ON BUSINESS || When is The Right Time to Retire?

I recently attended a meeting of other female founders and entrepreneurs, and one of the women proudly announced that she would be retiring this fall.

Rather than pouncing on the woman and asking her why she would ever want to stop working and growing her business, the other ambitious leaders in attendance breathed a silent, collective sigh of relief. It was as if we had all been waiting for someone else to set an example that it’s okay to want to take it easy at some point. Retirement shouldn’t be a sad or depressing event, yet most people portray it that way, framing it as the end of a person’s illustrious career.

There is an opportunity to reframe our retirement mindset. Think of retirement as being free to pursue other things you are deeply passionate about. This elegant, inspiring woman who announced her retirement is excited about renovating her home, which, to most, would be quite the undertaking. Retiring doesn’t mean you’re doing nothing; in today’s world, it could mean exploring new opportunities that might become another fulfilling pursuit. In fact, more businesses than ever have founders who are over 50 at the helm.

Looking at the woman before us sharing her achievements from the past two decades, it was still tough to fathom why she would choose this time, when she’s portraying such confidence and ambition, to press the reset button. As the other attendees mulled over the discovery that retiring could be a happy and fulfilling event, one woman raised her hand. She shared what she recently learned about retirement from her children’s school teacher. The teacher said she would be looking to retire soon, and the woman then inquired when would be the right time for them. The teacher said, “Well, I’m not sure when that would be, but you want to leave before you want to leave.” It's such a short yet profound statement.

You should aspire to this: to leave before you want to go. If you wait until you no longer wish to be there, that would mean you no longer find any joy in the work or craft you are sharing with the world. Although retirement seems like it is still pretty far, it’s intriguing to learn how other women leaders are approaching this next phase in life. I am thankful that I have their wisdom to lean on and their experience to open my eyes and mind to the possible routes I could take. Retirement isn’t the end; it’s a new beginning.