Is There Such a Thing As Beginning in the End?

In today's economic downturn many people, for various reasons, are considering starting their own work from home business. A couple of reasons for pondering the switch from employee to home business owner are:

to eliminate their fear of job loss, and
to take control of their financial future

Baby Boomers and Seniors are two groups that are most vulnerable to the financial squeeze of 2009, as their retirement savings have been ravaged by a failing economy resulting in decimated assets.

Reports indicate that some in these two generational groups are electing to work longer than they had planned, while many are finding they do not have this option due to the reluctance of companies to retain or hire older workers. Surveys reveal that many companies do not favor hiring older workers. Some companies' stereotypical view of the older worker is that of a person who is not as energetic, productive, or adaptable as their younger counterparts. In addition, the rapid rise in health care costs is convincing some employers to discontinue offering health insurance to their retirees.

In reality, should age be the determining factor in evaluating a person's productivity? The following five examples will assist in answering this question:

At the age of 65, with $105 from his first Social Security check, Colonel Harland Sanders began to solicit potential franchisees for his restaurants. After allegedly receiving 1,009 rejections, Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises eventually grew to a giant conglomerate that awarded its founder $2 million in 1964 when Colonel Sanders sold his corporation to a partnership of Kentucky business men.
Another example of an older worker who defies the typical stereotype in her age category is Grandma Moses, who successfully began a painting career in her seventies. This 70-something-year-old entrepreneur displayed her paintings in a Hoosic Falls, New York drugstore window, where the paintings were noticed by an art dealer who exhibited them in his New York gallery. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Then, there's Clara Peller, a retired manicurist and character actress who starred in the 1984 Wendy's "Where's the Beef?" television commercial--at the age of 81. A year earlier, at the age of 80, Ms. Peller was hired as a temporary manicurist for a television commercial. Impressed by her tenacity, the ad agency featured Ms. Peller in several commercials, the most famous being the Wendy's commercial.
Continuing the list is Harry Bernstein. In 1934, at the age of 24, young Mr. Bernstein gained recognition as the publisher of a short story. Seven decades later, at the age of 96, Mr. Bernstein earned recognition a second time when his memoir "The Invisible Wall" was published.
And finally, Olive Riley began her blog entitled The Life of Riley in February 2007 at the age of 105. Before her death, at the age of 108, Ms. Riley had posted over 70 entries to her blog, as well as several video posts on YouTube.

One might logically conclude from these cases-in-point that age alone should never be the measure for calculating a person's likelihood of success in whatever endeavor they choose to pursue. Is your age a disqualifier for taking control of your life, your health, or your economic destiny? Absolutely not! Is there such a thing as beginning in the end? Absolutely yes!

JanMarie Foster is an Internet marketer working from home. As a retired baby boomer, JanMarie identifies with problems other boomers and seniors are experiencing as a result of a depressed economy. For those who want to create a successful work from home business and are seeking guidance, JanMarie offers her services as a coach and business consultant. For more information, or to contact JanMarie, please visit her website at [HomeBusinessLifestyles.com].