Boomer entrepreneurs - look for income opportunities close to home

Happy 2011 to all my readers of the Boomer Business Owner blog.

I don't know about you, but I was very happy to see the year 2010 slide away into history!

Between family medical problems and three more of my close friends losing their jobs, last year was at time of challenge and stress.

As we enter the year 2011, if you're one of more than 10 million Americans still looking for any kind of job, it may not seem a very promising working landscape.

But, I'm pleased to share with you some encouraging news about getting back to work.

I think that you'll understand that as the owner of a business start-up coaching company, I am inclined to look at the most entrepreneurial way to find work.

I have to be honest though, prior to the Great Recession I honestly knew that at any given time maybe 1 out of 10 or so people who told me that they wanted to be their own boss actually launched a business.

For the other nine people the process of starting a business just seemed to complex and costly in the end.

We face a very different world today. Large numbers of Americans who would have previously fallen into the "I guess I don't really want to be my own boss" category are now unemployed and many of those over age 50 have been so for more than a year at this point.

What might have seemed in 2007 to be a "someday I want to be my own boss" proposition for these people is now possibly their only remaining option for restarting their personal income stream through delivering work.

Now, here's the good news...

Although it is estimated that 20% of the adult workforce is currently either unemployed or underemployed that means that 80% are still working in jobs.

And, according to the latest survey data, gathered in late 2010, people in jobs are finally feeling that the downsizing has ended and if they are still in their jobs they are likely to continue being so for the foreseeable future.

Why is this fact important to you and your working prospects?

Because the same survey also revealed that these working people are feeling enough more confident that they are starting to spend once again. Christmas 2010 retail sales were the best in seven years.

Not only are these employed Americans starting to buy the more traditional trappings of modern society such as fancy electronics and new cars, but they are also on their way back to buying what I used to describe as "an orgy of personal services".

This fall three of my immediate neighbors who for three previous years raked their leaves themselves called in landscaping services - so I see this uptick in buying confidence right on my block - close to home!

Now, here's the confounding reality regarding work right now. ..

Although major downsizings have largely stopped, few employers of any size are aggressively hiring right now - remember more than 9 million Americans have either been on furlough or reduced hours and they usually get called back first.

So, robust job growth is still a long ways off, but...

Increased consumer buying is leading to more purchases from small businesses in their local communities, and guess who owns these businesses? People like you that's who!

If you're finally ready to open your eyes to the entrepreneurial side of working, you don't need to look any further than close to your home to find attractive opportunities.