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“It’s really easy to set up shop. You can have an idea and set it up the next day. The real challenge is understanding your market, understanding your clients and how they access you, and

figuring all that out before you start making money.” If you’re not quite sure about taking the leap, “test out your business idea and gauge customer interest by taking on a few projects or

side gigs,” says Nancy Collamer, retirement coach and author of _Second-Act Careers: 50+ Ways to Profit from your Passions_. “These days, there are hundreds of online platforms where

hobbyists can monetize their interests, such as Etsy for crafters or Rover.com for animal lovers.” BOOST YOUR SKILLS TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS For Annette Burke Lyttle, understanding her

clients came easy because they were interested in something that had fascinated her since she was 11: genealogy. Lyttle, who lives in Colorado, is president of the Association of

Professional Genealogists and owner of Heritage Detective, where she helps novice researchers reveal family histories that are often blocked by dead-ends and brick walls.  Her interest in

genealogy began with a middle school assignment to build a family tree. At her mother’s suggestion, Lyttle reached out to a great-grandmother and was intrigued to learn about an ancestor who

lived during the American Revolution. “And that, for some reason, just grabbed me, and it’s never let go.” When her mother passed away, Lyttle inherited a treasure trove of meticulous

notes, photographs and other records, and “the bug just bit again.”  “I threw myself full-time into genealogy, and then I discovered that there was such a thing as a professional

genealogist,” she says. She thought it might be fun to help others, and, after a great deal of study, she opened her business in 2014. “The key to being a professional genealogist is to get

as much education as possible because it’s really very complicated,” she says. To help her business be more successful, Lyttle enrolled in several non-degree genealogy programs to improve

her skills. Nancy Collamer, the retirement coach, suggests that budding entrepreneurs investigate certification programs. “That might help you more easily profit from your hobbies,” she

says. “You can find low-cost courses offered through community colleges, adult education programs and industry associations.” FROM SOCIAL ACTIVITY TO STARTUP BUSINESS Sometimes, your

friends, family and others in your networks can help you turn your hobbies and interests into a business opportunity. One example is Lisa Zeitel, 65, founder of Epicurean Pantry, which

specializes in sales of black garlic, a specialty food with antioxidant properties. After retiring in January 2022 from a 40-year corporate career, Zeitel was looking for a second act but

had no idea what it might be. The answer came while sailing with friends off the coast of Greece. The party’s host, who happened to be a producer of black garlic as well as a skillful chef,

introduced them to the savory spice. Zeitel, who also has a background in nutrition, was inspired. “I always loved food, particularly the healthy and very flavorful … I immediately fell in

love.”  She decided to export his products to the U.S., despite having no experience in the export industry.