As with any demographic of people, there is no way to narrow down the list of reasons that retirees opt to start a home based business, because every individual who decides to work again after retiring will have a slightly different motivation than everyone else. However, there tend to be at least a handful of reasons that come up repeatedly, creating a bit of a trend, and if you fit any of the following profiles, you too may find success with a home based business. Here are some of the more common stories that retirees come to the home business table with.

The Need for a Little More Money

Frequently, retirees find that they simply need to make a little more money. This may be because the retirement plan they worked their whole lives for is not quite supplying enough income to live on. It may also simply be that the person would like to save up some more spending money for vacations, hobbies or Christmas presents each year. Whatever the reason, post-retirement franchise owners are definitely right to assume that starting a home based business is a great way to bring in a little extra income, and one of the best categories of businesses for accomplishing such a goal is the vending industry.

Vendstar and U-Turn are two great avenues for breaking into this profitable business. With systems that have been proven simple and successful by years of continued operation in the hands of innumerable franchisees, both of these franchises have the vending knowhow to provide franchisees with not only sturdy, well constructed machines, but a steady stream of income that few industries can match. Some reports say that vending machines generally earn around an 80% profit margin, which translates to an average income of $70/hr for the owner. What this means for the retiree is that not only can money be made with a work at home vending business, but it can be made with a smaller investment of time than with most other businesses. This allows the retiree more time to actually enjoy retirement, instead of spending all week working.

Looking for a Hobby

Sometimes, the worst part of being retired is not having enough to do every day. Suddenly being without a career goal and a daily task can leave a person somewhat listless, but operating a home based business is a great way out of that, and an excellent business choice for just keeping busy is a franchise with DVDNow. One of the few businesses in the automated DVD rental business, DVDNow is taking the business model of the vending machine and applying it to movie rentals. It has proven to be a wildly successful idea in Europe and has already gained a little ground here in the US, and like any good vending business, the business will grow only as big as the franchisee wants. If what you're looking for is something to do for only a couple hours a week, 2 or 3 machines in the local grocery stores should give you a decent amount of business, but still leave you plenty of free time during the week. If, however, you want something to engage you for 30-40 hours per week, simply add more machines to your route. You'll have something to do in no time.

Hoping to Engage the Community

Many people begin to volunteer when they reach retirement; it provides a way to serve the community and get to know people. Surprisingly, there are business opportunities that can afford the retiree a similar chance for community engagement. Two good opportunities to do so are franchises with Virtuoso Music and The Love Maine Lobster Claw.

For the music enthusiast, Virtuoso Music is perfect. Franchisees are given all the marketing tools, computer software, and business pointers to be able to link local music educators with potential students looking to take up an instrument. What's more, the franchise owner becomes a sort of performance hub, able to schedule performers for all types of gigs, ranging from public concerts to birthday parties. A franchise with this business would enable the franchisee not only to pursue a life in the local music world, but also to serve the local community by passing on the gift of musicianship from one generation to the next, all while turning a profit.

If you're a retiree with no musical interest or skill, however, there is still another franchise opportunity that will not only put you out in your community, but is sure to make you a memorable member of society. The Love Maine Lobster Claw is the only business of its kind. Another vending business, this one sells live lobsters out of a pay-per-use, automated machine involving a water tank, a joystick, and a mechanical claw that grabs the lobster that the user wants and drops it down a chute into the awaiting recipient's hands. With such a novel machine and business concept, there will not be a person in town who doesn't recognize you as the "lobster guy."

Retirement is not always what people expect as they approach it, but that doesn't mean it has to be a dull or financially tight time of life. Whatever a retiree is looking for in a work from home business, there is one to suit that desire. All you have to do is match your wishes with the right business and you've got a recipe for success, even after leaving the workforce.