engleski

Once an entrepreneur – always an entrepreneur? Post-exit interests of retired entrepreneurs

In recent decades, the elderly has an increasing share in the age structure of the population, and the implications of population aging are visible in all aspects of society. A higher proportion of elderly population is accompanied by an increase in the number of people who spend a longer period of their lives as retirees, which affects the social redefinition of the concept of retirement. Retirement of entrepreneurs is a particularly important topic, since the decision on retirement of entrepreneurs reflects on the sustainability of the company, which has a broader social role. The biggest challenges related to the retirement of entrepreneurs are those of psychological nature whose causes are found in their almost exclusive focus on the business aspect of life, and the lack of development of other interests and contacts outside the business community during the active working period. After retirement, entrepreneurs strive for activities that enable retention of existing patterns of behaviour and continuity in the development of relationships within the same social groups. The paper presents an example of an association of retired entrepreneurs in the Netherlands, which accomplishes two important goals through its mentoring programme: enables social inclusion of retired entrepreneurs and enables younger entrepreneurs to successfully overcome business challenges with the mentoring support of retired entrepreneurs. Modelled on the example of good practice from the Netherlands, in early 2020, an association of retired entrepreneurs was launched in Croatia. The topic of retirement of entrepreneurs and sustainability of their business ventures is especially important for Croatia because of the large wave of expected retirements of entrepreneurs who founded companies in the 1990s, after Croatia’s transition to a market economy. This paper presents the results of a qualitative research conducted among retired entrepreneurs in Croatia, who are interested in volunteering as mentors to younger entrepreneurs. The concluding part of the paper points out the need to provide support to the development of programmes that enable social inclusion of retired entrepreneurs, with the application of their knowledge and experience in encouraging the development of entrepreneurship.

retired entrepreneurs, exit strategy, psychological barriers, business transfer, mentorship

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