At the end of each month, I post a round-up of Small Business Boomers posts that I’ve enjoyed writing and/or have received a great deal of response.  Here are five for October:

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Keeping Your Small Business Going After Surgery

Is Your Cell Phone Secure?

Will Boomers Become Extinct Under Obamacare?

Send an Encouraging E-mail Today

5 Reasons Boomers Develop Businesses

Did you find a favorite post at Small Business Boomers this month?

If you’re considering supplementing your retirement, or income if you still have a job, by developing your own small business, here are 13  to think about.  They may be home businesses or those operated in a store front.

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Of course, those which you begin or operate entirely from your home won’t have the overhead that a store front entails.  Some of these may involve equipment that you don’t have on hand.  Also, you may have to look into permits, licenses, and insurances. 

1. Developing a hobby into a business
2. Selling a product or service over the Internet
3. Pet sitting
4. Skincare and make-up consultant
5. Party planning
6. Lawn and garden care or raising flowers to sell
7. Dressmaking and alterations
8. Home decorating consultant
9. Accounting
10. Woodworking
11. Tutoring
12. Teaching classes about your craft
13. Editing and proofreading

What others do you suggest?  What have you developed into a business?

Many of the jobs out there are offered to younger people rather than boomers.  Or at least that has been a trend.  However, we find now that some positions are filled mostly by those of retirement age. 

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When I mentioned my surprise that  two ladies my age and I were hired for a summer job, as well as younger people, a friend commented, “They probably feel those your age will be more reliable, get to work on time, work well on the job, and not call out on short notice.”

Do other employers consider this when hiring for a position that can be handled by someone of any age?  If so, boomers do have an advantage or at least an equal chance in the workplace.

Do potential customers/clients feel this way about small business owners who are boomers?  Hopefully they consider us to be reliable when we give our word, feel we’ll do a good job, and know we’ll get the work done or product delivered in a timely fashion.

So if you get discouraged and think all the jobs are taken by younger people, emphasize your qualifications in these areas.

Dr. Jean Murray, former blogger here at Small Business Boomers, and now owner of Dr. Jean Means Business , writes a guest post for us today about keeping her business going during knee replacement surgery and recovery.

Like many other Baby Boomers, I have terrible knees. The word “bone on bone” was first told me by my internist a year or so ago, and it didn’t take long for me to decide I needed to get new knees.

At 62, I’m on the younger age of the knee replacement demographic (nice to be told, “You’re a little young for this,”).  But I figured,  “Why live like this any longer?” So I set up surgery on my left knee for mid-September, with the other knee scheduled for mid-November.

One of my big concerns was how to keep my freelance writing and e-book business going during surgery and recovery. At this point, about 5 weeks post-surgery, I wanted to tell you about my experience and give you some suggestions for getting through with your health and your business intact.

1. Plan and work ahead. This sounds obvious, but it takes some doing. For my freelance writing, I write content that includes a blog and articles every week. I worked hard before surgery to get ahead at least 5 days, so I didn’t have to worry about writing from my hospital bed. With other writing jobs, I anticipated what had to be done and did as much as I could beforehand. Sure, it made double work in some cases, but it helped a lot not to have to worry about things not getting done.

2. Communicate with everyone. I sent out emails to clients, editors, vendors, everyone I could think of. People are incredibly understanding if you let them know what is going on. It’s much better to inform people you won’t be able to communicate than to leave them wondering what happened to you.

3. Get help. I turned over all my bookkeeping to my brother-in-law, who works cheap and who is a QuickBooks wizard. And I loaded my VA up with tasks. Of course, you may not have a VA or a brother-in-law, but you’d be surprised how friends and family will pitch in if you ask.

4. Focus on the essentials.  Don’t spend time on items that aren’t necessary right now.

5. Don’t overestimate. The biggest shock I had was how bad I felt for so long, partly because of the drugs I was taking for pain, but just in general too. I had difficulty concentrating on work for very long, and I spent a lot of time sleeping and watching TV (and I NEVER watch TV!).

It has only been in the last week that I have been able to sit for any time in a chair. I do as much as I can every day, and that’s all. I have been able to keep up with my work, but just barely. If I had tried to do more, the stress would have not been helpful.

6. Think long-term. I learned I could make it through surgery and keep my business going. No, it’s not expanding, but that’s OK.

My full-time job has been my rehabilitation. I’m not kidding about that. Getting my knee back in shape has been my first priority, in part because I’m going to be going through this again in a few weeks. I’m not taking on new assignments and I have ended a couple I felt were not profitable enough. It has been a good clarifying experience for me. In the long-run, I figure the surgery didn’t harm my business. Keeping the longer term in perspective helps keep you sane during the psychological ups and downs of the post-surgical period.

When I started back to work at home, it was for only an hour or so a day. I gave up Twittering, reading emails, and spending time wandering around the web. It was amazing to me how much time I had been wasting on that stuff. Letting it go has now been a permanent habit for me. I scan through emails quickly and select only those that must be answered, ignoring the rest. I don’t do social media until the end of the week, and only if I have time. Maybe I’m losing a little business, but keeping my clients and editors happy, and myself healthy, is much better than a few connections on Twitter or Facebook.

(If you have any similar experiences, comment on this post. Mary Emma and I would love to hear from you.)

Surgery.com says: knee replacement operations performed each year in the United States. Although about 70% of these operations are performed in people over the age of 65, a growing number of knee replacements are being done in younger patients. A Canadian survey released in January 2003 stated that the number of knee replacements performed in patients younger than 55 rose 90% between 1994 and 2001. (Comment – I wonder if that 270,000 is the number of knees or the number of patients?)

According to articles I’ve come across recently, seniors are more inclined to be in better health if they continue working after retirement age.

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  Also, if they’re working at complex jobs, their minds stay sharper.

Many boomers have reached retirement age or soon will be there.  This information about working and health may be a reason seniors/boomers consider their own businesses, whether starting one that will grow to the hiring of employees or be the expansion of a hobby into a home business.

Most seniors today, unless they already have existing health problems, don’t want to spend all their days in a rocking chair, as I remember my grandparents doing when they reached their 70s.  Grandma did have a heart problem so had to slow down.  I don’t recall Grandpa being ill until he broke his hip, but he could have had an illness a small child didn’t realize.

Boomers today are health conscious and attempt to remain active, involved, and income producing.  It’s interesting that research is proving that there are benefits from their working.

What about you?

In response to my post, 5 Reasons Boomers Develop Businesses, Jeny added this:

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Boomers develop business also because they do not want to feel that they are useless to their family and society, and boomers are good entrepreneurs because they are mature and have lots of experience in life.

How true!  Boomers want to feel useful and don’t want to be a burden to their families.  They desire to be contributing members of society as long as they can.

They also have the added advanage of maturity and experience.  Also, they’re more inclined to have what my mother called “stick-to-itiveness.”  They realize a business can take time and will have more patience and persistence.

Unless Congress intervenes, those receiving Social Security won’t see a cost of living increase in 2010. 

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In all likelihood, there will be an increase in your Medicare and perscription deductions from your gross Social Security payment?  Supposedly, because of the recession, cost of living in the U.S. didn’t increase in 2009.

Will this affect many boomers?  Yes, those who are eligible for Social Security payments.  

However, is there anything that says we must have an increase each year?  Do all pensions have an increase built into them?  Is what we’re receiving more than what many paid into the system over the years? 

If the lack of increase (and even decrease if Medicare premiums go up) becomes reality, more boomers may be considering small or home businesses to develop more income to live on.

What about you?

More and more boomers use cell phones, iphones or similar, for personal use and business. 

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Sometimes the cell phone is their only phone, as they discontinue using a “land” phone.  So…as cell phones become more sophisticated, you may find yourself putting sensitive information on it regarding your business and personal life.

Is your information safe?  Can others access your data for unsavory purposes?  Will people obtain information you don’t want made public?

I came across an interesting article in New Scientist, The pocket spy: Will your smartphone rat you out?    It seems almost too “James Bondish,” but modern technology can spy on us almost anywhere!

You might want to consider how you’re using your cell phone and discover what can and can’t be learned from it.

Additional article: Is Your Home Business Safe on Your Cell Phone?

When I wrote the post, Draw Upon Your Talents for Your Boomer Business, Laurie Neumann, of Christian Home  Business Connection,  commented: 

I think it is important to think about your interests and what kind of business could be started from there. It’s also important to research and see if there is a market out there looking for what you want to offer and willing to pay for it.

It can be great fun (and challenging!) to start your own home based business. By choosing something that really fits you, you can have a great business for years to come.

Laurie is correct.  In addition to having talent, you need to have a market and become proficient on promoting your products/services and yourself.  So before you invest too much into developing your small or home business, check to see if there is a viable market out there for what you have to offer.  Or become creative in marketing your products.  Find a need for them, then capitalize upon it.

I recently wrote a post for Blisstree’s Arts and Crafts section, Please…Don’t Photograph My Crafts (without permission) and how difficult it is now to control it in today’s electronic world. 

 This plea also applies to parents and grandparents, who are concerned about strangers photographing their children/grandchildren and even posting the youngsters’ photos on the Internet.  Also, parents/grandparents often don’t realize the possible ramifications, now and later, when they post photos of their kids where the general public can view them.  Most don’t post simply a school photo type pic (and the school photos are copyrighted so need permission, too).  They post all types of informal and “cutsy” shots.  I’m from the journalism world where signed releases are needed to publish photos of people (especially children), their homes, their crafts, etc., unless it’s a current news story.  Editors usually are very careful to have these releases on file.However, in the Internet environment, people either are ignornant of the laws or don’t care and figure they won’t be called to task.  Keep in mind what you’re doing when you post photos for all to see.  Also, check to see why people (especially strangers) might be taking photos of you, your business or grandkids.