As part of the reinvention of myself, I had made a conscious effort to acquire new knowledge. It started with online eLearning last year via Udemy and Coursera after I left my job in Apr. It was an eye-opener for me as I learned about Hashtags, FB and Google Affiliate marketing and new programming languages like Python. I also started my own blog to help me improve my written skills and hopefully, to share my diary with my sons whenever they want to know more about their old man. I discovered new occupations like travel blogging and influencers, realized that we continue to create jobs that did not exist a few years ago while old ones die at a rapid rate. With unlimited imagination and new technology constantly evolving, the whole is your oyster indeed.
My resolution for this year was to go a step further and attend physical classes. The timing was good too, as the government was also actively trying to push the Skillsfuture initiative, especially to 3rd Ager PMETs like myself. We cannot afford to keep still when the world is moving ahead at lightning speed.
I just completed my 2nd Skillsfuture course this week, after 8 evening classes over 4 weeks. The course was “Starting a small business” and the trainer had his own F&B experience to share. It was a pleasant surprise for me to have interacted with 15 other like-minded coursemates who are all into our halftimes and wanting to explore Plan B. One, in particular, stood out. She wanted to start her own cake shop as she was in her sixties and kids are all grown up and they are supportive of her initiative.
I was always interested in the retirement village concept and during this course, it pivoted into a service business discussion group I was in. Over the weeks, more details were fleshed out as we go through the process of the 8 steps that the trainer had taught us, to methodically prepare for a small business setup.
What if we set up a membership service to link 3rd Agers who want to lead an active lifestyle and expand their social circle to meet up with like-minded individuals over diverse topics like health/wellness, sports, new learning interests (eg. food, skills/hobbies) and travel? Currently, we can see pockets of such activities all around us. With WhatsApp alone, one already has multiple chat groups with different groups of friends/family members on a wide area of discussions.
What if there are more people like me out there, who want new learning experiences and like to expand our social circle? My wife knows I like to organize things, having planned more than 8 class reunions over the last 7 years (more than 100+ pax per gathering). I was always the one planning the family holiday vacation in detail. Talk about merging your interest with your job! I could literally set up this business at home and do this online. My creative juices continue to swirl in my mind as I try to visualize the overall game plan. This course has allowed me to do this in a structured way, to take into consideration all areas to avoid common pitfalls and help shorten my learning curve.
On the last day of the course, we did a small potluck to build up the camaraderie within the team. The trainer rightfully emphasized that as the training ends, we should continue to support each other as we all embark on a new journey, to try to that the next very difficult step to cross the invisible line to start a business. A new WhatsApp group was also set up so that we can continue to stay in contact, to encourage each other and also provide support if appropriate.
We stop growing if we stop learning. Risk aversion comes with age but that should not prevent us from wanting to continue to gain knowledge. This will build up excitement to face new challenges and adds more meaning to our lives as we face our second half. Learning is a lifelong journey.
https://www.spring.gov.sg/Developing-Industries/FBS/Pages/Campaign-Start-Right-for-FB-Enterprises.aspx
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