A recent survey of seniors shows 70 per cent of Canadians plan to work after retirement. Of that, 72 per cent said they wanted to remain mentally active, while 57 per cent wanted to stay socially active. The result is contemporary seniors taking the plunge to turn their golden years into productive enterprising years.

Roger Emsley worked for years in the transportation industry and, after retirement in 1998, he decided to put the experience he had gained to use.

“I saw the opportunity so my wife and I set up a company to provide consulting to other companies in the travel industry,” says Roger. “My biggest advantage was that I had a lot of contacts in the industry already. One contact leads to another and it became a very natural transition from my working days. In our case, we did not need to do a lot of advertising. You do some prospecting for clients, but you are doing it from a knowledge base.”

Roger found that two items challenged him the most. “Right off the bat we realized that all the infrastructure and finances need to be put into place,” he says. “We heard that incorporating was the way to go, so took that route. It meant a front-end investment, but it has worked out well. We joined the Chamber of Commerce, which gave us access to a great insurance plan. The other key difference from my working days is that now I am working in a small office with just one other person instead of with a large group.”

Roger also serves as president of the South Delta chapter of Probus, an organization of retired and semi-retired business people.

“It is a worldwide organization with many Canadian chapters,” he says. “It is a great way to network with others in the community with like backgrounds, and to appreciate presentations and discussions on topical subjects.”

Seventy-three-year-old Shirley Svoboda and her husband John saw an opportunity to start their own business in the field she was employed in. Shirley was working as a registered nurse when they decided to purchase a 23-bed nursing home in Shaughnessy. In addition to operating that facility for many years, they bought other long-term care facilities, including Edith Cavell Hospital.

“About 10 years ago, after working with seniors for so many years, I decided they deserved a better quality of life,” says Shirley. “There had to be a better way. John and I wanted to encourage their independence, so we decided to build affordable housing for seniors rather than another facility. Cavell Gardens was the result. It is a full-service retirement community in the heart of Vancouver. For the past two years, it was selected the No. 1 seniors retirement community in East Vancouver.”

Shirley and John Svoboda had been running their facilities for years, so they had only a few problems setting up their new community and personally arranging the construction financing. The difficulties they encountered would fit more neatly under the category of “red tape.” In order to get Cavell Gardens built, they needed to work closely with various departments at city hall first.

“The biggest challenge for us was working with the city,” says Shirley. “We needed to get a zoning change for our project as well as permission to build the first building in the area higher than three storeys. Other hurdles we had to overcome included a lot of consultation with the people living in the neighbourhood. In the end, the trade-off was that we agreed to provide five beds to seniors who qualified through the SAFER (Subsidized Aid for Elderly Renters) program.”

In addition to challenges and hurdles, however, there are great rewards for senior entrepreneurs. For John and Shirley, their needs are few.

“I was never worried because of my faith,” says John. “We had marketing people but the money started coming in right away and we were in the black more or less right from the start.” Shirley adds, “John is 89 now and many of our residents ask when he is going to retire and join them. We are very humble people and prefer to remain in the background. It gives us great satisfaction knowing that our dream has been successful.”

Striking out on one’s own, without the safety net of a corporation or company for support is not without risks and challenges. Each case is unique, but there are common issues new entrepreneurs face. For 60-year-old Wendy Scott, owner of the Nurse Next Door franchise for Burnaby and New Westminster, the time it takes to run a business is one of the biggest challenges.

“I found out quickly that you are working a lot more than from 9-to-5 because there is so much paperwork to get done,” she says. “You want to hire someone to handle that for you but you need to get financially successful enough first to allow that to happen.”

Wendy carved a niche in a field with which she was familiar. She worked as a nurse for about 40 years in a variety of capacities prior to her retirement at the age of 57.

“I did a six month stint with a computer software company [after retirement] and knew that wasn’t for me,” she says. “Then I met someone who introduced me to the idea of a Nurse Next Door franchise and I never looked back.”

Wendy realized quickly that she was perfectly capable.

“It was not easy, but it was absolutely fun and enjoyable. What was really neat was I was able to engage all my skills,” says Wendy. “I get to teach, to speak, to interact with clients and their families, and to manage my employees. I get to teach and motivate people. It is everything I ever dreamed of doing.”

Another aspect of running a business that agrees with Wendy is the lack of bureaucracy.

“One thing I really like is the speed of change,” she says. “Compared to what I am used to, it doesn’t take so long to swing momentum within your business. Let’s say you make a decision to advertise in a certain place and it doesn’t work. Right away, you know not to do that again. I love the fact I can change gears so quickly and that the world is my oyster. I am not caught up in the politics, and I know that the buck stops with me. I make decisions and I live with them.”

Becoming an entrepreneur at any stage of life is challenging, frustrating and potentially rewarding. Whether one is doing it for financial gain, to give back or merely to have something to do, it is never too late to follow dreams. Just be sure to temper that dream with a healthy dose of reality.

“You need to be realistic about getting into business as it has fluctuations and growing pains,” says Wendy. “I knew it wasn’t going to be a walk in the park, but I also knew nothing worthwhile is.”

MARCH 2011 SENIOR LIVING MAGAZINE VANCOUVER & LOWER MAINLAND