I had dinner last night with a group of people, one of whom is a woman nearing retirement who started her own business four years ago. Obviously, this woman (let’s call her Marge) is not your typical small business entrepreneur, but there’s a whole more to that statement than just her age.

Marge is a steady-analytical type but she also has a fair amount of confident optimism. It’s not over-bubbly. It’s just right.

Frankly, I found her stick-to-it mindset quite refreshing. After a lifetime of working in administrative support where she was never required to be the “star,” she’s done a great job of flexing her wings and launching out.

Such is a new breed of entrepreneurs, as pointed out in Brian Amble’s article Older, Fitter, Indispensable over at Management-Issues.com.

Amble, referencing a Future of Retirement Study, writes “Far from being a drain on society, older people across the world are making huge contributions to the economic and cultural wellbeing of their nations…” He points out that we should be preparing now for the increasing number of “retirees” who are going to remain active in the business community well into their seventies.

In fact, Amble quotes Clive Bannister, group managing director of insurance for HSBC: “In terms of health the age of 70 is the new 50.”

Marge’s personality is a neat combination of methodical spunk, and she’s already enjoyed a steady level of success. “I’m not as successful as others might be in my position,” she said. “I could have grown faster and I could have made more money, but I’ve built a solid business and I’m going to keep on building it.”

Hats off to you, Marge. I think you’re a true example of workplace excellence.

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Filed in Work, Business, Opinion, Motivation, Management, Leadership, Workplace, Corporate Culture