JumpStart Needs You – Retired and Semi-Retired Experience Counts
Your Experience is Gold (And Someone Needs It)
You’ve built businesses. Made mistakes. Learned what works and what doesn’t. Dealt with difficult customers, cash flow problems, and team challenges. You’ve seen trends come and go, survived recessions, and figured out how to make things work.
That wisdom? It’s exactly what someone starting out desperately needs.
The Problem We See
Every week, we talk to people with great ideas who are about to make the same expensive mistakes you learned to avoid 20 years ago. They’re heading down rabbit holes you escaped from. They’re stressing about things that don’t actually matter while missing the stuff that does.
They don’t need another business course. They need someone who’s been there.
What We’re Not Asking For
This isn’t about becoming a formal mentor or business coach. We’re not asking you to:
- Commit to regular meetings
- Take responsibility for someone’s success
- Provide ongoing support you don’t want to give
- Pretend to know industries you don’t understand
What We Are Asking For
Share what you’ve learned. Sometimes that’s:
- A coffee with someone stuck on a challenge you’ve faced
- Joining a casual conversation about a problem you’ve solved
- Offering perspective on a decision you’ve made before
- Saying “I tried that once – here’s what happened”
When it suits you. You control:
- How much time you give
- What kinds of problems you help with
- Whether you want ongoing contact or one-off conversations
- How formal or casual the interaction is
The Satisfaction Factor
Our existing mentors tell us they love it. There’s something energizing about:
- Being valued for what you know
- Seeing someone benefit from your insights
- Learning about new approaches and fresh thinking
- Staying connected to the business world without the pressure
Plus, the questions people ask often make you think about your own experience in new ways.
What Kind of Experience Actually Helps
You don’t need to have built a tech unicorn. The most valuable insights often come from:
- Running a successful small business for years
- Surviving industry downturns
- Learning to manage people effectively
- Understanding customer relationships
- Navigating regulatory challenges
- Making tough financial decisions
- Building something sustainable
Real experience with real challenges beats theoretical knowledge every time.
Industries We Need
Pretty much everything:
- Retail and hospitality
- Professional services
- Manufacturing and trades
- Agriculture and food production
- Technology and digital services
- Healthcare and education
- Creative industries
- Import/export and distribution
The principles of good business often transfer across industries better than people think.
The Stories That Matter
The practical stuff:
- “Here’s how we dealt with a major customer who wasn’t paying”
- “This is what I learned about hiring the wrong person”
- “The equipment investment that saved us money in the long run”
- “How we survived when our main supplier went under”
The human stuff:
- “How I learned to say no to opportunities that weren’t right”
- “Managing stress during the really tough periods”
- “Balancing business growth with family time”
- “When to trust your gut vs. when to listen to advisors”
How It Actually Works
Nothing complicated:
- We have a conversation about your experience and what kinds of help you’d be interested in providing
- We introduce you to people facing challenges you’ve dealt with
- You decide if and how you want to help each time
- Everyone benefits from the exchange
No contracts, no ongoing commitments, no pressure.
Ready to Share What You Know?
If this sounds like something you’d enjoy, we’d love to hear from you. Even if you’re not sure, a conversation costs nothing and might lead to something rewarding for everyone involved.
Because good business wisdom shouldn’t retire with you.
