I thought it was my last gig.

I’d sold my agency, doubled it through the earn-out, and stayed on a few more years running the holding company’s regional network.

So when I took a big corporate job, running an even bigger, more complex business, I figured that would be it. The final chapter.

Last year when I ‘retired’ at 59, at first it really did feel like the end of the story.

For a while, I wasn’t sure what came next.

So many well-meaning people told me to just rest and enjoy myself.

They said I deserved it after 35+ years of constant ducking and diving.  

And if I’m honest, it was pretty soul-destroying to hear that, no matter how well-intentioned the sentiment.

I’d been mentoring and coaching leaders all through my career, so I kept this going as a bit of a hobby.

And leadership coaching was just a way to pay forward what I’d learned;  to walk alongside the next generation of founders and leaders building their business and themselves.

But it turned out to be even more than that.

The work took off faster than I expected, with more impact than I’d dared hope.

But the most surprising aspect of this boomerang retirement journey is that it changed me as much as the people I coach.

Now I wake up every morning super excited about the day ahead:  about the conversations I’ll have; the inspiring leaders I get to work with; the new ones I’ll meet… and yes, the joy of building something from scratch all over again.

After I sold my agency, I thought I’d never get that chance to found a business again.

But here I am, doing it again, and as Ronald McDonald says I’m loving it!

People say you need hobbies when you retire.

I suppose my hobby just happens to be building businesses and helping leaders grow, rather than basket-weaving or stamp collecting. (Though nothing wrong with those if they’re your thing).

To me, starting and growing a business is a creative process. It’s about having an idea of something that might really add value to people’s lives. Then shaping and crafting it into something that becomes real and tangible. It’s that adrenaline jolt of putting yourself out there and accepting both failure and success.

But mostly it’s about creating something that has a positive impact, that has a purpose and is bigger than you.

So if there’s a voice inside you saying maybe there’s one more chapter left… listen to it. It’s never too late to start something new.