An Encore Career is an incredible opportunity to pursue your passions in your later years. It is a means of leaving your corporate career and becoming your own boss. It is a path for making the most of your life even after retirement.

These are all incredible benefits and draws to creating your own Encore Career. However, when it comes down to practicalities, what are the key elements of one? What does it actually take to develop and grow a business as a silver entrepreneur?

Last week on Creating Your Encore Career, I reviewed the key elements of an Encore Career as I see it today. Although I’ve talked about this in general terms multiple times over the course of the show, my views have shifted and grown a bit. 

Today, I’ll share my current perspective on what makes up an Encore Career.

Mindset

As you leave the corporate world and launch into either retirement or an Encore Career, the way you think about things and look at things is going to change. There's going to be a year of confusion after you leave the corporate life that you should be aware of. 

Journaling is a great way to keep your mindset strong and positive during that time. It's something I've been doing for quite a few years. It’s simply a way of writing down your thoughts and the things that are swirling around in your head. 

It doesn't have to be long. One of the journals I used was a five-minute journal (aka, a bullet point journal). Simply writing out your thoughts can help immensely as you make this transition.

Habits and Routines

40% of our waking hours are done out of habit or routine. Certainly in your corporate life, there were specific things you did every day. As you look at your purpose and start an Encore Career, consider what new routines and habits you want to create. 

You’re suddenly free to do whatever you want but it's still a good idea to create some new structures. For me, that looks like getting up and journaling every morning before I start work. 

Learning New Skills

How do you like to learn? There are online conferences, books, and more. Which do you prefer?

Analyzing the ways you learn best and how you’ve learned in the past will help you decide how you will learn new skills in your Encore Career. This is a meta-skill that goes into creating this Encore Career. 

Create a Value Proposition

Value propositions are another key element of an Encore Career. Here are three simple steps to figuring out your unique value proposition:

1. Ask yourself, “What am I good at?” 

2. Consider how you could help someone else solve the problems they have.

3. Think about your previous job title and the specific aspect of that job you would be interested in continuing to do and have energy around. This is called niching down.

New Connections

Finally, you need to prioritize and invest in new people, new communities, and new connections. Here are three ways to do this:

1. Find people who excel in a skill you want to learn and ask them for help. 

2. Connect with people who are in interesting areas that you'd like to work in. 

3. Ask people you connect with, “Who else do you think I should know?”