This seems like an odd quote for the day after Labor Day, but it’s one I’ve always believed in. Work can either be a job, a career, or a calling. If we’re diligent and fortunate, it can feel as if you’ve been called by the heavens to answer your vocation.
I’ve had three callings in my life. The first was to be a pioneering boutique hotelier, combining my left-brain MBA mind with my right-brain design sensibility and hospitality mindset. My second calling was becoming the “modern elder” to the young Airbnb founders where I learned to become a “CEO whisperer.” And, then my third was creating the world’s first midlife wisdom school, the Modern Elder Academy (MEA).
More than half (54%) of America’s small business owners are over 50. Specifically, 33% of U.S. small business owners are between 50 and 59 years old; 17% are 60 to 69 years old, and 4% are 70 and up. For many of these folks, they didn’t love the prospects of a post-50 job hunt which led to their start-up. For others, there’s an idea they’ve been gestating for years that is ready to “go into labor.” I bet many of you know what it feels to be pregnant with an idea whose time has come.
Every eighteen months or so, I lead an MEA workshop called “Entrepreneurship at any Age.” This workshop Sept 24-29 at our Santa Fe campus is being offered in collaboration with INC magazine where I’ve been a columnist for the past year. I’ll be co-leading with the brilliant, practical Mackey McNeill. The workshop isn’t just for those 50+ but we will focus on what gets better with age when it comes to leadership and entrepreneurship (as your likelihood of success is greater after age 50). And, we’ll have both seasoned entrepreneurs as well as newbies. One of the great benefits of this workshop is we’ll set up a free Mastermind group so that everyone in the cohort can continue to tap into the wisdom of their group. Hope to see you in three weeks…or feel free to share this with a friend or family member.
-Chip