What can retirement make possible?
For Cheryl St. Onge and Joan Sheary, retirement from long careers in education led somewhere neither expected: entrepreneurship.
In the newest episode of Conversations with Erica, I talk with Cheryl about how she and Joan went from Worcester Public Schools to co-founding No Strings Attached Lemoncello, a Massachusetts business they are now growing through liquor stores and farmers markets.
What stayed with me is how much of their previous experience came with them.
They had to learn a completely new industry, but they already knew how to communicate, build relationships, adapt, solve problems, and work with many different kinds of people.
We talked about:
• Starting a business after retirement
• Becoming a beginner again after years of expertise
• Finding mentors and collaborators
• Testing an idea and learning from feedback
• Staying open when the next chapter looks nothing like the plan
Cheryl’s story is a useful reminder that “What’s next?” does not always need to be figured out in advance. Sometimes you follow an idea, learn as you go, and see where it leads.
I also wrote about the conversation in my new blog post, From Education to Entrepreneurship: Starting a Business After Retirement.
What possibilities might you be more open to if you didn't need to feel like you know exactly where they would lead? I'm curious to hear from you.
Warmly,
Erica
Erica Mattison
Executive Coach | Career Strategist | Facilitator
ericamattison.com
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