Lazy days in the recliner while channel surfing. Relaxing at the beach watching the sun go down. This is the vision that comes to mind when thinking about retirement.  Some retired entrepreneurs are finding that the relaxing days of retirement are not that exciting after all.

Entrepreneur Nancy Lynn Jarvis of Santa Cruz retired after 20 years as a successful Realtor.  Nancy said, “I couldn’t quite do it, retire, that is. I even owned a small real estate company with my husband, but when it started costing more money to maintain our company every year than we were earning after the market tanked in 2007, I knew it was time to move on”.  Nancy went on to say,  “At age 59, I took an experimental, early retirement, sorted out people I’d met who would make good characters and some of the experiences I’d had to use for background, and began writing a mystery with a Realtor protagonist. This adventure will never make me rich, but I wake up every morning excited what the day may bring. I’m 61 now, have two books out and am working on the third in the series”. Nancy’s books can be found at goodreadmysteries.com, selected independent bookstores and other locations in Santa Cruz and on Amazon.

After running their architecture business for over 30 years, Mike Kephart retired about 5 years ago and his wife Janet retired about 3 years ago. Janet said, “About 2 years ago, we decided we still had something to share. My new company, Ripple, launched last November. It is an audio website for people to record books to children. Imagine a deployed soldier reading to a child back home, or east coast grandma reading to a west coast grandchild. Furthermore, we are promoting Ripple for teachers and schools”. You can visit Janet’s website at ripplereader.com. Janet’s husband, Mike, started Sidekick Homes, a company for people to care for elderly or disabled family members by building small homes in their backyard. You can visit Mike’s website at sidekickhomes.com.  Janet went on to say, “I think we are both concerned about building on family connections. As you can see, we retired from one company only to start another”.

Gone are the days of retirees playing bridge to pass the time, retired entrepreneurs are now following their passions and creating new business to fulfill the golden years.

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Julie Barnes is a Freelance Writer focusing on her passions of entrepreneurship, women’s issues, and holistic health and wellness. Julie published “So You Want to Start a Business…Now What?” in December 2009.  Julie lives and works in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, KS with her husband Ron and lovable dog Hank. You can visit her site at www.onewhowrites.com.

Copyright © 2010 Julie Barnes and One Who Writes