Hi I’m Steve

ROPHO is about making the most of life after 60, without slowing down, dumbing things down, or pretending work and pleasure can’t coexist.

Whether you’re still building a business, thinking about what comes next, or simply want to stay strong, curious and engaged, ROPHO brings together practical business insight, realistic health and fitness guidance, and lifestyle inspiration for an active later life.

Now approaching 64 years young I wanted to change direction, not slow down or retire but embark on something I’ve always wanted to do. 

When I was young, I wanted to be an investigative journalist or the editor of Shoot magazine. 

So, I am now at this point in my sixties deciding that I won’t put off what has been building in the back of my mind for years. 

A conversation I recently had with one of my clients pushed me over the edge, we were discussing the success in the restructuring and marketing of his company and the above expected profits, he said it’s a shame you only deal with a couple of clients at a time why don’t you create an online coaching/consultancy business. 

It sounded like a good idea however; I am not a business guru who promises miracles in scaling businesses offering quick solutions. 

I started a business consultancy by accident; I had been involved in many businesses at all levels from sales representative to management for manufacturing and automation companies, I also ran my own industrial and commercial electrical contracting business and now as a freelance business advisor. 

I have had success and failures mainly in Business to Business (B2B) roles and as someone now in their later years have racked up a lot of experience.

 

I only usually work from referrals and offer a very discreet service mainly with companies who have up to 50 employees. 

I work with a close network of associates including, accountants, web designers, finance brokers etc, we tend to operate mainly in the manufacturing and construction sectors, consequently most clients work in the Business-to-Business markets. 

Business can be hard and often there is no one single magical ingredient that can suddenly make businesses fly. 

 However hard work and following tried and tested business practices will put you and your business in a good position to succeed. 

So, coming back to what I want to do next. 

Back in 2019 I suffered from an acute heart issue where without any warning I would collapse and although it was frightening at the time (I was advising a glazing company at the time and my first collapse could have been catastrophic if it had happened in the processing plant not the sales office as it did). 

Unfortunately, the condition persisted resulting in being unable to venture outside the house or drive. 

Work dried up, after many tests, scans, all sorts of medication and consultations, it was eventually decided that I needed a pacemaker. 

Now the story changes I had over 6 months of uncertainty, scared to move I started to develop a relationship with the fridge, tv and most importantly the sofa. 

This presented a number of problems because I was supposed to be my wife’s carer, she was recovering from major bowel surgery and we had recently moved to a bungalow as she was unable to walk upstairs or any distance. 

Remarkably I was the last scheduled recipient of a pacemaker at Barnet hospital before the now famous lock down. 

March 2020 weight ballooning loads of reasons not to do anything, this continued until end of 2022 when reality took hold, my health was getting worse. I was over 16 stone, I smoked, I was diagnosed as pre diabetic. Doctor said due to inactivity sarcopenia was accelerating, on top of this I was struggling mentally because my wife was also still struggling with her bowel issues and mobility. 

Time for wakeup call. 

I tried going to the gym, decided that at that moment it wasn’t for me, just walking was a struggle even our little dog Poppy was suffering due to my lack of motivation and movement.

 

Something my heart consultant said hit a nerve, and that’s when my recovery started, I started exercising walking slowly with poppy at first and gradually increasing my step count. 

I had some small dumbbells in the shed, I started to use these, using YouTube videos, my wife then bought me a set of bands and accessories which helped change my life. 

I could workout at home without any pressure I felt at the gym. I work out with resistant bands and dumbbells 3-4 times a week dependent on time and my energy levels. 

This really worked for me and my wife, and our lives have improved immensely, walking together, lovely holidays things are very good. 

So as I had stated earlier, I started my business consultancy by accident, when my wife was ill, I had to change career tact as she required a high level of care, I couldn’t provide this travelling and working the long hours I was doing at that time. 

I needed to do something that I could do working from home, or work part time locally, that’s when a friend of a friend put me in touch with the glass processing company that had newly launched but were struggling for customers because while they were experts at glass they in their words didnt know how to run a business. 

They do now, we started from scratch put systems and procedures in place, including, processing, sales and marketing etc. Luckily, this all happened before my heart issues, in fact we were celebrating their success when I had my first episode. 

So, moving forward I have continued very successfully offering proven no nonsense business advice, however I need a new challenge and would like to help people in my age group enjoy life as much as possible. 

If I could offer just a small bit of inspiration that would be fantastic. 

My remaining life aim is not necessarily to prolong my life but to enjoy it as much as I can, having a good quality of life, being active, having fun and making new memories to add to the many great ones I already have.  

I concluded that I could create a blog/website/ business combining my business and researching skills with my dream of writing, creating a website that will inform, inspire and hopefully entertain. 

I don’t want the content to be preachy, and the blog will mostly be my opinion and if you have a different opinion (how dare you) I would love to hear it. 

My health and fitness section is just researched information from reliable sources readily available online. BHF (British Heart Foundation, NHS). 

My business section is information I have used over my 40+ career, it is not meant as a bible of how you should run a business, as there are many types of businesses and many types of owners/directors who all see success and failures differently. 

I hope my blog will encourage people who have faced or are facing different daily challenges, whether it be health (physical or mental) to be positive and reflect on our successes and how lucky we are, share their experiences and help with advice and suggestions and engage in conversations.