How to Become a Coach or Consultant After You Retire

Consulting and coaching — which are flexible, interesting, and often high prestige — are ideal second careers for retired professionals. But the competition can be fierce. To differentiate yourself, keep these five things in mind: 1) Give yourself sufficient runway. Any career change is disruptive to a certain extent. The more time you give yourself to plan and prepare, the better off you’ll be (1-2 years is good, and 3-4 years is better). 2) Do a skills analysis. Take the opportunity to bolster necessary skills, such as public speaking and social media. 3) Start recruiting clients. Take on a few volunteer clients on the side while you’re still employed, in exchange for testimonials and future referrals (assuming it’s a good experience). 4) Prepare your marketing. Focus first on creating a professional-looking website with testimonials, and establishing a social media presence on at least one channel, so there’s a reasonable amount of information about your business when someone searches for you online. 5) Give yourself a break. Don’t try to tackle everything at once.