“Times, they are a-changin.” There is no doubt that more people are growing to old age than ever before.
But, unlike in the past when an individual would reach retirement age and simply retire, more and more people are now continuing to work, whether that be as an employee or self-employed.
In recent years, more and more Americans, aged 65 to 69, have remained in employment. Even those aged 70 to 74 are still working, with the number of 75-plus year-olds in the labor force expected to rise by 96.5% by 2030.
Why work?
The reason behind this depends on the individual. Some just want to work to keep themselves occupied and not get bored. But, the vast majority, it’s down to financial necessities.
With the cost of living seemingly increasing at an exponential rate, more people are choosing to remain employed for as long as they possibly can. If not, they may struggle to put food on their tables.
Rather than being fully employed, though, many seniors are now looking into self-employment avenues.
By “working during retirement,” you can generate extra income on top of your pension, save on certain leisurely costs, and even stave off depression, which is common in seniors who go idle after some time.
Instead of punching time clocks and answering to the “boss” (no one likes to do that!), seniors can work for themselves when and how they want.
According to the Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurship, the “U.S. Census Bureau’s national population projections forecast that by the year 2030, older people, 65 years and older, will outnumber children under age 18 for the first time in U.S. history.”
Therefore, it is no surprise that 38% of the population who start a new business are aged between 55 and 65. And, this keeps getting older.
The good news is that there are a plethora of opportunities to look at when finding self-employment ideas as a senior.
I have researched the best self-employment jobs for senior citizens so you can have a look and consider whether any are the right fit for you. I have already started planning myself so I can be ready for whatever my senior years have in store for me.
Top Self-Employment Ideas For Seniors
Part Of A Tour Company
It doesn’t matter if you live in a city or out in the sticks, there is usually a demand for tour guides. Maybe you live in a historic town, or near a beautiful coastline.
What about that national park nearby or those national monuments? There will always be tourists, and even locals, who want to learn more about an area. And, you can become that beacon of knowledge by becoming a tour guide.
Being a tour guide can be extremely lucrative. If you like walking and spending time with people, doing such tours can be wonderfully rewarding. And, it doesn’t have to be as a walking guide.
You can also drive tourists around and inform them about their surroundings.
All you need to do is share your knowledge about the area with them and see beautiful, interesting sights along the way. Oh, and get paid a pretty sum of money. Win-win!
Pet Sitting
If you’re like me, you absolutely adore animals. Dogs, cats, guinea pigs – the lot! Well, what if I were to tell you that you could make money by spending time with people’s pets? A dream come true, right?
Well, in recent years, pet sitting has become hugely popular as a form of self-employment. Rather than spend extortionate amounts on pet boarding houses, pet owners can hire pet sitters who either come to stay in their home with their pets or look after them somewhere else.
Not only can this be a great way of having company, but you can help to relieve the stress of the animal too. The money can be very good as well, so it’s certainly worth looking into.
A Pro Organizer
If you have always been a well-organized person, who keeps your home immaculate and tidy, and always keeps on top of your to-do lists, you could become a professional organizer. (Also, let me know how you do that!)
Most people are unfortunately not the most organized. Whether this is because of a busy work or life schedule, some people are willing to pay organized individuals to sort their life out!
Yes, your organizational skills can finally make you some money! Fortunately, there is a large market between those who simply do not know how to organize and those who do not have the time.
Maybe put ads up in your local area and online. You may be surprised by how many people are dying for such help.
Content Writing
In recent years, the online world has opened up more opportunities for writers than ever before. Content writing is just one of those high-demand writing jobs which you can get stuck into today.
All kinds of businesses require well-written content that shows their tone of voice and accurately describes their services. The main aim of this content is to increase traffic to a company’s site. This is achieved through SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
If you are a skilled writer (or just like writing), you can become a self-employed content writer. But, if you have SEO skills to boot, you will be in greater demand than those without. Look online for SEO courses to brush up on your skills and gain certificates to prove your knowledge.
Event Planner
This is another one for you if you have excellent organizational skills. Event planning coordinators require time management skills and business acumen to go with organizational skills. If this sounds like you, event planning could be the perfect fit.
Whether it’s planning a meeting, a convention, or even social events, you will need to arrange a location, speakers, printed materials (such as name badges and itineraries), and catering for the guests, as well as many other arrangements.
Wedding Planner
Like event planning, a wedding planner requires excellent organizational and time management skills. And, you need to be able to deal with stress quite well, as you will be in charge of planning a couple’s most important day of their romantic lives. No biggie!
As a wedding planner, you will help the bride and groom-to-be with every step and aspect of their big day. You will help plan the actual wedding and the reception, and work alongside them to design and order invitations for all guests.
From the cake to the location of the wedding and the attire to the entertainment, you will be responsible for a lot! But, wedding planning is such a rewarding job and you get to meet some extraordinary people along the way. Best of all, you can have fun and get paid for it!
Website Designer
This could be one of the most lucrative roles on our list. We all know how important the online world is these days. Without it, well, the world wouldn’t be what it is today.
If you have experience in website design, you could take those skills and start a new self-employed journey as a website designer. The best thing about this role is that you can do it from the comfort of your own home or wherever you have an internet connection.
Not every boomer is up-to-date on web design of course. But if your 9-5 led to knowledge in this area it GOLD!
You Own Website
Fancy a holiday? Take the laptop with you and continue to make some money!
Platforms such as WordPress make website design relatively easy and it comes with almost unlimited options to make the best website possible. Check out more about this with countless forums and helpful videos online.
Social Media Manager
Social media isn’t only a young person’s game! Even if you’re over the age of 65, you can get involved in the social media world by becoming a social media manager.
Today, all companies, whether they are small or gigantic, need to have social media sites. Therefore, they will also need social media managers to keep on top of posts, etc.
The role of a social media manager can be varied. However, the main tasks will be setting up social media accounts and creating shareable, relative, and interesting content on an ongoing basis.
You will need to respond to social media comments and messages to help build and maintain a healthy relationship between the company and its followers.
If you’re on Instagram and maybe even TicToc (!) you’re halfway to making it a side hustle!
Project Manager
It comes back to those management skills again with this self-employed role. If you can manage your time well, becoming a project manager can be a great avenue to look at.
If you have previous experience in this type of environment, too, you will be well equipped to succeed and earn a lot of money!
If you can take a project and complete it professionally and on time, you are already halfway to becoming an excellent project manager. In this type of role, you will need to organize projects and lead individuals and teams through them.
You may also need to take charge of the budgets involved so you can manage the costs and keep them within the budget.
As the name entails, a project manager requires a good managerial brain. If you have done this before, or believe you could shine in such a position, start looking into it today.
Blogger
Blogging has become an industry in itself over the last ten years or so. Today, many bloggers are making huge sums of money just from writing their thoughts and ideas online. And, you can do the same too!
If you like to write fun, engaging posts on a regular basis, blogging could be a great way to make some extra cash. All businesses require some sort of blog, whether it is formal or informal.
I recommend looking at companies or organizations that are related to a field you are interested in or have expertise in. Moreover, if you like to do research, you can take your blogs wherever you want them. Who knows, you may become the next blogging sensation!
Another tip, if you love to write and want to start a blog invest in a course. There are reputable bloggers who will teach you the ropes. It’s money well-spent to learn the ropes from a pro!
Bookkeeping
This is one of the most popular forms of self-employment for seniors. Why?
Mainly because it usually only takes up a few hours a week. So, if you find yourself getting a little bored around the house, this is a great way to get out and interact with others and do something worthwhile.
Those few hours will usually be taken up with accounting. Because it only takes a few hours, here and there, a company may not want to hire someone full-time. Therefore, doing it as a self-employed side hustle will be good for you and the company.
You don’t have to stick to one bookkeeping job, either. If you land yourself a few business accounts, you could soon start to earn a full-time income.
Life Coach
As a senior, you have been there and seen it all. Therefore, it’s safe to assume that you have some wisdom in the old tank (though your friends and family may argue with that!)
If you like to help others, what better way is there than offering advice and helping those who need it? However, it’s important to note that you may need certain qualifications to become a life coach, depending on the area you reside in.
As a life coach, you will need to set goals and develop personal plans for people. You will have to try and solve certain personal issues with your clients.
But, if you can understand them and what motivates the individual in life, you can offer advice that will help. But, do your research first to ensure you can do it legally without educational qualifications.
In Summary
Above are just some of my favorite self-employed ideas for seniors. Whether you need to make additional income or just want to keep yourself busy, most of these roles can be tailored to suit your lifestyle.
Some other worthy mentions include:
- A caterer
- A grocery shopper
- A personal trainer
- A home staging consultant
- A dog walker
We hope this has helped inspire you to start a new self-employed journey!
