Sharon and John Ware, 54 and 61
Old career: Computer analyst (Sharon) and national product specialist (John) at Graybar Electric
New venture: eBay business consulting
When the Wares retired from Graybar, they figured they had enough money to spend their golden years in comfort. But after the couple moved to Florida to care for John's elderly father, their six-figure nest egg shrank. When John started selling his die-cast fire engine collection on eBay, they took a course at a local community college to learn more about selling items online. Today they are eBay certified business consultants—there are only 28 worldwide—and education specialists (dandelionconsulting.com), charging clients $100 per hour to teach and consult on all aspects of eBay, including listing, search engine optimization, pricing, and photography. "It is a privilege to be able to make a positive difference to a lot of people who are turning to eBay and other online platforms to supplement incomes and start new businesses in this struggling economy," Sharon says.
