I Can See Clearly Now

Fielkow has been passionate about this entrepreneurial venture. She readily admits that there's been a learning curve, but enjoys the fascinating women she meets daily. And she has clear goals for success; her next one is becoming a regional vice president. Fielkow has a clear understanding of where Arbonne fits in her life and feels her new business builds on her previous skills and offers her new opportunities.

As structured as Fielkow's new career path is, Kate Armstrong's has been evolutionary. At 55, Armstrong started on a personal journey that began with closing her large therapy practice in Canada, packing up her belongings and hitting the road. Six weeks later, she arrived in Tucson, Arizona, where she'd raised her family and felt at home.

Last year, when her multiyear research grant with the National Institutes of Health was up, Armstrong decided to wait and see what she was led to do. Within days, she received a call from a friend who needed help organizing a chaotic space in her house. Armstrong loved the project; her friend loved the result. Project after project started coming her way, and she started Your Organizing Wizard. Now, nearly a year later, Armstrong has a solid business she finds endlessly interesting, rewarding and fun.

Rather than speak in terms of benchmarks and performance goals, she talks of learning to stay true to what she loves, spreading joy, trusting the universe more and living a life that makes sense. Armstrong, too, is brimming with stories of the interesting people she's met and how the skills from her therapy practice have given her the confidence to step into her new universe.

Fielkow and Armstrong, though on radically different entrepreneurial routes, both want a "right-sized business" that'll meet their needs. The best part of starting a business after 55 is your ability to see clearly--who you are, what you want and how you're going to get there.

Can you see clearly now? OK, so maybe you'll have to pull out your reading glasses, but by the age of 55, women have a good sense of what's important to them, personally and professionally. When they decide to start a business, they instinctively build in those interests and needs. Family is always important, but so are passion, income and expanding their horizons. Combine this clarity with the confidence gained from years of experience and you have fascinating stories of savvy, unique entrepreneurs.

Dorothy Fielkow had recently retired from a very successful career in real estate and the gourmet food industry when she accepted an invitation to an Arbonne home party in her community. To say that Fielkow wasn't looking to go back to work is an understatement. Her most recent employer had been acquired, and the new owners wanted to bring in their own, younger salespeople. Sound familiar? This was a tough pill to swallow for a platinum-level producer.

At the party, she bought some of the skin care products, started receiving compliments and quickly found not a job, but a passion. Fielkow joined the direct selling company because she fell in love with the product and the opportunity.

David Bach, in his most recent book, Start Late, Finish Rich, identifies direct sales as one of the five ways for mature individuals to close the gap between their often inadequate savings and a comfortable retirement. Of the five ways, Bach says direct selling is the most reliable and has the greatest upside potential--provided the company you join is a member of the Direct Selling Association and you work diligently.