Am I wishing too much when I say that my retirement hobbies will make me money? I don’t think so. I think…I know…I have many skills and talents that I can spend some time developing and bring in some extra income.
In this post, I want to share some of my ideas on how I can do this. I would also love to hear your ideas and maybe brainstorm a bit and even support one another.
One goal I have, though, is that this will be something I can do or promote online and therefore will also follow some great training to do this.
Write For the Web
Contents
I have always enjoyed writing and to date have a Western novel (not yet published), a dozen or so amateur stage plays (one published), and some assorted poems and screenplays in draft. I would like to do this full-time but, like many of you, have had career and family commitments that didn’t allow the time.
But now as a Baby Boomer approaching retirement, I am realizing a few things:
- The kids are growing up and away
- My wife and I are looking at different things to do outside of work (not quite retired yet)
- I’m re-evaluating my skills and passions
All of these are leading to a foregone conclusion…most of us refer to this as “putting two and two together”. Well, that equals “four”…and I don’t mean golf (I don’t play, yet).
Resume my writing but with the tools now available online.
My New Experiences
There are so many examples of writing online:
- Blogging (this site is an example)
- Copywriting
- Article writing (whether for yourself or for others, such as websites)
- E-Books
And the list goes on but I’m sure you get the point. The online opportunities are mind-boggling for those of us who want to take advantage of these…and use these skills to make money.
I experienced something kind of cool recently; I was in a medical office and noticed this wall hanging that I just couldn’t keep my eyes off of (it was a landscape scene that really appeals to me). When I got home I did some research and found where I could not only purchase this wall hanging but…
They had an affiliate program that would also let me earn commissions!
My New Hobby has an Affiliate Program
Needless to say, I have a new hobby that includes both shopping for wall hangings and earning commissions if visitors buy through my affiliate link (yes, I have a separate website dedicated to this).
My point is: regardless of whether or not we have a current hobby or want to develop a new one, opportunities to sell related products, information, or even services are available. My best word of advice with this, though, is that your hobby and your product are related.
As I anticipate my retirement this wall hanging, or tapestry, niche is something I plan to build over the next few years along with this Baby Boomer blog. While I already have my pension and other retirement funds in place, earning some extra money online is not only nice it also helps provide a focus for those many leisurely hours I plan to spend at home…or even on the beach…overseas?…interesting idea.
Learning SEO Leads to Consulting
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)…what is that? Because I was never truly focused online I didn’t know how to be found online. Nor did I realize that there were things I could learn that would show me how to be found and how to rank on page one of the search engines (like many of the posts on this website are doing).
I guess a lot of us online “newbies” just assume the stuff we put out will be wonderful and madly searched for by millions of surfers. Not!
I bumbled and stumbled around online for about six months, wondering why my posts, let alone my websites, weren’t being religiously followed. I listened to gurus and scammers and, before I knew it, began to get discredited, also known as “de-indexed”, because of who I was associating with. Not good!
Now I Have Something to Offer
Finally, and quite a few dollars later, I found an online training center and community that offered me what I needed. Whether free or paid, the information and support were there…I chose paid because I wanted access to everything they offered.
And now, because of my new online training, I have family, friends, and even co-workers asking me about what I’m doing online and what I’m learning (and yes, they’re skeptical because we’ve all heard the online horror stories). But guess what’s happening…
I offer them insights as to why and how websites look a certain way.
I then get talking to them about how they search online and why they stay on certain sites and not on others. And, believe it or not, even having some knowledge of SEO will impress your “family and friends” (yes, that’s said a little tongue-in-cheek).
But really, knowing how things work and why they work is a great opportunity to showcase what you’re learning online. Plus it will ensure that you learn it properly so you’re not giving out bad or even wrong advice.
I’m beginning to lay the groundwork for another hobby that I can do, both now and, even more so, when I retire. Doing SEO is not something I had ever considered for myself but, just like my wall-hanging website, it’s something I’m becoming more knowledgeable and passionate about.
Maybe I can even do Search Engine Optimization for local companies in the city I live. Hmm…
Not A Conclusion But A Beginning
These are just some examples I have for some extra income when I retire. But as I’m sure you can see, I’m only just starting and have given myself time to actually develop these into “paying propositions”.
Here’s what I believe: Starting is a beginning that never ends!
And because I strongly believe this I also strongly believe that I have put myself in a good position to not only develop great websites but to also make money from them. But, more importantly, I have the opportunity to write and express my views (which I have plenty of).
Do you want to get started now? I would advise that you don’t wait until you retire or, even if you’re already retired, don’t wait another week or even another day. But of course, it’s up to you.