I love this Carol! As a wanna be entrepreneur myself, I would love to connect with you. I am sending you a message now.

I appreciate your response. Your suggestions are well taken, so I shall reach out to our local university and shall investigate whether there is a Junior Achievement chapter in my area. Cheers, Carol

Thank you for sharing your amazing journey! As a suggestion, many universities have entrepreneurial centers who benefit from experienced entrepreneurs to mentor the faculty or student start-ups. Many of these programs are now virtual, so you can connect with universities regardless of where you live. I've found great satisfaction, with most interactions as informal coaching/ mentoring sessions - and the work being done is inspiring! In addition, a number of retirees in my community help with Junior Achievement, providing business educational experiences to middle and high school aged students - another area to consider, if you are interested. Good luck!!

What an amazing career and life! You’re wonderful for wanting to give back with your time and expertise. I’m sure others can recommend more options but the first one that came to mind for me is SCORE, the Service Corps of Retired Executives. They enlist volunteers to provide this type of counseling to the next generation of business owners.

I appreciate the support and feedback. If you would indulge me a bit, let me first give you a bit about my background. My parents were both entrepreneurially minded. They started two companies directly after World War II, both of which were successful. By the time I was born, the businesses were well established. Experiencing first hand what being self employed required instilled in me a strong work ethic. My educational background, an MBA in International Management, geared me toward a career with a large multinational corporation. The thought of working in an environment without flexibility, and with conformity, would leave little outlet for my creativity., I believed. My own familial exigencies, an only child with elderly parents, also saddled me with early responsibilities only now realised by many of my contemporaries. As such, working for a major corporation would have been nearly impossible post graduate school. It was only after selling my parents' businesses and their deaths, the birth of my son, plus a pending divorce, that I found myself faced with a near desperate need to support myself. During the transition from married to divorced status, I founded a small baking and catering company. While the business was successful in that it paid essential monthly expenses, I did not desire to expand the operation. Through life's twists and turns, I secured a position as a sales executive for a Spanish language radio group. While great fun, I knew that there was no long term future for me. Through a twist of fate, a story in and of itself, I founded a cleaning company dedicated primarily to medial grade maintenance. Most of my clients were clinics, doctors' offices, and ambulatory surgical centres. My company's reputation of providing an outstanding product with impeccable service allowed me to flourish in an industry locally plagued with mediocre performance. Since retirement, I spend most of my time traveling and collecting art. My international travels are so greatly impacted by COVID-19 now, so I would like to assist younger business women in ways which lead them to greater success and fulfilment. Giving my time and energy is life affirming, to say the least. I believe that my skills and business acumen cross all boundaries. Whether working in the milieu of home furnishings, antiques, art, food, advertising, or cleaning/maintenance, the skills needed to succeed must insinuate themselves into an organisation from conception. Thank you for the opportunity to share a bit of myself to you all. Happy New Year!

I love this, Carol! So generous to offer your time. Maybe you can share some details about your career, or a story about a success? Do you have a specific industry in mind, for example?

You're incredible for reaching out.