While entrepreneurial pin-ups tend to be young and tech savvy – Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook types for instance - behind the scenes many seniors are using ‘retirement’ to become successful entrepreneurs themselves.

The Kapiti and Horowhenua Entrepreneurs at 50 plus network is working to support these people get the most out of their businesses. They help them tackle the various challenges that arise through mutual support and information.

Paraparaumu-based Dr Angela Robertson helps co-ordinate the network, describing it as for those who have started or intend to start their own businesses. There are all sorts of reasons why its members launch start-ups, she says.

“Some want the flexibility of their own business to allow them to do more voluntary work. Others, like me, have been a commuter all their lives and want to do something different. These people aren’t necessarily ready for retirement, they just want more time. 

“For some there is a financial driver, for others there isn’t,” she says.

The group, which operates on a koha basis with some support from the Kapiti Coast District Council, caters for everything from the one-person bands to those with multi-national aspirations.

“We’ve got everything – from the conventional to the out there,” Robertson says.

Less than 18 months ago, network member Phil Byrne began an environmentally friendly courier and delivery service using electric vehicles. It’s been so successful he’s looking to start franchising his Eco Shifter brand, as there is nothing similar in the country. Eco Shifter was also a finalist in this year’s Electra Business and Innovation Awards.

Byrne says the idea for his start-up came after watching smoke-belching delivery vans dropping off packages around his neighbourhood.

“My partner Kay and I came back from Australia last year, basically to retire because we’re both over 50. Once we’d bought a house, I thought I’d start a little business just to keep me off the streets really. Now it’s much busier than I expected,” he says.

The former aircraft engineer says the Entrepreneurs at 50 plus network has been good for not only meeting similarly minded people and gaining new business, but for solving issues.

“If I have a problem, there are four or five people there who have already crossed that bridge,” he says.

While the network doesn’t turn anyone away, the majority of its members are aged in their 50s through to their 80s, drawing groups of around 20 or 30 each month. People travel from as far away as Wellington and the Hutt Valley to take part.

Some members have used their superannuation savings to start businesses, including importing goods from overseas. One member’s Thai sauce business came about after giving up work due to illness.

Each month a different speaker from outside the group homes in on an area that the Kapiti/Horowhenua members are interested in.

“It’s all about learning with and from each other,” Robertson says.

Byrne enjoys it because the people there are so varied.

“There’s everybody from scientists, very academic people, to working class, manual people like me and that I find quite interesting.”

You can find more details about the group on Facebook.

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