Better Ways to Work, Build, and Thrive: Best Careers Over 50 Zoom Launch

If you are looking for Better Ways to Work, Build, and Thrive watch this special episode of Best Careers Over 50. To celebrate the launch of our YouTube Channel, co-hosts Mary J Cronin & Lynn Friesth invited Dane Atkinson and Mike Kim to share their expertise as company & career builders, coaches, mentors, and small business champions on this live Zoom program. Our conversation explores the value of experience, and debunks popular myths about owning a business, changing careers, the importance of getting everything right before you start, money, community, and life after making a major career pivot. Dane Atkinson shares decades of experience as a founder to back up his conviction that entrepreneurship is a feasible, rewarding career path to explore and develop incrementally. Statistics are on his side; most successful small businesses in the US were founded by people in their 50s and 60. Many of them started as side projects during a traditional career. That overlap gives you time to test an idea, build momentum, and learn what customers will pay for before making the idea a career. Dane also notes all the advantages that come with decades of experience, from focusing on priorities and productivity to delegating or contracting out practical details The result is accomplishing more while working fewer hours a week. Mike describes his coaching strategies to encourage clients to look beyond their job descriptions. Skills built during your career; teaching, writing, mentoring, organizing, marketing, and bringing people together, could be the key to a new career. To clarify your personal point of view, he offers three questions: What frustrates you? What breaks your heart? What problem are you trying to solve? Your answers will connect your passions and concerns to new possibilities, whether that means consulting, creating a business, building a community, or pursuing another career path. As Mike puts it, the goal is not simply to build a brand, but to become someone whose work and purpose are aligned. Highlights of the discussion include: Understanding the value of experience AND failure Why you should start before you figure everything out The challenge of “practicing in public.” Experience as an advantage Dane describes the focus and perspective that can come with age: knowing which battles matter, avoiding distractions, and using hard-earned judgment. Mike points to “taste” and discernment—the ability to recognize what works, communicate authentically, and read a room—as qualities strengthened by experience. Transitioning still means learning. Lynn raises the challenge of moving from a professional culture where errors must be avoided to a new chapter where experimentation is part of the process. Mary asks for a reality check for professionals who need to continue earning in any new career. In response, Mike shares how he began by aiming to earn a portion of his salary through a side hustle, then adjusted his approach as he learned what was sustainable. Both speakers urge people to consider revenue and costs, not just passion. As Dane notes, every business needs revenue to survive. Mary, Lynn, Mike, and Dane conclude by recommending one next step you can take now to get started on a path to a career transition. Their advice includes: practice gratitude, be willing to learn through mistakes, start before everything feels perfect, and talk with people in the roles you are aiming for; they will ground your goals in reality and broaden your view of what is possible. WHAT’S NEXT? Register now for a Live Zoom program at Noon Eastern on Tuesday, December 8 focused on COACHING as a Career Path. Click to register on Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regis... Visit this channel for weekly Career Insider interviews, conversations about Bold Career Moves, and Career Intelligence. Best Careers Over 50 posts new videos every week. Please comment on the ones that you enjoy. We will read and respond! AND PLEASE SUBSCRIBE!    / @bestcareersover50