We so often look at retirement, or the later chapter in our lives, as an ending. We think that our careers are over and that it’s too late to begin anything new, or have a successful venture. But the ability to start something new and achieve success has no age limit on it – retirement does not have to be an ending.
Here are a few true stories of people who achieved greatness much later in their life to spread a little inspiration.
Ray Kroc
After spending 34 years as a salesman selling paper cups and milkshake machines, Ray Kroc was 52 when he opened his first McDonald’s franchise. All of those years in sales are probably what gave him an eye for a product with great potential to excel. He approached Dick and Mac McDonald (his then Milkshake machine customers) and offered to work as their franchising agent for a portion of the profits from their humble hamburgers.
Later on, based on his strategy, he followed his gut feeling and bought the company from the McDonald brothers at the age of 62 – a decision he never regretted. Today, McDonald’s Corp., a $150 billion company, is in over 38,600 locations in more than 100 countries.
Ernestine Shepherd
From a high school receptionist who loved junk food and hated exercising, to the world’s oldest female bodybuilder. Ernestine Shepherd began working out at the age of 56.
Ernestine is now 86 years old and is the world’s oldest living female competitive bodybuilder. She not only stands as proof that it’s not too late to get in shape, but also that it’s never too late to begin a business venture – she is a successful personal trainer and also holds exercise classes for seniors.
Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart is an American retail businesswoman, writer, and television personality, and she was nearly 50 when she published her first magazine, Martha Stewart Living.
Starting her career as a stockbroker on Wall Street, she quit her job when her family moved to Connecticut in 1972 and restored a 19th-century farmhouse, sparking her interest in homemaking. Over the next few years, she started a successful catering business. By 1990, Stewart was 49 and published the first issue of her magazine, Martha Stewart Living, which launched her highly successful brand.
The company went on to become an empire, encompassing more magazines, books, and TV shows. Today, her company is worth $1.2 billion.
Marian Moneymaker
Marian dabbled in modeling throughout her 30s and 40s, but it wasn’t until her late 50s that she finally found the freedom to embrace her calling and her look: long gray locks and an effortless, all-natural beauty that’s become her calling card.
Moneymaker is now the standard for growing older naturally, confidently, and beautifully, and it shows in the legions of brands who long to work with her. Since her return to the craft, she’s booked campaigns with top brands, walked iconic runways, and developed successful partnerships with major retailers. She’s also about to act in her first short film, a newfound passion that’s sparking a lot of joy for her these days. At a time when many women are being told they’ve “aged out” of the spotlight, Moneymaker sees her maturity as a boon to her work, and she’s passionate about helping other women rediscover their inner light as they grow older.
Harry Bernstein
A published writer at 96 years old. Harry Bernstein started writing his first novel, The Invisible Wall: A Love Story That Broke Barriers, when he was 93 years old. He gained literary fame at age 96 when it was published in 2007.
The novel is a memoir of his childhood growing up in a poor Jewish family in a northern English mill town. He went on to write three more books in his life, The Dream, published in 2008, The Golden Willow, in 2009 and What Happened to Rose, published after his death in 2012.
Arianna Huffington
When she was 55, Arianna Huffington launched The Huffington Post. An immigrant from Greece, Arianna Huffington first worked as a writer of biographies. But it wasn’t until she was 55 that the writer really broke ground when she launched The Huffington Post in 2005 and named herself its editor-in-chief. The commentary and news site slowly gained momentum. In a few years, the site was known as one of the most influential blogs in the world.
She has been named to Time magazine’s list of the world’s 100 most influential people and the Forbes Most Powerful Women list. Huffington stepped down from her role in 2016. Today, the company is known as HuffPost and is still a well-read publication.
Anna Mary Robertson Moses
Anna Mary Robertson Moses, also known as Grandma Moses, was an American folk artist who began painting professionally at the age of 78. Although painting had always been a dream of hers, her busy life as a housekeeper, farm labourer, mother, and wife meant she didn’t have the chance to pursue her dream until much later in life.
She lived to be 101 years old and enjoyed a very successful career as an artist. Her work remains popular today with one of her paintings, Sugaring Off, selling for $1.2 million dollars in 2006.
Maye Musk
The model, nutritionist, and dietician Maye Musk started her fashion career in South Africa at the age of 15 but has only found major fame in recent years, at the age of 74. As the mother of billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, a grandmother of ten, a model and a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Maye has a busy lifestyle.
As well as running her own nutrition business, the 74-year-old model has signed with IMG Models and has appeared on the covers of Elle Canada and VOGUE Korea. Musk recently became the oldest brand ambassador for CoverGirl and has walked at New York Fashion Week.
Whether it is rediscovering an old hobby that you never pursued further, or creating a brand new venture… these stories prove that it really is never too late to achieve greatness.
If you are interested in setting goals for your retirement or learning what it might be that can fill your post-career life with purpose, book a complimentary consultation call with me and we can chat through the next steps for your retirement plan. As a retirement coach, I am able to help guide you through what’s right for you in your retirement, so that you can focus on making the most of your retired life.