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Starting your business / Making a Fresh Start - Women over 40 and 50 Starting Businesses

Making a Fresh Start
Women over 40 and 50 Starting Businesses
As women start their own businesses at a growing rate, those over 40 and over 50 are a big part of the trend.  The median age for women opening businesses in Israel is 52. Both men and women are finding harder to find jobs after 45. In addition to downsizing, burnout and frustration in the corporate world are prompting more women to choose entrepreneurship – it can be slim pickings for the "older women" in the market place.  While some veer off into a totally new direction and blaze new career paths, others build on their experience and contacts.

Fired teacher to Translation Company Owner

Yael, of Rishon le Tzion was an English teacher for 25 years and then found her self out of a job after the "education reforms". "I was devastated, how could this happen to me after all these years?". After a period of feeling low.

She decided to take hold of herself and thought long and hard about her skills ands strengths as well as weaknesses. Yael realized this was a blessing in disguise. Yael knew that she did not want to teach any longer, she was very interested in literature and had translated all types of documents for friends and groups she belonged to. She was tired of large organizations and wanted to work on her own so as a first step Yael enrolled in a Translation Course at Bert Berl. She then started letting everyone she knew that she was available for translating.

After conferring with an accountant Yael started off as  a Esek Zahir, meaning that if she earned up to NIS 65,000 a year she only needed to give receipts and not invoices that added VAT to the bill. Yael started to market her services to businesses in the area, to lawyers to online community groups. She is working on a website and getting together her marketing materials logo etc. Yael says she feels more in charge of her life and between studies and work she feels great. " At last I have some time for me and I still have loads of energy".

Networking and Contacts are Key

Tamar 51, is a partner in a marketing strategy company started in 2002 after she had been downsized from a software company. Tamar had 25 years of high-tech experience, but grew tired of the grind and relentless hours. After finding herself out of a job and looking for sometime for another one unsuccessfully she had a friend in a similar situation they decided to set up a business in marketing strategy and implementation.

Tamar joined various networking and other organizations to network to bring in business, she also contacted as many people in various firms in the field that she had worked with over the years and got the word out she was available. "One of the advantages of being older is that you have had more time to make more contacts". While she now earns less than she used to Tamar is rapidly growing her business. She has 23 clients and works about 10-12 hours a day.  "You have to surround yourself with people who will be positive and supportive. Talk and get to know people who have gone down your track. When you feel low just get out, make the calls and appointments- they usually do get the results".

"Even though some people may not take you seriously if you are a woman in your 50s starting a business, I just believed that this would be my opportunity to become an entrepreneur," Tamar says – and what options did I have. I realized the corporate world was almost closed to me, and this was a real chance to finally get out on my own." I'm experienced, my turn around is fast and I produce at a high quality level. I am getting the referrals and the there's a lot of work out there in Israeli Hi Tech land".

Computers to Music Bar

Leah Levitt 59 of Jerusalem used to be head of information systems at the Department of Trade and Industry she has worked in the computer field for 30 years." I decided to take early retirement and to fulfill a dream I have had for years. I have always love music and art and dreamt of opening a restaurant /bar with good music jazz and classical and have changing art exhibitions. So I opened D Grey on King George" As I got to the top of my profession in computers I just felt I had to go in a new direction"

"I have set up a great place that’s intimate, with a European feel aimed at the over 28 crowd, that has a different vibe, D Grey is a dream come true.

Challenges - How to Succeed

But, starting a business, especially if one is a bit older, has its own set of challenges. There are the physical demands and energy needed to get a venture off the ground, which can easily involve 12-hour or more workdays. "like with any business you have to realize that it usually takes at least a year to establish a steady client base and start making money. You need to be flexible and not expect immediate results". It really is worth getting business advice to shorten the learning curve. Get advice in how to set up a business in an effective and efficient way. Take business courses, get your computer skills into shape, read books on marketing. Study the web – everything you need to know is immediately available. Draw up a business and marketing plan and map out your objectives and the strategy to achieve them and as they say Just Do It!.