Small Business Boomers

I have been writing for Small Business Boomers for almost 18 months.  I feel I found a home here and cut my teeth, so to speak, on blogging.  But it’s time to move on. In February I started doing the daily Small Business section for b5media’s Bizzia portal, and I find myself torn between that assignment, Small Business Boomers, and Home Biz Notes. So today is my last day at Small Business Boomers.
I have enjoyed writing about Baby Boomers in small businesses, learning about how Boomers have managed to succeed…and sometimes fail.  I have learned from experts like Jeff Thredgold …read more

5 Comments

I hear the Senate is thinking of introducing legislation that would bail out newspapers.  A bill, sponsored by Maryland Senator Cardin, has been introduced that would allow newspapers to operate as “educational” non-profits as long as they don’t endorse political candidates.  Everyone has their hands out for help these days, but this bill is ill-considered and should not be passed.
Here is why I’m opposed to a bill that would “bail out” newspapers:
It threatens the independence of newspaper journalism.  Journalism is about expression of opinion, including opinions about political candidates, elected officials, and legislation.  It’s called “Freedom of the Press” and …read more

No Comments

A year ago I wrote about non-profits and how many Baby Boomers are finding new careers by working in and leading them.  The non-profits, like other businesses, are facing a “crisis of leadership” as baby boomers retire.  An article in OnPhilanthropy says 65% of non-profits anticipate a leadership change by 2009.  The article notes that many baby boomers are “disinclined” to retire completely (I would agree with that statement).  Maybe this is the time to consider a different type of job,with a non-profit group where you can make a difference.
Now, I find myself in that position – working in non-profits.  …read more

7 Comments

We Baby Boomers are powerful.  At some 70 million strong, we have a lot of clout.  And we may need it in the coming years, if “entitlement reform” (euphemism for cutting Social Security benefits) starts rolling.
President Obama has committed to “entitlement reform” as a way to save the younger generations from having to pay for our Social Security benefits.  But the market crash has already taken away our other savings.  Why take our Social Security too?
I read an excellent blog post on Time Goes By recently.  The author, Ronni Bennett, warns us that it won’t be long until we will …read more

2 Comments

Bed and breakfast businesses have taken a big hit with the recession.  As you probably have experienced first-hand, travel is the first discretionary spending to be cut when people are feeling a pinch, and baby boomers, the big travelers, are guarding their 401-k’s like crazy.
My favorite B&B has experienced this problem.  I wrote about Olde World B&B last year, after the new owners took over.  They are gone now, victims of the downturn and the very slow travel market.  The old owner took over the business, for which I’m thankful.  But I got to thinking about how difficult it must …read more

No Comments

A friend of mine – another Baby Boomer – died last weekend and I went to his memorial service a few days ago.  What struck me was the old photos in the video slide show – they could have been mine … or yours.

On a pony. Remember when they used to have traveling photographers who came around and took pictures of children on ponies?   I have a similar picture.

On stair steps. In one photo he was standing on the steps of his house with his brother and sister.

In snowsuits. I was touched by the photo of him in a …read more

No Comments

Many of us Baby Boomers are heading back into the job market, either as a result of retirement finances that don’t meet our income needs or because we have been laid off from our jobs.  If you aren’t ready to retire yet, you might be surprised to learn that those young recruiters and HR people think you should be.  And your big resume could be a negative instead of a positive.
Too Qualified? The Wall Street Journal reports that many former high-level business types are finding it difficult to make the transition to smaller level jobs.  In my case, with an …read more

2 Comments

If you are a Baby Boomer who is trying to sell a business, this is obviously a difficult time. I know of several professionals who are trying to sell practices, and they are finding that they must “be the banker” for the transaction, since the buyer cannot get bank financing.
A recent Wall Street Journal Small Business Link article notes that small business owners are increasingly forced to provide contracts for buyers.  If you need to sell your business, here a couple of tips:
Get Your Business in Order. I mean, clean up.  Clean the offices and your production areas before …read more

No Comments

Where were you when you first saw The Big Chill? There are some movies that capture us and clearly this was one of them. I remember watching it on video and I knew as soon as it ended that it would be a classic movie.  Doesn’t seem like 25 years ago, does it?
The parts I remember:

The jacket sleeve being pulled down over the cuff of the dead guy’s sleeve (turns out it was Kevin Costner; the rest of his part was cut).
The football game on Thanksgiving Day
The dance scene after dinner to “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg”

What …read more

No Comments

Did you know Barbie is a Baby Boomer?  Yep.  She’s turning 50 this month.
It seems like just yesterday that I heard about Barbie. My sister and I got Barbie dolls when we were pre-teen.  Pretty cool stuff back then.  My daughter (now 30) wasn’t a big Barbie fan.  She was more interested in playing soccer and running.  My grand-daughter, though, is carrying on the tradition and starting her collection (she’s 8).
So 3 generations of girls have been collecting Barbie stuff.

No Comments