Ideas for a part-time business after 55 in a seaside town

[Greenseacat]

I am 55 and trying to work out what small business I could start after struggling to find a role as an employee.

My previous work involved marketing, design, communications and copywriting but the industry is quite ageist and affected by AI so I don't think I can realistically work in that field until I retire. I have also done fundraising, project management and administration for charities and small businesses

I live in a seaside town (South East) with a slightly older demographic and my passions are art, physical activity (swimming, walking, running, pilates) and animals but I am not sure there is a way to really monetise that.

My town already has a lot of yoga and pilates teachers and a fair number of dog walkers. Comms and marketing is not an option either as the industry is fairly ageist and it has been badly affected by AI and I could not compete with creative agencies.

I only need a part-time income as I have a small mortgage and a simple lifestyle.

Any suggestions of what I could go into?

I have been self-employed when working in marketing/copywriting and I am already registered with HMRC so at least I am familiar with having to file self-employed tax returns and keeping track of expenses and income.

Not going to earn you a huge amount of money but pet boarding/sitting sounds like it could be popular for your location demographic and as a more mature person, people are more likely to trust you. You would need to get some initial recommendations though .

Why can’t you do small bits of marketing for the small business owners? There is a market for this as its my full time job ☺️

I was going to say this. Small businesses are often terrible at publicity/marketing. Sorting out their websites, publicising good news stories, running their Instagram or Facebook accounts would be a perfect part time role.

Tarot card reader

matched betting

airbnb

dog walking.

I have done a couple of freelance contracts doing exactly that this year.

Honestly I am fed up with the sector and would really like to do something else.
But I might try to see if I can get drum up some local business again as a freelance comms person but I know my heart is just not in it.

I think I would enjoy that and was considering looking at pet boarding and only look after a small number of animals.

Maybe you do need a change then. Art groups are a growing area. You say it's an interest. Would you be confident organising a group to do art activities. It's a big hen weekend thing. Something like this.

www.henswithpens.com/our-party-options/lets-get-arty?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20359787199&gbraid=0AAAAADlARFbj8NFfgWK-cn2MaPY0fR9Fu&gclid=CjwKCAjw2aPVBhBkEiwA0Cptt6UxOadgjH_-3wXGg_O134verca9TOsLj9aIZj8QSjv0sH6EGA8yLhoCBB4QAvD_BwE

You could run “craft and sip” evenings and charge people to come along and teach them how to make a Christmas wreath. Those are big business round here! Eg £50 each ticket. You could run it in a licensed venue or hire a nice community venue and get a temporary notice to provide alcohol.

Art/craft and sip sessions seem to be all over my FB so there seems to be a big market for them.

Lots of pubs seem to host them now so I assume someone teaches the art bit.

What about teaching marketing?

Hi! Just seeing this thread! In Hove over here - assuming you're not in the same seaside town, given what you've shared so far - but what about offering a second-home service? I'm of course assuming that you have second-homers (most seaside spots do!): you coordinate their house maintenance (boiler checks, radiators on briefly in the winter, get the house ready for their arrival with a shop done, beds ready, pick up from station etc). Premium price point if you can build credibility and trust - find your customers via estate agents, airbnb listings in your area etc. You might already know some of them!

Otherwise, second the suggestions for pet-sitting/ a pet hotel: my friends with dogs are often complaining about the price and limited availability of kennels!

Pet sitting/boarding - I cannot tell you how difficult it is to find a good one. I have found an excellent one and I live in fear of her giving up her business!

With your art and design background, have you thought about selling your own artwork as prints online? I do this alongside a full-time job (I work nights) and it fits around life really well.

I use a print-on-demand company, so I upload the design, list it on Etsy, and when someone orders, they print and post it. No stock, no trips to the post office, and it doesn't care how old you are! Seaside and coastal art does really well, and so does pet art, so your passions might actually be the niche.

The bit your marketing experience helps with is the listing titles and keywords, which is where most new sellers struggle. It's slow to start (think months, not weeks) but it's a nice part-time income once you've built up a catalogue. And as you're already registered with HMRC, the admin side won't faze you.