Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Tobias Vogt von Heselholt, Founder of My Retirement Doc, located in Hampton Cove, AL, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

My name is Dr. Tobias Vogt von Heselholt, and I’m the founder of My Retirement Doc, an online business that helps people better understand, plan for, and retire healthy. My Retirement Doc isn’t a financial planning business as one might expect. Yes, there’s a roadmap to help you establish a solid financial foundation and plan for the future, but enjoying life, staying healthy, and successfully transitioning into retirement are what we love to talk about.

We like to say we provide information and inspiration for a brighter future. My Retirement Doc discusses strategies to help everyone reach their retirement goals and, once they’re met, live life to the fullest. The basic delivery of information is through our website, where you’ll find finance, health, hobby, and travel blogs to explore. They’re great if you’re already retired, but if you’re still struggling to cobble together a financial plan, you can find a copy of our book, “How to Retire Healthy: Thoughts on Personal Finance,” on Amazon.

“How to Retire Healthy” is an informative, yet easy read. It’s designed as a conversation, not a boring personal finance book. Divided into the decades of life, the book starts by talking about financial expectations versus reality, the psychology of money, and goals before progressing step-by-step through each decade. Remember, personal finance isn’t hard, experts, lack of organization, and emotion just make it feel insurmountable.

We’re developing evergreen training to accompany the book. Short lessons and practical exercises designed to fit into hectic daily lives. During training, students are encouraged to read the book for content, take pre-recorded lessons, and complete a personal retirement plan that includes items such as budget, net worth, and retirement needs estimates.

My Retirement Doc also offers retirement coaching. These one-on-one sessions are tailored to the client and designed to assist them with improving the retirement-related life goals they identify. Coaching isn’t a quick fix or substitute for advice from licensed professionals in fields such as law, finance, medicine, nutrition, physical therapy, or mental health. My Retirement Doc coaches concentrate on information and inspiration to assist clients, but ultimately, the client is responsible for creating their own results.

Tell us about yourself

I’ve always been passionate about living life on my own terms. To do that, you need to be financially independent. I come from a family of small business owners, but I took a different path. I spent 28 years in the United States Army. It’s fine, I enjoyed my time in the service, did a lot of interesting things, and it allowed me to reach my retirement goal by age 46. This isn’t just because of the pension. The vast majority of military retirees can’t afford to fully retire when they leave the service.

From the very start, I didn’t want to have to work for anyone when I left the military. So, I formulated a plan, sought out mentors, and made myself indispensable through performance, experience, and education. The other thing I did was save money. Sure, I made money mistakes along the way, but when you start early, live off a fraction of your salary, and invest the surplus, even a public servant can afford to retire early.

I like to believe that everyone can follow a similar path to living life on their own terms if they seek out knowledge, set goals, and work to achieve those goals. My Retirement Doc combines this belief with my innate calling to coach, teach and mentor. As a result, I enjoy what I do.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Figuring out web-based business models. I didn’t have any idea about the internet, websites, search engine optimization, digital marketing, etc. But after a couple of years of research, combined with trial and error, I’m beginning to feel comfortable in this space.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

Commitment. If you want to be a successful business owner, you have to be committed to what you’re doing. You have to be willing to wear multiple hats, work long hours, overcome setbacks, and in the end, will your business to succeed. For someone that was happily retired before COVID came around, I have to remind myself from time to time why I’m spending so much time developing content and running a small business.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Don’t be afraid of the unknown.
  2. Find your niche.
  3. Never quit.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Thanks for reading about My Retirement Doc today. If you’d like to learn more about retiring healthy, please visit our website.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://myretirementdoc.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MyRetirementDoc
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myretirementdoc/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/myretirementdoc
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/heselholt-group/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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