I was bored.
After I retired in 2013, it wasn’t long before I found myself just a bit bored. I had hobbies, sure. I liked to travel. I enjoyed cooking and having friends over for dinner. But soon I was looking to make additional income after retirement. I just couldn’t help myself! I’d been working since I was 12 years old and turning it off just wasn’t in the cards.
I actually thought about going back to work, but I just couldn’t face that daily grind again . . . and besides, I did enjoy my freedom to travel and see the world. I wasn’t about to give that up.
But what to do? Take some part-time job at minimum wage, putting up with cranky customers and making peanuts? No thanks. I was stumped.
Passion into Profit
One day, as I was working online searching for new recipes, I began wondering if there wasn’t a way to make money by pursuing my passions. I loved to bake; I loved to travel. I enjoyed spending time on both of those things . . . so what if there was a way I could actually earn some additional money while doing them?
I remember exactly the moment I began searching online for ways to turn my hobbies into cash. I was up in the mountains, the wind was howling outside, and there in my Google search appeared a website that offered to train me how to make additional money in retirement! Exactly what I was looking for. And they said they would do it for free!
I’m 62 years old and far from gullible. But I was curious, so I clicked on the link and found myself on a website called “Wealthy Affiliate.”
I found a “Get Started” training module and watched the video. It said that, in seven days, I could learn to create my own website, built around a topic of my choice, and that they would host it for free.
Scams v. The Real Deal
I had done a little poking around on other websites, but they all seemed to want a huge payment up front for some “secret” method of making millions and millions of dollars online. That just wasn’t for me. So I was very excited to find a program that would teach me some of the basics of webpage development and internet marketing without a big commitment.
So I signed up and started the training. In the first five videos, I learned:
- Understanding How to Make Money Online
- Choose a Niche
- Building Your OWN Niche Website
- Setting Up Your Website
In about a week, I had my very first website up and running (and it’s still running today – you can see Baking Naturally here.)
And Since Then . . .
That was seven years ago. Since then, I’ve built five more websites, as well as websites for friends and neighbors. I incorporated under Cowboy Concierge and enjoy a healthy tax break and additional retirement income from all my work.
Best of all, I didn’t have to change my lifestyle! I can manage all my sites from wherever I am – whether we are in Mexico or on a river cruise in France, or spending time seeing the sights in Berlin. Most of the time, I don’t really have to do a thing!
Are You Ready to Make Additional Income After Retirement?
Maybe you’re like me – a bit bored. Or maybe you’re just looking for a way to turn your own passions into profits. If so, just click on the banner below and check out all the helpful information on Wealthy Affiliate.
Not Ready Yet?
No problem. But if you want more information, check out my other posts that give you some insight into what it’s like to run an online business. See My Typical Day Running My Blogs.