Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal and business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Colleen Madsen, Founder of The Experience Group, located in Sherwood Park, AB, Canada.

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

The only Canadian firm grounded in experience and focused on brokering talent for those in their prime years. In an era where generational work displacement is rampant, we promise to change the current narrative and give people options. The Experience Group focuses on helping the 50-plus workforce re-hire rather than retire; through this process, we create a legacy. We help people who aren't ready to retire and find meaningful work through our Silver Seals program — whether a job, a board position, or perhaps finally launching their own business.

Using our Age Smart Employer Program, we serve organizations and help them find new ways to manage their aging workforce retaining the wisdom and knowledge that got them to where they are today. Our partner program provides a powerful value add to Financial Planners by offering their clients the tools they need to manage the non-financial side of retirement and thrive. At The Experience Group, we consider ourselves "retirement" activists here to challenge the status quo. This is a movement. This is change. Welcome to The Experience Group.

Tell us about yourself

I've always had an instinct within me to help others. Throughout my extensive career as a business strategist, trainer, and high-performance coach, I've delivered results by challenging my clients to dig deep and find the excellence that I believe exists within all of us. The mature worker is adaptable, hard-working, and has careers that have spanned decades, witnessing and adjusting to significant societal shifts. I have been a witness to friends and colleagues approaching 65, who were expected to leave the workforce and resign themselves to a life devoid of real purpose. People like me, who wanted to continue to contribute, were being pushed out, passed over, and dismissed. I'm on a mission to help older workers "unretire." Retirement isn't a destination. It's a transition. Life doesn't end in our 60s, and neither does our drive. It's never too late to keep going.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

As I look back on my career, I am grateful for the experiences I have had and the people I have had the pleasure of working with. I've started, built, and sold a highly successful Sales Training company, and I thought that was my biggest accomplishment until now. From personal experience and frustration to an idea on a single piece of paper to a blog that I never posted, to the creation of The Experience Group is without question the work I am most proud of and the most meaningful to the community I serve and me. Perhaps the last 40 years of deliberate practice in my craft and a commitment to life-long learning were meant to lead me here.

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

I think the answer can be very different depending on where your business is in its "life cycle." For startups, the biggest challenge is often cash flow that can only be increased through some form of "sales" effort. And "sales" is the last thing most want to do - in fact, this critical factor is rarely part of most business plans - marketing and sales are NOT the same things. My advice - get yourself a sales coach.

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

  1. Don't try and do everything alone - even though you may not have the funds to "hire" staff, surround yourself with people who can help.
  2. Hire an "assistant" as quickly as you can - the investment will come back to you 10X.
  3. Just when you feel you are about to quit or give up - take one more step, make one more call, and talk to one more person - success is usually only one step away.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.theexperiencegroup.ca/
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3k2Jour

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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