They say there’s no age limit to pursuing your dreams, but watching my 62-year-old father launch a business after retirement has given new meaning to this adage. Most days, you’ll find him at his shop or on the road, radiating an energy I’ve never seen in him before. His story isn’t just about starting a business—it’s about breaking free from a lifetime of self-imposed limitations.
Growing Up with Fear
My father and his siblings grew up in a tough environment. Though my grandparents cared for them, they were always scared of taking risks. This fear came from difficult times they faced and from relatives who set bad examples. Even though both my grandparents had government jobs, money was always tight. Because of this, my father never got the chance to follow his own dreams. Instead, he was given “safe” choices, all based on avoiding failure.
Fear driven mind is closed to change. It cannot anticipate any good opportunity and always worries about next failure.
Early Work Life
In his mid-20s, my father started working at a neighbor’s lottery counting business. He had just finished his first year of studying Economics but decided to drop out. This upset my grandparents – they wanted him to finish studying and get a “proper” job.
My grandfather tried to help by asking his colleagues for job references. He got my father a job at a milk plant, working 9-5. But my father kept working at the lottery business after his day job. He was good at his work and very honest, which made the lottery business owners respect him. They’re still family friends today.
Career
He had cleared bank’s clerk exam and got married to my mother in 1989. Soon after he joined the bank. Even after having a full time job, he would go to lottery business in any time he could spare. This continued till he got posted a distance from home and had to travel quite a bit.
My mother was a homemaker for a couple of years after marriage and had me in 1991. She had completed her Bachelor’s in Art and Trained graduate training before marriage and was looking for a job. My grandparent’s told her that she can work if she get a government teaching job and exactly what she had got after 4 years of marriage.
My parent’s moved out of my gp’s home and started a new life in Panchkula. Now my father had a simple routine as compared to previously, He would go to office, and help my mother after he was back home. Until then, he was always under his parent’s shadow and aligned with their decision but now for the first time in his life he was independent. With help from grandparent’s, my parents build a new home where we live till date.
My father has inherited to think with a fearful mind.
He was contented with his job and lifestyle. He never thought of taking a next step in his career because he feared being transferred to a different location(The same fear that my grandfather had and due to which he never got promoted). My mother tried all her means to convince my father but he did not consider it till 2010. Some of his colleagues took the exams and got promoted but he would only see their transfer and neglect the perks of being an officer. In short he was not ready for the risk associated. He finally cracked the exam in 2012 after 21 years in the service.
He was correct, He got transferred but to the location of his own choice. He does not hot weather and thrives in cooler regions like hill stations. He has lived all his life in plains, and within close proximity of civilization whereas this new location was remote and far from hustle bustle of the city. Very soon he got home sick and bored of living alone in the remote hills where there would no one around him after his work day was over.
Somehow, he managed to live their 7 years before his bank got merged to a bigger central bank. This was not good news for the employees as the bigger bank was biased to their original employees and transferred all others to further distant remote locations. They would keep absurd requirements from the new acquihires. He tried to meet these expectations for first two years and then took the volunteer retirement.
Both my mother and I were of opinion that he should talk to the management to give location close to home so that he can attend his elderly parents.
My father is diabetic since his late 30’s, and the work stress made it worse. He had used oral pills to maintain the blood sugar levels but now had to administer Insulin injections to control the glucose levels. Keeping his health in mind, we thought to support him in this decision.
Early retirement
After retiring, he tried some local jobs to stay busy. During Covid lockdown, he spent time losing weight and watching videos about making paper cups and plates.
He gets excited to spare business idea just like I get excited about technology. I would sway him from all this by reminding him why he took the volunteer retirement.
The business
I moved back to Bengaluru after pandemic got over and my father started exploring ideas. He began by talking to local tea and juice shops about what paper items they need. He would buy these items from manufacturers and supply them to shops, making a small profit. He started from home, but as business grew, we asked him to rent a shop.
A New Person
I see a different man now. He works hard every day because he loves what he’s doing. The same person who used to avoid summer heat now works through hot afternoons. He keeps adding new items to sell based on what customers want. He’s even taken a loan using his pension as security – something the old him would never do. The shop makes enough money to cover its rent and running costs.
Do I support him?
At first, I doubted if he could run a business at his age. I wanted him to relax at home. But I was wrong. Like me, he needs to keep his mind busy with new challenges.
I support him fully now. I want him to succeed in what makes him happy. More importantly, I want him to feel satisfied knowing he tried something new. We can’t know if we’ll succeed or fail in business, but having the curiosity to try new things is what makes life interesting. I might not have his energy when I’m 60, but I’m proud that my father does.
