling something I hear constantly from experienced professionals: "I could easily consult in my field, but honestly? The thought exhausts me." If you've ever felt trapped by your own expertise—knowing you could monetize what you've mastered but questioning whether you want to—this one's for you. Let's talk about breaking free from the "same old, same old" without abandoning what you've built.
🌟 Words to Inspire
"The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek." — Joseph Campbell
Sometimes the scariest thing isn't starting something new—it's admitting that what once fulfilled you no longer does. That honest acknowledgment? That's where your second act begins. Your expertise isn't a prison sentence. It's raw material waiting to be reshaped.
📖 When Your Expertise Feels Like a Trap: The Micro-Experiment Approach to Your Second Act
Imagine spending thirty years becoming exceptional at something. You could charge $200 an hour consulting in that field tomorrow.
But here's the problem—the thought of doing it for another decade makes you feel like you're walking backward into your future.
Does that make you ungrateful? Impractical? Or just human?
According to AARP research, 37% of adults aged 50 and older plan to work in retirement—but not in traditional full-time roles. More than half want flexible arrangements, and 38% are specifically interested in self-employment, consulting, or project-based work rather than corporate positions.
If this resonates, you're facing what I call the expertise trap: knowing you can monetize what you've mastered, but questioning whether you want to keep doing what no longer excites you.
The "Same-Old, Same-Old" Trap—When Mastery Becomes a Prison
For most of my CFO career, I was good at what I did. Built teams. Managed billions in SBA loans. Knew the numbers cold.
But toward the end, I felt something unexpected: fatigue not from overwork, but from sameness.
That's the paradox of mastery. You've climbed to the top of the mountain, but suddenly you realize you've lost interest in the view. You're good at it, but you're no longer energized by it.
Gallup research shows only 33% of experienced professionals describe themselves as "engaged" at work, with burnout and boredom being key factors among mid-to-late-career workers. The skills that got you here don't automatically make the journey forward compelling.
Financial pressure makes this trickier. When you know your expertise could pay bills immediately, it's tempting to default back to what you know—even if it leaves you uninspired.
Here's my diagnostic question:
"If money weren't an issue, would I choose to spend 20 hours a week doing this work?"
If your answer is "no" or even "maybe," acknowledge it honestly. That's step one.
The Platform-Shift Solution—Same Expertise, Different Energy
Here's what most people miss: sometimes you don't need to abandon your expertise. You just need to change how you deliver it.
When I left my CFO role, I didn't stop helping people understand business. I shifted how I shared that knowledge—from spreadsheets and boardrooms to storytelling, education, and content creation. That shift didn't just revive my energy; it completely reframed my purpose.
This isn't just personal anecdote—it's a growing movement. Self-employment among people aged 55–64 has grown 22% since 2020, with many professionals transitioning to coaching, consulting, or educational content creation. They're leveraging the same expertise through entirely different vehicles.
Consider these platform shifts:
- Hourly consulting → teaching a cohort-based class
- One-on-one coaching → building scalable courses or content
- Traditional hands-on work → creating frameworks others can use
The key insight? Try this reframe:
"Maybe I don't love doing the work anymore, but I might love teaching it, creating content about it, or building systems that help others do it better."
The expertise stays the same. The experience transforms completely.
The Micro-Experiment Framework—Test Before You Commit
This is where strategic thinking beats impulsive decisions.
Instead of committing to a full consulting practice or completely abandoning your expertise, what if you ran small, low-risk tests first?
The 80/20 Strategy: If you need income now, structure your time intentionally:
- 80% proven income – Consulting, contract work, or freelance projects in your field of expertise
- 20% exploration – Micro-experiments testing different delivery formats
Protect 5–10 hours weekly for experiments. Give yourself 90 days to test, learn, and adjust.
What might micro-experiments look like?
- Recording a few videos teaching your expertise to see if you enjoy the format
- Offering a single strategy session or workshop to test 1:1 interaction
- Creating one simple resource (template, guide, framework) to gauge interest
- Writing content about your field to discover if teaching energizes you differently than doing
The goal isn't launching a business—it's gathering data about what energizes versus drains you.
You might discover you love teaching but dislike client management. Or you enjoy creating content but hate video editing, which means you'd outsource it. Maybe you're inspired by building frameworks but drained by implementation work.
That information is gold. It tells you exactly where to invest your second act.
Making the Strategic Choice
This expertise-versus-exploration tension represents one of your most significant strategic life decisions. You're not just choosing a business model—you're choosing how you'll spend your creative energy and remaining professional years.
The advantage of being an experienced professional? You can afford to be strategic, not desperate. Your decades of credibility buy you time to explore intentionally.
And here's the beautiful part: you don't have to choose between financial security and creative exploration. You can do both—one funds the other while you test the waters.
Your Next Move
This week, don't overthink it. Choose one micro-experiment under $100 and under 10 hours:
- Record three short videos explaining something you know deeply
- Create a simple checklist or framework from a process you've mastered
- Offer one "strategy conversation" to test if direct client work still appeals
The goal isn't perfection. It's data. See what energizes you. See what resonates with others.
Your expertise isn't a life sentence—it's an asset you can leverage in multiple ways. The only mistake is assuming the old delivery method is the only one that counts.
You've already built the expertise. Now it's about reclaiming your energy by using it differently. Test before you commit. Start small. Pay attention to what lights you up.
Because the second act isn't about doing more of the same. It's about discovering what makes the work feel new again.
If you're ready to test your own micro-experiment, here's a simple tool to make it effortless:
🎁 Partner Spotlight: StanStore + Beehiiv Event Reminder
Speaking of micro-experiments—if you want to test offering coaching, consulting, or digital products without building an entire website, StanStore is worth checking out.
Think of it as your storefront-in-a-box. One link. Clean interface. Payment processing built in. Perfect for running those $97 strategy sessions or selling a simple template to see if anyone bites.
For professionals testing whether they want to monetize expertise differently, it removes the technical barriers.
And don't miss this: Beehiiv is hosting a major live event about the future of newsletters and creator monetization. If you're considering content creation as a platform shift, this is worth your time. Register for the Beehiiv event here
⚡ Your Quick Action Step
If you've been feeling restless about what's next, start here.
This week's challenge combines thinking with doing:
Step 1 (5 minutes): Answer the diagnostic question honestly: "If money weren't an issue, would I choose to spend 20 hours a week doing [my expertise work]?"
Step 2 (15 minutes): If your answer was "no" or "maybe," brainstorm three platform shifts you could test. Don't evaluate them yet—just write them down.
Step 3 (The action): Pick the one that makes you most curious and schedule 2 hours this week to explore it. Not to commit. Not to launch. Just to see what happens when you test a different delivery format.
The goal? Gather one piece of real data about what energizes you versus what drains you. That's more valuable than any business plan.
🔄 Strategic Life Change
This expertise-versus-exploration tension isn't just about finding a business model. It's about reclaiming how you spend your energy and creativity in your remaining professional years. You've earned the right to be strategic, not desperate. Your decades of credibility give you something younger entrepreneurs don't have: the stability to test intentionally. Use it wisely.
🚀 Join the Retirepreneur Hub — Completely Free
I'm building something special, and I need your help.
The Retirepreneur Hub is my free resource library for 55+ entrepreneurs—tools, templates, and guides I'm continuously adding based on what members actually need.
Here's the deal: You get immediate access to resources designed specifically for your second act. Your feedback helps me shape the next set of resources that support everyone in this community.
It's a partnership. You get free support. I learn what you need. Everyone wins.
Join the Hub for Free — No Credit Card Required
Join us, use what helps, and let me know what you need. That's how we build something remarkable together.
🛑 Parting Words
I hope this week's article gave you permission to question the path that feels most obvious. Just because you're good at something doesn't mean you're sentenced to keep doing it the same way forever. You've earned the right to shape your next chapter on your terms.
Keep building what matters,
Curt
📮 P.S. Know Someone?
Know someone wrestling with the "should I consult in my old field?" question? Forward this their way. Sometimes we just need permission to explore differently.
