"Sadly, there are still certain stereotypes about what people over a certain age should be doing." – Dr Isabella Moore

When it comes to blazing a trail in business, Dr Isabella Moore CBE has learned a thing or two along the way.

Indeed, far from planning for retirement, the 77-year-old grandmother from Leamington has become a leading advocate for entrepreneurialism and is getting set to unveil her new Later Creator e-learning modules as part of a launch event this month.

The training programme is designed specifically to unlock the entrepreneurial potential of people over the age of 50 and is the culmination of Dr Moore's academic insight, lived experience and extensive consultation with experts in government, enterprise, health and education.

On 11 September Later Creator will be launched at an event when specially invited guests will hear from a panel of experts from the worlds of business, education and politics, brought together for the first time in a bid to widen the conversation around the subject of supporting business goals in later life. 

Topics include:

· Motivations behind later-life entrepreneurship

· The need to challenge ageist attitudes

· Common barriers (access to finance, digital skills, self-confidence, ageism).

· The role of support organisations in enabling older entrepreneurs

· What needs to change in government policy

· Investor perceptions of older entrepreneurs

The Later Creator training programme offers three levels of expert support to help plan and kickstart a new business - from online and app-based learning to a full in-person training and mentoring programme, the focus of which is on building emotional support and soft skills that help lay the groundwork for developing the practical skills required to launch a sustainable business.

Receiving an Honorary Doctorate from Sheffield Hallam University in 2002. She also received an Honorary Doctorate from Aston University in 2005 (image supplied)

Dr Moore's resume makes for impressive reading. As well as being the founding director of Comtec Translations in Leamington - a company she sold and then bought back with her daughter at the age of 60 - her accomplishments include CEO of The National Centre for Languages, Vice President of Business for New Europe and Vice President of Eurochambres.

She was awarded a CBE for services to Commerce in 2003. Her work in the language services and in supporting women's enterprise has also been recognised with Honorary Doctorates from Sheffield Hallam and Aston Universities as well as a National Award for Outstanding Contribution to Women's Enterprise development in 2006.

But among her proudest achievements is becoming the first female president of both the Coventry and Warwickshire and British Chambers of Commerce in 1999 and 2002 respectively, plus chairing a panel to choose the first women's Business Council in 2005.

She said: "I've been a supporter of entrepreneurship from the beginning, when I first became involved with the Chambers of Commerce and really started to understand the specific issues that small businesses experience, especially in relation to government policies that impact them.

"In relation to support for older people considering the option of setting up a business, there's very little help. 

"At 60, when my daughter and I bought back COMTEC, I began to realise that the issues you experience at this age when running a business are a lot different to those you experience in your 30s.

" I had a husband who had retired and wanted me to be at home. I had a mother who was in her 90s, who lived in Warsaw, so I had to go back and forward to keep an eye on her. And then my daughter Sophie got married and had children and she needed my help, as she was working in Comtec."

Dr Moore's PhD, explored gender differences in how and why people start businesses in later in life. Her investigations looked at motivation, societal norms and perceptions of older people, as well as the challenges of securing the necessary resources to start a business in later life.

Isabella receives an Honorary Fellowship from The Institute of Linguists by Prince Michael of Kent in 2006 (image supplied)

Armed with her findings, and on a mission to drive change, three years ago Isabella set about creating The Olderpreneur Alliance, a social enterprise offering both practical and emotional support to help realise the entrepreneurial ambitions of the over 50s.

She said: "I have been working to raise awareness among politicians, business support organisations and anyone working with older people, who are considering next steps, about the specific requirements they have.

"The people I interviewed for my research were unhappy with existing business support. They felt patronised and uncomfortable speaking to somebody often 30 years younger, who often don't take them seriously."

She added: "One of the biggest issues that came out of my research was around confidence in later life. People were applying for jobs for which they were vastly overqualified. "You can write 10 business plans, but if your inner voice is saying to you, you can't do it, then you're not going to go far," said Dr Moore.

Isabella appointed the first female president of Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce in 1999 and British Chamber of Commerce in 2002 (image supplied)

"As well as the harder skills such as dealing with financial institutions, selling and goal setting, we also do a lot of work on the softer skills such as dealing with your inner critic, developing an entrepreneurial mindset, examining what it is that's stopping you from considering the option of setting up your own business and undertaking an audit of your skills and experience - your age capital, if you like."

Dr Moore has also pledged to seek funding to develop a subsidised programme to help those who might struggle with cost, access to the IOEE- (Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurs) certified Later Creator programme.

The programme launches against a background of official projections by the Office for National Statistics, which forecast a significant rise—up to 40%—in the UK's pension-age population over the coming four decades (ONS, National Population Projections).

Dr Moore said: "Older people bring skills and experience built over many years, but it's also life experience, resilience and work ethic, which are hugely undervalued by employers.

"When it comes to the older generation, as a society, we're still not addressing their real needs and understanding how they feel. There's a lot of loneliness and isolation and I think there's a huge job to be done there.

"Society often thinks older people are there just to play golf, look after elderly relatives or grandchildren, but certainly NOT starting a business. My research showed that those that do start their own business are even regarded as "deviant!"

"Later Creator offers a crucial resource for people as they transition into the next chapter of their lives, counteracting ageist narratives and stereotypes about older people not being productive."

For more information, visit here.