You may not be familiar with the term right now, but you soon will be. Olderpreneurs, Third Age business people, are on the increase.

The Over 50s currently comprise the UK’s largest growing demographic. And whether by design or out of necessity, more and more Third Agers are becoming Olderpreneurs.

Amongst the worst affected by the recent recession are the Over 50s. Abandoned by a self-serving government, penalized by banks and squeezed by pension funds, those of us in our Third Age who have worked and saved all our lives are now on the end of the sharp stick of ageism. Third Agers are not only losing their jobs in greater numbers than ever, they’re also the least likely to find work again. Ever!

But we do have a choice. Two choices actually. We can stand together and fight, and we’re hoping more people will Join ThirdAge.co.uk and help us do just that, or we can do what an increasing number of Third Agers are doing and become Olderpreneurs.

Despite the usual government rhetoric, nothing is going to change for those of us in our 50s and older unless we make it happen. And we can. In the future – and the future is now – more and more Third Agers, unable to find meaningful jobs if any jobs at all, will have little choice but to consider self-employment or setting up their own small businesses. And it’s happening as we speak. Third Agers are becoming Olderpreneurs in ever greater numbers, using savings or redundancy money to set up their own small business to provide for their future.

What we can do as fellow Third Agers is support them. If you know of a Third Ager who has set up in business, give them your custom rather than giving it to someone else. Make a point of it.

Use our Classifieds if you’re looking for a gardener or a handyman. We hope to be adding more and more features on fellow Third Agers who have become Olderpreneurs. Support them too. If we in our Third Age support one another we can truly make a difference. And let’s face it, who’s going to look after us if we don’t help ourselves and each other!