Semi-Retire Early and Still Earn an Income With These 7 Profitable Home-Based Business Ideas

Semi Retire at 60, 55, 40… any age!

Most people are looking to semi-retire when they’re in their fifties – I know myself and my husband are planning this very strategy as I type this!

Even if you’re in your forties, you can still follow this process to semi-retire early simply by finding a fun and profitable home-based business.

semi retire at 55, early semi retirementThis page includes affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy.

Jump straight in and learn How To Start Your Dream Home Business …

A lot of people who want to semi-retire do so by retiring from their workplace where they work full time, and then once they’ve retired they go and find a little, stress-free part-time job.

I think that this is a great strategy to semi-retire and still bring in a monthly income.

How To Semi Retire Early

Although getting a part-time job seems like a great idea, in reality, it’s not that easy to find a job these days, is it?

So have you thought about starting and running a small business from home instead?

Early semi retirement can also bring boredom if you’re not a hobby person or you aren’t active to do outdoor activities such as walking or hiking.

Your New Home Business Becomes Your New Hobby!

So you could spend some of your spare time on your new little home business. In fact, your new home business could also double up as a new and exciting hobby!

The main thing to keep in mind is to choose a business idea which:

  • Is suited to you personally.
  • Blends in with your new ‘semi retirement’ lifestyle.
  • You look forward to working on it each day, and
  • It is profitable enough for you.

I’ve listed some business ideas below which I feel blend in seamlessly with working part-time whilst being semi retired.

I’m Working Full-Time

If you’re currently working full-time, then you can start at least doing some of the initial research to find and start your home business.

This is the main, biggest obstacle of starting a home business – which business idea should I choose!

If you choose a business idea that is the least stressful for you, then you will look forward to working on your new home business each day, especially since you know that you’re going to make an income from it.

Once you’ve found your perfect home business idea, then you can start getting your little business off the ground.

Making The Transition

You will then have to weigh up how you to want make the transition from your full-time employment into semi retirement and working on your new home business.

I Have a Nest Egg

If you won’t be relying on the income from your home business to retire, then you obviously can retire when you feel the most financially comfortable doing so.

I Don’t Have Savings

If you do need the income from your home business, you will need to work on your home business until it gives you enough income so you can actually start to think about taking the leap and handing in your retirement notice at work.

Stress Free Home Business Ideas

So with all that being said, here are seven home business ideas that you can work around your current job, menopause symptoms, or indeed, any other commitments.

#1 Blogging

A Passive Income Business Model

This is my chosen home business model.

A passive income business model is where you earn an income without having to exchange time for money.

You can still earn money while you’re asleep, are on vacation, or just simply away from your computer.

I decided to start a blog (this blog you’re reading now) so I could fit it around my menopause symptoms, help fill my empty nest, and also earn an income passively.

I did my own self-assessment exercise which guided me that blogging would be the best business model for my current situation and lifestyle. This is the self-assessment exercise I briefly mentioned above which is inside the Home Business Roadmap.

early semi retire

Now first and foremost, blogging is a long-game because you won’t see an income for a few months, or even a year.

Secondly, blogging has a massive learning curve.

But please don’t be put off by those.

I believe that blogging is the least stressful and most non-invasive online business to start.

Here’s a post which I came across in my favorite blogging Facebook group:

early semi retirement

Please note, that this lady says that she has been blogging for six years, but you can definitely make $1,000+ per month after a few months or the best part of a year.

Yes, you will get frustrated at the learning curve, BUT you have:

  • Complete control of your business blog.
  • You work on it only when you feel like it.
  • You don’t have to meet any deadlines.
  • You don’t have to answer to any clients.
  • The income potential is eye-watering (think $10K months)
  • The income can (and should be) passive income!

And let’s face it, you’re likely to have to learn something new anyway to start a home-business, and blogging is a great business model to learn-on-the-go.

Plus, there are many great Facebook groups specifically for bloggers where the members genuinely want to help each other.

If you feel that you would love to give blogging a try as an online business so you can semi retire and earn passive income, then listen to what Lauren of Create&Go has to say on Blogging as a business.

► Launch Your Own Blogging Business to $1,000+ Per Month

#2 Create & Sell an eBook

A Passive Income Business Model

Have you heard the phrase ‘everyone has a book in them’? Well, I think that this is absolutely true.

I never, ever, thought that I would have written over 12 books since 2007!

I very much doubt that I would be able to write a fiction novel, but I know how to write ‘how to’ books.

My ‘how to’ books:

You definitely know something that other people don’t, and this is how you write a ‘how to’ book.

You basically solve a problem for other people, and they are willing to pay for it.

Passive Income

You create passive income with your ebook as you would set it up with on an automated shopping cart and digital delivery platform.

Note: You don’t have to have a website to sell your ebook from, there are plenty of other ways to showcase your ebook.

Once your ebook is created, it’s just a case of promoting and marketing it – which is a whole subject in itself.

My friend Ana of The She Approach blog has created an amazing course called ‘eBook Bestseller Bootcamp‘.

Ana’s course shows you how to find an ebook topic, create and write your ebook and how to market your ebook to make $2,000 per month in passive income.

► Go here to learn more about Ana’s eBook Bestseller Bootcamp.

#3 Amazon Self Publishing

A Passive Income Business Model

Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) is a fantastic way for anyone to self-publish a book, whether that be ‘how to’ books or fiction.

This is very similar to creating an ebook, but in this case, you write your book in Word or a Google Doc and then format it for Kindle and Paperback.

Ana has a whole section in her eBook Bestseller Bootcamp course about creating ebooks specifically for Amazon Kindle.

► Go here to learn more about Ana’s eBook Bestseller Bootcamp.

Please note that Ana’s course shows you how to format your book for Kindle, but not for paperback. However, there are plenty of YouTube videos showing you how to format your book for KDP paperback.

#4 Proofreading

A Freelance Service-Provider Business Model

Proofreading is a very popular freelancing choice for women in their mid-life years.

How To Start a Freelance Proofreading Business

The reason is that they:

  • Have plenty of reading & writing experience.
  • Can do this from home.
  • Can do this part-time.
  • Can fit proofreading around other commitments.
  • Can do this sitting on the couch with menopause symptoms.
  • Like the high-end hourly rate of pay!

Again just like freelance writing, you don’t need a degree or any formal training to become a freelance proofreader.

However, you obviously do need excellent English, spelling and grammar.

I’ve written a blog post on how to become a freelance proofreader with no experience, which will give you more of an idea of what it entails.

You can also watch this free workshop by Caitlin Pyle of Proofread Anywhere who runs her own very successful freelance proofreading business.

► Free Proofreading Workshop by Caitlin

#5 Freelance Writing

A Freelance Service-Provider Business Model

If you have a good command of the English language and are good at spelling and grammar, then seriously consider becoming a freelance writer.

And no, you definitely don’t need any formal training or qualifications.

The demand for online freelance writers is enormous – especially in the blogging sphere. I frequently pop into a couple of blogging Facebook groups, and there’s always someone in there asking for recommendations to hire a freelance writer to help them write their blog posts.

But of course, there are also many other niches for freelance writers such as online magazine article writing, copywriting, ghostwriting etc.

Elain Cain is a very successful freelance writer and she also runs a couple of her own blogs. She has also created an online course showing how absolute beginners can earn a full-time income from freelance writing from home.

Check out her free freelance writing email course to see if this will be a good fit for you…

► Free Freelance Writing Email Course

#6 Dog Walking / Pet Related

A Freelance Service-Provider Business Model

This is a great offline home-based business that helps keep you active and fit in your semi retirement, plus you also have the wonderful company of dogs!

Retire Early

Dog walkers are becoming more and more popular as most people who work full-time and wouldn’t get a dog before, can now do so because of the popularity of dog walkers.

So if you love dogs, and love to go walking outdoors (in all weather), then why not consider becoming a dog walker?

► How To Start a Dog Walking Business

Creating & Selling Dog Treats

A Hand-Made Goods Business Model

This is a fun, quirky, and unusual home business idea.

Creating and selling dog treats is not offering a service in exchange for money, it is more of an e-commerce business model.

So what you do here is literally:

  • Make / cook dog treats in your kitchen.
  • Package them up ready to sell.
  • Sell them online or at local fares etc.

You can easily make an extra $1,000 per month part-time from making and selling dog treats.

► Learn How To Start a Treat Business from Your Kitchen

#7 Use Your Hobby Skills

You might not realize, but you can start a small business from home simply by using your hobby, skills and experiences as a service.

For example, can you do…

  • Sewing Alternations
  • Cake Decorating
  • Bookkeeping
  • Tutoring
  • Coaching

This list can go on and on, but I’m sure you get my point.

Even if you don’t feel as if you have any skills or hobbies to offer as a service, you can start a…

etc..

So what I’m trying to say is that you can start a home-based business no matter what your age, skills, experience, knowledge or current lifestyle situation is.

What Next?

If this post has inspired you to semi-retire early with a fun, profitable and stress-free home business, then why not take it one step further.

There are plenty more home business ideas to choose from if none of the above seven appeal to you.

Here are some other ‘home business ideas’ blog posts :

You can also…

Good luck and I wish you all the best for your semi-retirement future!

Claire,