"Starting over at 55" — title of the article by Stephen Greenhouse, part of a New York Times special section on retirement.
Some interesting case studies on early retirees who used their skills and experience to start-up new
ventures in areas including marketing and public relations (for California winemakers), publishing, and setting up a theater.
Interesting stat: in 2008, 18.9% of all new businesses were set up by people 55 and older.
And here's another useful nugget from that article:
The Small Business Administration has a Web site
that offers advice and expertise to entrepreneurs age 50 and older. The
site says age 50 to 70 is “the perfect time to leverage experience,
passions, hobbies and resources to launch or purchase a small
business.”