Zara Shirwan

At 69, and after five years of retirement, Ron Woodham may not seem to be the likeliest character to start up a successful new business. However, Ron joins a new breed of mature entrepreneur taking advantage of the internet - where age is no barrier and experience is a bonus. Forget silver surfing, the platinum players are a force to be reckoned with in business.

Ron had successfully run various companies and, after he retired, didn't fancy the prospect of sitting in an armchair twiddling his thumbs all day. Knowing that money could be made on-line, eight months ago he decided to go it alone and start up a business on his own (rather than continuing to be a 'pawn' and dependent upon a third party) and he has never looked back.

So why go through the stresses and strains of starting up your own business instead of enjoying your retirement after more than fifty years in the world of work?

Ron is clear about the benefits, and keen to communicate them to all who listen.

"My wife and I have a joint income of from state pensions, as well as two private pensions. However, in the years since I have been retired our bills have risen by 25% and our pensions have risen by 2%. If you do the maths, we're a lot worse off now than we were a few years ago - and, where we used to go abroad two or three times a year, we find ourselves struggling to afford even one holiday a year, to see our son and his family in Spain."

Faced with mounting financial pressure and limited employment opportunities for those in their late 60s, Ron turned to the internet.

"I'd spent a lot of my working life in sales, training and finance - not counting the twenty three years in the Navy. After leaving the forces, one of the things I did was to set up a kitchen retail business in my garage and built it up into a small but successful franchise which I later sold on. No one is going to employ you at 69 and the prospect of stacking shelves or packing bags for a few pounds a week was frankly insulting. I knew I had the skills to make money, and I needed to find a way to make my business fit in with my aims and lifestyle. I have set out to make money, but I'm retired - I didn't want to become a slave to industry. An internet business seemed the ideal opportunity."

Ron's business idea came from the very first stages of his on-line investigations. He came across a distinct lack of simple, clear, non-technical information about how to construct a website, create your own business and promote it. He had tried the usual introductory guides but found them too technical and jargon laden. He was looking for a guide for 'real' beginners, the sort of instructions that say 'move the mouse to this area of the screen and click here'

Seizing the gap in the market, Ron created his own guide. He put together a low key package detailing the basics of web technology, aimed at absolute beginners. And he set up his own website selling his product; http://www.ron-woodham.com/ (now http://www.wizcomarketing.com)

Only four months passed between the initial ideas to the first sale.

Ron's been running his business for four months and is steadily making a few sales a week. He's bringing in £4-600 a month and puts in an average of four hours work a day at his convenience. Working on plans to promote his product, he is anticipating an increased income of around £1-2,000 a month or more once it's all up and running, putting in no more than two hours work a day.

"I don't want to spend every day at the computer; I just want a comfortable life. I've always loved helping people and using my brain. The internet gives me the freedom to utilise the experience I've build up over the years, and make some money. An internet business is the perfect vehicle for me. My friends (who are also in their 60s and 70s) have seen what I'm doing and, not surprisingly, want to get in on the act."

"I'd had my fingers burned with internet ventures before and wanted to be sure not to make the same mistakes again when starting up my own business. A friend of mine recommended a website called Nick-James.com, which is an online business support club for people in the UK.
Its run by Nick James, who's an entrepreneur himself - he used to work as a car park attendant before starting up his own successful internet based business, so he is really qualified to give advice. I called Nick up before I joined to sound him out, and he was very helpful and informative. The site is full of articles, tips and tricks of the trade, as well as an active member's forum where people swap ideas and help each other out. It has a real community feel, and my business would be far poorer without the help and support I've gained from the site - and especially from Nick."

Ron's story is not unique. In Nick's forum alone there are many other platinum players busily creating their own businesses and swapping helpful hints.

Ron's tips, on what to do and what to avoid include:

• The internet takes a lot of the everyday stresses out of business, but remember, it is still a 'real world' proposition and needs to be taken as seriously as any other business
• Don't think you can't do it because it is too difficult. It is not
• Don't expect overnight success. You need to create your plan and work it and success will come
• Stay well away from information overload. Join an online business support club like Nick-James.com -- to pick up tips, tools and swap frustrations and successes with similar minded people!
• Don't force your product onto people -- and, if someone is pushing their product onto you, be wary
• Do your research. Avoid scams and 'get rich' schemes. I've tried them, and lost money on them. They are usually run by characters who end up disappearing off to southern Spain with millions of pounds of other peoples money