So, I’ve managed to achieve much of what I set out to do in 2026.
I’m stepping away from my main source of income, my business advisory service, in a structured way. I’m no longer taking on new clients, although I’ll continue working with existing clients on projects already underway.
At the same time, I’m finally pursuing a dream that has been festering for around 40 years.
It started in childhood, when I imagined becoming an investigative or sports journalist. As the years passed, the world changed. I discovered blogs, watched social media develop and increasingly found myself thinking, That should be me.
But thinking about something and actually doing it are two very different things.
Eventually, I decided to stop thinking about it and start building Ropho.
I didn’t begin with a particularly clear plan. I had an idea of what I wanted to create: a magazine-style publication about business and pleasure after 60, drawing on experience, real conversations and the things that matter to us as we get older.
What I didn’t have was a proper road-map for turning that idea into a sustainable publishing platform.
That is beginning to change. I’ve spent the past few months developing Ropho’s identity, building its content, creating products and working out how I want it to grow. I now have a much clearer vision of where I’d like to take it, although there’s still plenty to work out.
Which brings me to this week’s Business After 60 conversation.
How Do You Turn a Business Dream into Reality?
How do you decide what you want to achieve, work out what needs to happen, and turn your ambitions into a practical plan?
I’m going to use Ropho as my own case study. Not because I’ve got all the answers, but because I’m in the middle of doing exactly that myself.
So, How Am I Going to Do This?
My business-me knows the theory.
Set SMART goals, develop an action plan, allocate resources and regularly review progress.
But I’ve spent enough years working with business owners to know that you don’t start by blindly applying a framework.
You start by asking questions. Then you ask some more. And just when you think you’ve got the answers, you ask a few more.
Because before setting goals, you need to understand where you are, what you want to achieve and what resources you’ll need to get there.
So, let’s get to it.
I’ve started by working through my own over-60 checklist. I’ve got a much clearer idea of what I want Ropho to become, and I know roughly how much time I want to devote to developing it.
I’ve even got a figure in my head for how much money I’m prepared to invest in Ropho during 2027.
But that raises an obvious question.
Is it enough to achieve what I want, or am I about to spend money I don’t need to spend?
I don’t know yet. And that’s precisely why I need a plan.
Where Does Ropho Stand Today?
Ropho first appeared online on 6 December 2025. Those early weeks were a little inconsistent as I worked out exactly what I wanted to create and how I wanted to approach it.
From 16 January 2026, I began publishing consistently, usually two or three conversations a week. Since then, I’ve built a growing library of content, developed my first products and established the foundations of what I want Ropho to become.
More recently, I’ve reached another important turning point. I’m winding down my business advisory service, completing projects already underway with existing clients and preparing to devote around 80% of my working energy to Ropho.
That changes things. Ropho is no longer simply a project I’m developing alongside my established business. It’s becoming my main focus, and I need to decide how I’m going to develop it into a sustainable publishing platform without creating another demanding job for myself.
- 114 published articles and conversations. A growing library covering business, money, health and fitness, travel and lifestyle after 60.
- Three published products. A further 15 are ready to publish, with another 15 at various stages of development.
- An editorial foundation. Ropho’s Editorial & Brand Standards v1.0 has been in place for three months, providing a framework for the next 12 months.
- Pinterest. Five boards covering the subjects at the heart of Ropho.
- Facebook. A business page, although I’m refining how I use Facebook to build engagement and community.
- LinkedIn. My personal profile is in place as I prepare to develop the business side of Ropho.
That’s quite a lot to have built in less than a year.
But here’s the important distinction: these are measures of what I’ve done, not proof that I’ve built a sustainable publishing business.
I’ve created content, developed products and established the foundations. Now I need to work out how to bring those elements together and make them work.
And that brings me to the questions I need to answer before I start setting my goals.
Can I Develop Ropho on My Own?
It’s tempting to think that I can. After all, I’ve spent much of my working life running projects, solving problems and getting things done.
But Ropho is developing into something that requires several different skills.
There’s the editorial side: researching subjects, developing conversations and maintaining a consistent voice.
There’s the technical side: looking after the website, keeping everything working and dealing with the inevitable technical headaches.
There’s marketing: developing Pinterest, building the right audience, using LinkedIn and finding ways to help people discover Ropho’s products.
And there’s product development, which is another job in itself.
So what makes sense?
Should I appoint an assistant to help organise the workload? Pay someone to look after website maintenance? Bring in writers or researchers? Use AI more extensively? Or keep doing most of it myself and accept that progress will be slower?
Perhaps the answer is a combination of these approaches.
But I need to understand the costs, the benefits and the amount of time each option would save before making those decisions.
How much time do I really want to commit?
This is another question I’ve already started thinking about.
I don’t want to build a new business only to discover that I’ve created another demanding job for myself.
I know roughly how many hours a week I’m prepared to devote to Ropho. The challenge is making those hours count.
If I’m spending a morning fixing a website problem that somebody else could resolve quickly, am I using my time wisely?
If I use AI to help with research or structure, does it genuinely make me more productive, or am I creating more work checking and correcting the output?
And if I can publish another ten articles, is that necessarily a better use of my time than getting the right products in front of potential customers?
These are the sorts of questions I need to answer before deciding what my working week should look like.
Because time, like money, is a finite resource.
Setting SMART Goals and Building an Action Plan
I haven’t abandoned SMART goals. Far from it.
But I don’t want to start by writing down a list of targets simply because a business planning framework tells me to.
I want to understand what I’m trying to achieve, what it will take to get there, what I can realistically do myself and where I might need help.
Only then can I set meaningful targets and develop an action plan.
That’s the work I need to do now with Ropho.
Developing a Business After 60: Join the Conversation
So that’s where I am with Ropho. I’ve got a vision, I’ve made a start and now I’m working through the questions I need to answer before deciding exactly where to go next.
Perhaps you’re in a similar position.
Maybe you’ve got a hobby or interest you’d love to turn into a small business. Perhaps you’ve already got a business and want to develop it, make it more efficient or simply find a better way of running it.
Whatever your situation, the principles are much the same.
What are you trying to achieve?
What questions do you need to ask?
And, just as importantly, how do you find the answers and separate genuinely useful advice from all the noise and nonsense out there?
That’s what I’m working on with Ropho, and over the coming weeks I’ll share how I approach it, what I discover and what I learn along the way.
Why not join me?
I’d be interested to hear what you’re working on, the questions you’re wrestling with and how you go about finding answers.
After all, having a good idea is a start. Turning it into something worthwhile is where the real conversation begins.
Frequently Asked Questions About Developing a Business After 60
Can you start a business after 60?
Yes. Starting a business after 60 can be an opportunity to put years of experience, knowledge and personal interests to work. The key is to identify what you want to achieve, understand the resources available to you and develop a realistic plan.
How do you develop a business after 60?
Begin by defining your objectives and assessing your current position. Consider the time, money, skills and support available to you before setting measurable goals and creating an action plan. Review your progress regularly and adjust your approach as you learn.
Should you set SMART goals when starting a business?
SMART goals can help turn ambitions into specific, measurable and achievable targets. However, it is useful to establish what you want to accomplish, what resources you need and what obstacles you may face before deciding which targets make sense.
How do you turn a hobby into a business after 60?
Start by identifying who might pay for your product or service and what problem it solves. Test demand on a small scale, calculate the costs involved and decide how much time and money you are willing to invest before committing to a larger venture.
Do you need help when developing a small business?
Not necessarily, but you should assess where your time and skills are most valuable. Outsourcing technical work, using suitable AI tools or bringing in specialist help may free you to concentrate on the activities that contribute most to your business.
Related Reading-Time Management for Small Business Owners: The 6-Hour Rule
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