Discover Sixty-Five: September 2023

Senior-Preneurship
~ Bruce LaCroix
MAXIMIZING SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE & FINDING YOUR NICHE
With over 35 years
of working in tourism
and hospitality
in my younger days, when I decided
to start something new I went back to
what I learned during those years. From
room cleaner to assistant manager,
recreation director to sommelier, ski
patroller to tour guide, along with over
60 trips outside Canada, I felt that I had
a very extensive knowledge of what
made for a great guest experience.
So Wendy and I started a business in
which we critique resorts on-site in the
Caribbean during the winter. (No, we
do not need any help, but thank you for
offering )
Doing market research for this idea, we
could not find any business which specialized
just in resort secret shopping,
nor any which also targeted the Caribbean.
Also, by joining the Caribbean
Hotel and Tourism Association we discovered
a need for this type of service.
So, how does all of this relate to you, the
current or potential senior-preneur? It’s
about a) finding a niche in which you
can specialize, b) looking back at your
long life and seeing which skills and
interests you can tap into for your new
venture and c) doing something you
love. As I love to travel and get paid for
it, tapping into what I learned over the
years just seemed like a natural fit.
In my entrepreneurship workshops, we
discuss the pros and
cons of both starting
something completely
new to the
participant, or polishing
established
skills and turning
them into a business.
Speaking of entrepreneurship
workshops, I will
be offering
Senior-preneurship
For
Those Over 55
this coming
autumn. Still
working out
the details of
where, when,
how much,
etc. but if interested,
let me know. More info in the
October issue of this magazine.
Feel free to contact me at blacroix@
shaw.ca for column ideas, positive or
negative feedback, or to share your
experiences.
Discover Sixty-Five September 2023
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