What Makes Entrepretirees Unique?

​Rather than running off and starting up a side business solely focused on making a lot of money quickly (and there are tons of these “ventures” out there to chase), an Entrepretiree is seeking more of a lifestyle approach to venturing into a side business which can potentially become a main business. Simply stated “money is not everything”. Yes money is certainly important but it is more of a vehicle to help you get to where you want to go, whether that is being able to travel, move somewhere else, spend time volunteering, learn a new language or instrument, or become a full time business owner. It is important to focus first on what you want to do and then figure out the money part, and never the other way around or you risk being just as stressed in your side venture after retirement are you are in your full time career before retirement. And this is not at all where you want to be. The purpose of being proactive and starting to build your retirement venture before you retire is that you have time to test it out and make adjustments to align it with your desired future now, before you jump into it with both feet.

So what are some Entrepretiree requirements to be aware of?
​Some suggested ideas include:

• Flexibility: You are able to work when / where / how much you want to, giving you time for leisure. You are in control of your time.
• Sustainability: Once you get the venture started up, you can keep it going without tons of effort.
• Aligned With Your Personality: Involves interacting with people if that drives you, or more of an online or solo type venture if you prefer quiet focused time.
• Potential to Provide Passive Income: You don’t need to always be available or on call, the venture can run on autopilot if needed.
• Low Risk: Starting up the venture does not require a major financial investment or leaving your current job first or taking large liability risks. This enables you to work at your own pace and make changes as needed or decide to discontinue the venture and try something else, without the stress of “losing it all”.
• Low Investment: Part of being low risk. You need to be able to try out different ventures if necessary and find the one that works for you, rather than making a large investment up front that ties you up with something which may turn out to be a major drag that burns you out as you keep trying not to lose your investment. There are many businesses you can read about which were started with $500 or less, for real.  
• Keeps You Engaged: The venture is exciting and motivates you, it does not feel like work. If you find something that you are motivated to do, you will never need to push yourself to do it. Money alone will not get you there in the long term. You need to avoid the daily grind that burns you out.
• Meets Financial Goals: Last on the list you do need to think about money. Do not make money the primary driver, but be smart in evaluating the initial and ongoing costs of your venture and how well it can support you in designing the life you want.  Do not automatically dismiss it if it is something that drives you but the money is not as much as you would like. It may be that 2 or 3 smaller ventures are more appropriate for you rather than one big one that drags you down.