A 60-year-old entrepreneur from Canada has turned her back on traditional retirement to create a technology company that serves small businesses and chambers of commerce across North America.
Karen Hastie spent over three decades building and running a fitness retail chain in Northern Ontario. When the pandemic hit, she sold her business in a seven-figure transaction. Most people her age would have called it a career, but Hastie had different plans.
“I knew I still had more to give,” Hastie explained about her decision to skip retirement entirely.
From Fitness Retail to Tech Innovation
The 60-year-old entrepreneur had zero background in technology when she decided to create the Chamber Perks App. This platform helps Chambers of Commerce provide better value to their members through various benefits and services.
Building a tech team from scratch proved challenging, but Hastie assembled talented people around her vision. Her Chief Technology Officer brings Silicon Valley startup experience to the table. Her daughter’s marketing company handles the brand development and customer outreach efforts.
Working Harder Than Ever
Hastie maintains an intense schedule that would challenge people half her age. She regularly puts in 60 to 70 hours per week, starting each day at 8 am with product pitches, conference presentations, and team collaboration.
“I love to golf and travel, but that isn’t fulfilling for me. I need purpose,” she said. “Retirement, for me, means having the freedom to do work you love without the pressure of providing for your family.”
Adapting Leadership Style
Working in the tech industry as a 60-year-old entrepreneur required significant adjustments. The sector attracts primarily younger professionals, forcing Hastie to modify her management approach.
“Tech is dominated by younger people,” she noted, explaining how she learned to respect work-life balance preferences and avoid excessive oversight of her team members.
The generational differences became apparent quickly. “My daughter’s generation prioritizes work-life balance differently than mine. I’ll easily work a 60 to 70-hour workweek and not consider that long, but when you love what you do, it’s enriching,” Hastie shared.
Financial Independence and Growth
The company operates completely debt-free after 2.5 years of bootstrapped operations. Hastie has reinvested all revenue back into the business rather than taking profits for personal use.
She recently launched a second product called Chamber Member Pro, which functions as a customer relationship management system specifically designed for chambers of commerce.
Future Plans
The 60-year-old entrepreneur has clear objectives for her technology venture. She wants to grow the company significantly, scale operations across multiple markets, and eventually sell the business to a larger organization.
Her story challenges conventional thinking about age limits in entrepreneurship and demonstrates that innovation doesn’t have expiration dates.
