8 Unique Side Hustles for Retirees

Some call it the golden opportunity of their golden years. Some consider it their swan song. Others think of it as plain old drudgery. Whatever the name, having an employment opportunity after retirement is sometimes a necessity. But it can also be a blessing. I happen to know a handful of folks who found their dream job after working for years in their primary profession. Research shows that in 2023, 19% of adults, 65 or older, were in the workforce. That number has almost quadrupled since the mid-1980s. If you find yourself seeking employment after you retire, be tenacious and creative. Do your best to find a job that stems from and suits your experience, talents, and interests. These folks did. 

Hunting and Fishing Guide

Jim’s career was spent behind concrete walls, razor wire, and a gun tower. He was more than ready to retire after twenty-plus years as a prison guard. He wasn’t certain whether the countless days spent with inmates were the reason he was fairly miserable. He thinks the true reason that made his job increasingly difficult was the systemic changes that took place during his tenure. Corruption never sits well with someone with a background in law enforcement. Often, Jim turned to nature to find the peace his profession couldn’t provide. As an avid outdoorsman and a natural people person, Jim found an incredible opportunity as a hunting and fishing guide local to his home and in adjacent states. If you see Jim now, he wears a broad smile and even volunteers at his local church taking the men’s ministry into the wild. This spring he took the group fishing for walleye on Lake Eerie. “Jim” found his second wind in his sixth decade of life. 

Antiques Dealer

Jeannie was a kindergarten teacher from the time she finished college. She loved her job and the children she taught each year. She felt fulfilled in being a part of their formative years and still finds deep satisfaction in hearing about the successful life journeys of many of her former students. Jeannie had always been a quiet person. She was close to her family and an active member of her church. When her two children left the nest, she began to concentrate on something her husband had been passionate about since they met and married–antique glassware. The couple lived in Glass Valley. Half a dozen prominent glass companies within an hour’s drive rivaled one another throughout her childhood and early married years. And then, one by one, the companies closed their doors–making those treasures more valuable than ever. It wasn’t long until Jeannie’s interest in all things glass had exceeded her husband’s. She could be found at flea markets, estate sales, and yard sales. Sometimes, the couple participated in antique shows and sold their treasures. Her home was filled with her favorite collections that were gleaned from decades of devotion.

In her late sixties, Jeannie rented a shelf in an antique store in her hometown. It was a twenty-five dollar per month investment. It paid off almost immediately. It didn’t take long for Jeannie to outgrow her shelf. She soon rented more space. Time passed and she rented more space.  She still sells glass but has added “all things antique” to her booths. Those many earlier years of quietly pursuing her passion are now helping her earn a welcome monthly profit. 

Dog Trainer, Boarder, and Groomer

When I graduated from high school, my parents gifted me with a two-year-old quarter horse named Romeo. He was beautiful and sweet, but there was a problem. He was unbroken. Our neighbor, Joni, came to the rescue. Joni had an interesting and impressive background training horses. After high school, she worked at one of Florida’s horse racing tracks. She met and married an equestrian enthusiast and they built a farm down the lane from my father’s farm. Joni frequently trained horses. Her husband would, then, sell them. As time passed and after Joni sustained a few injuries while breaking horses, she decided to train a smaller animal.

She had always had dogs on her farm. I noticed her dogs were obedient. Joni was a natural.  Soon, she flew to the Southwest and took courses in professionally training Border Collies. When she returned, I remember going to her farm and finding ducks and sheep. Both were used to train her sheepdogs to herd. The years passed, and she became so proficient that she soon entered sheepdog trials and won. That is until one summer during a herding trial when Joni collapsed. She suffered a life-altering heat stroke.

Not one to give up, even as she was entering her retirement years, Joni used her dog training knowledge and her barn, house, and out-buildings to build a first-class canine boarding, grooming, and training center. And that is when Joni really contributed to her retirement income. She was so good at training, boarding, and grooming that she was booked weeks in advance. Joni was successful due to her powerful gift of command with animals and her entrepreneurial spirit. She was a born trainer and she was fortunate to spend her golden years never being forced to give up her original love of working with animals. 

Librarian

James worked as a metallurgical engineer in a steel mill for the majority of his career. In the beginning of his work for the mill, he enjoyed his profession. He respected his coworkers and the company. In time, the company James had known and had given many years of his life to was bought out. Changes came quickly. Overtime work was no longer an option. In fact, it became mandatory. To make matters worse, overtime went unpaid. Relationships amongst overworked coworkers changed. Too many things changed. So, James, who had had enough, retired at the age of 59. It was then that he found a job that was vastly different than any other. The pay wasn’t much but his experience as a librarian was incredibly positive. In time, monetary considerations led him back to local positions in his original field. He found those post-retirement experiences positive as well. But, to this day, he still reflects positively on his time at the library and his job as a literary engineer.   

Wedding Venue Owner

There is a huge black barn that sits in a field when you pull into our rural neighborhood. It’s a beautiful reminder that we live on what used to be a large farm. For years the barn served a simple purpose. It housed mowing equipment. The neighbor who owns that barn came to our door one day. Jennifer had recently retired and was seeking neighborhood approval to start a business venture. She knew many of her neighbors from her career as a teacher. When the neighborhood approved, she began converting her barn. Jennifer had it painted, re-roofed, and then had a commercial kitchen installed. She hung chandeliers and bought tables and chairs. She pursued her post-retirement dream with passion. If you drive by on a Friday evening or at varying times on Saturdays, you can see the barn come to life. Though it’s a side hustle that truly requires just that– a lot of hustle, owning a wedding venue can be a profitable venture. 

Self Employed Caterer

And then there is Barbara. She has been living her post-retirement dream for over five years. Barbara has had a lifelong passion for cooking and baking. Generous in nature, many people had been the recipients of her culinary gifts through the years. Right around the time she retired from teaching, her husband built a commercial kitchen in their oversized garage. Barbara had customers from the get-go. A friend with a large Airbnb offers Barbara’s catering services to her guests. Many have taken advantage of her home-cooked and catered meals during their bed and breakfast stay. Barbara is noted for making her famous cinnamon rolls in varying flavors for local business events. She uses her small catering van to keep food warm on her way to various catering gigs like weddings receptions and retirement celebrations. You can also find her freshly made baked goods in a local coffee house. This sixty-plus-year-old dynamo is finding joy in the successful business she created from her lifelong passion. 

Home and Elder Care

Wanda took a heavy financial loss due to an unwanted divorce. She was in her early 60s and, seeing the handwriting on the wall, she knew she would no longer receive the money she earned by working as a cook and sales rep in her husband’s business. Wanda was not only being forced out of a marriage, she was being forced into retirement. But, Wanda was a worker. Her house was always spotless. She had a lot of energy and loved helping people. Wanda started cleaning houses. She cleaned as many houses as she could. She was the type of housekeeper who would wash windows. She also changed sheets and washed bedding. She put in many ten-hour days. Eventually, Wanda was asked to provide light-duty elder care. She was passionate about this new endeavor and the clients who needed her care. She still cleaned but she also cooked, grocery shopped, and ran errands. On her days off, she would often check on her clients to make sure they were okay. In time, Wanda married again. She didn’t have to continue working but she truly enjoyed it and the money that gave her back a sense of self-respect that she had once lost. 

Child Care

Anna began walking three or more miles a day in her forties. Almost three decades later she was still walking. Anna had retired from a clerical government job that she loved. She chased down nickels and dimes like a detective and turned in monthly bookkeeping reports with zeal. She struggled a bit with going from a fast-paced job to limitless free time. Anna also loved children. Her grandchildren had reached their teens and she had been an integral part of their childhood. She was still very close to them, though she missed the days when they were little. On one of her neighborhood walks, she happened upon a young couple who lived down the street. She greeted them, daily, as she strolled by until she developed a friendship with the twenty-something couple. It was during one of their chats that the couple expressed that they were looking for a babysitter. The couple wasn’t hinting. They were just expressing a need. They had no idea that Anna would go home and talk to her husband about taking care of their infant son. Anna wasn’t really looking for a job. The job found her. Anna and her husband ended up as a third set of grandparents to their neighbor’s infant son and, soon after, their infant daughter. The children knew them as Gram and Gramps. Anna and her husband didn’t do it for the money, although they were generously paid. They did it for love. The baby boy is now a freshman in high school this year and the baby girl is a middle schooler. They still visit their Gram and Gramps. If you look at the pictures of Anna’s children and grandchildren spread out across her living room, you will see amongst her family photos, pictures of the grandchildren of her heart. 

Summing It Up

You don’t have to view retirement as the end of the road. Instead, you can see it as a new trail-blazing opportunity that is filled with interesting possibilities along the way. If you do choose a side hustle, remember that it can be your ticket to staying physically active, financially secure, and socially connected. By using your work history, implementing your God-given talents, and exploring your lifelong passions, you may find a second career you never dreamed possible. Your swan song might enable you to bring home the kind of extra income and self-satisfaction that will really make your golden years shine.