Ilene Smith
- I left an office job 10 years ago because I wanted more flexibility.
- Now I'm self-employed and while I get to do things when I want, I don't know when to retire.
- I want to have time to do the things I want to do.
When I started my business 10 years ago, after leaving my position as the executive vice president of a large public relations agency, I did so because I wanted to have the freedom of being my own boss. I worked from home (a rarity then), made my own hours, and had unlimited vacation and sick days. Plus, it would be a perfect way to ease into retirement when the day came.