Chris and Susan Beesley knew very little about online business in 2005. They had a successful Accountancy and Management Consultancy practice which involved working long hours. The business was good but they had no time and no balance of work and family life. This was not how they wanted to live. They decided it was time to boost their retirement nest-egg and started researching new and better ways to do this.
Following the accepted professional advice of that time, they purchased a course about property investment. With high hopes, and in a short time, they acquired a promising international portfolio of properties. By early 2007, just before the GFC, Chris and Susan felt that their future of financial freedom and travel was well under control.
Online business advice needed
Still working long hours in their business, they noticed that some of their clients were talking about getting a website and expanding into online services. Others were asking about how to develop a retirement business online. This was beyond their area of professional expertise as business advisors! They decided that they should find out whatever they could about online business so they could offer the best possible advice to their clients.
“Things shift, and you have to shift too.”
And then the Global Financial Crisis hit the world. Their property portfolio plummeted in value almost overnight.
Opportunities often emerge from big problems. Chris and Susan’s research into online business led them to the world of online business education. The decision to follow this path has fulfilled their dreams of a retirement business and lifestyle of time freedom and travel. Their work has led to a passion for teaching and mentoring. This has become the key element of their business, particularly helping people in or approaching retirement.
Many models of online business
Whilst they have created their own products, Chris and Susan also promote other people’s products that they have used and that they believe will help their clients in building their online retirement business. This is called affiliate marketing.
Getting involved in affiliate marketing has a low-cost entry and it isn’t difficult to get started. Chris makes the point that if affiliate marketing doesn’t suit you, the skills you learn can be transferred to any other sort of online business, or to taking an offline business online.
Types of online businesses are as varied as the many models of traditional businesses. The secret is in choosing the model of business that suits your skills and preferred style of work. If it is to be your retirement business you must ensure that it is related to a niche that genuinely interests you so you can enjoy what you are doing.
Proud of ‘The Mindset Shift’
Chris and Susan wrote The Mindset Shift because they recognised that their change in circumstances had been directly attributable to their change in their thoughts. That change in their mindset enabled them to be open to learning new business skills. This book and The Mindset Shift Goal Setting Success Secrets have been updated recently and are now available free from their website. In the last year they have also contributed to the excellent book RetireInspire, with chapters by many authors describing the reasons behind their different retirement choices.
Make your lifestyle dreams come true
Age creeps up on most of us. It is so easy to procrastinate about retirement planning and say “I’ll think about that later”. The importance of financial retirement planning is widely advertised, so it is hard to ignore its importance but also very easy not to do much about it! It is quite scary to think ahead about your lifestyle, but so important to do so.
For many years Chris and Susan, who live south of London, had dreamed of visiting Sydney. When their reputation as very relatable trainers of online business concepts grew quickly they jumped at the chance to give a presentation at gatherings in different countries. In 2017 they came to Sydney to speak at a three day online business workshop, where we met up for the first time since we had become friends over a decade before. Of course, we took the ‘been there done that’ photo for posterity!
They have also diversified their business interests, with an online travel business now part of their portfolio. This not only offers additional passive income but also the opportunity to do more leisure travel cost-effectively.
Tips for creating an online business for retirement income
Start NOW
- Be open to new ideas.
- Learn about models of online business.
- Investigate the niches that might interest you.
- Evaluate your existing skills.
- Recognise what deeply interests you.
- Consider how you could combine your skills and interests?
Understand your purpose.
- You need to know your motivations. Just wanting to make some money may not be enough. However, if you dig deeper for your purpose you might that your level of motivation becomes must stronger. For instance, you may realise that what you really want is to create an ongoing passive income legacy for your family.
Learn about online business
- Investigate the many forms of online business education and evaluate what they offer you.
- Be selective. Be sure you find a comfortable fit with you and the business and individuals who will teach or mentor you.
- Most success in life comes after you have learned from someone who knows what they are doing. Online business is no different. Most people need a mentor or coach. Choose them wisely as that can mean the difference between success and failure.
Community
- When you are working from home and learning new skills it can be overwhelming and lonely. It is important to be part of a learning community. There will be times that you need to ask questions or need encouragement. If you are part of a community of like-minded people you will find that support.
Get your free copies of ‘The Mindset Shift‘ or ‘The Mindset Shift Goal Setting Success Secrets’, or find out about Chris and Susan’s Vacation Lifestyle Business travel venture.
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