What do you do when you’re done? – Part 1

You have built a business from the ground up or built your career by climbing the ladder from the bottom up.  You have put your blood, sweat and tears into it.  You have sacrificed time that you could have spent with your family and friends.  You have set aside things you enjoy, like hobbies and volunteering for local organizations.  But your sacrifices were not without reward.

You have been successful in that career or business; it has supported your family, allowed you to help your children attend college, take vacations and support local causes.  You have built a reputation along with your business. People respect you for your skills, your expertise in your field, your instincts, your unique approach, passion and drive.

Now, you may be ready to retire, or you may have reached the point where you have a new challenge in mind, see a new opportunity you want to pursue, or need to switch gears due to health or other personal reasons.  You have decided that you are done with this venture, this particular career path, but now what?

If you are retiring, that may be the answer in itself.  You will pursue hobbies, spend time with family, travel…whatever retirement means to you.

If you have another reason, there are other possibilities.  Take your experience and expertise and share or sell it.  Speaking engagements, training programs, books, blogs, videos, consulting services, teaching at colleges, mentoring (on your own or thru organizations like SCORE) are all options, even if you are retiring or just looking to get out of the passing lane and take the slow lane.

If you want to limit your time commitment, then maybe sharing through mentoring or speaking is the right direction for you.  If you love to travel, take up speaking and consulting.  If you prefer to work alone, then writing a book, blog, creating videos or training programs may be the right course.

How do you start?  Where do you start?  That depends on your chosen path.  We will cover that in part two.

Written by Blog Contributor: Julia McCray