‘I FELT OLD AND OUT OF TOUCH’
Moira Doherty, 63, lives in Whitfield with her husband, Steve, and two dogs.
In a world dominated by phones, computers and countless social-media platforms, it’s hard to imagine that there’s anyone who doesn’t understand what a ‘like’ or ‘Facebook Live’ is. But, just three years ago, I was one of those people. I’d use Facebook only once a year to give a ‘thank you’ to friends who had wished me a happy birthday. These days, things couldn’t be more different.
In the 80s, I embarked on a career in building restoration, travelling the country and refurbishing pubs and restaurants. I loved my job, but in 2006, when I was in my late 40s, my husband Steve and I decided to follow a lifelong dream and move to Spain.
Shortly after moving, a friend of mine, who knew I had an eye for detail, asked me to plan a wedding for them. I agreed, and enjoyed it so much, I decided to start up my own wedding-planning agency.
I loved it, and most of my work was founded on recommendations, but as the years passed, I began to notice that my younger competitors were increasingly using the relatively new phenomenon of social media to promote their businesses, and were subsequently securing more clients than I was.
I had just a handful of friends on Facebook and only just about knew how to update my own status, let alone create a business page or do a sponsored post.
For the first time in my life, I felt old and out of touch. Having by now moved back to the UK, and wanting to
‘AT 61, I DECIDED TO RETRAIN’
learn more about social media, in 2018, at the age of 61, I decided to retrain as a business coach, and learnt how to boost posts, share statuses and upload photos and videos to help promote a business. I found myself loving Facebook – it was such a great tool for new business owners to reach large audiences – and, later that year, I decided to put my new social-media skills to good use.
So I launched Life Begins At 45, a business to help other female entrepreneurs promote their businesses online.
I was amazed at how fast my following grew from the tips and tricks I’d learnt over the years. I continued to learn as I navigated Facebook, using hashtags to reach new audiences, and scheduling posts. And, after doing my first Facebook Live in September 2019 about business coaching, I felt such a sense of achievement.
In less than 18 months, I’ve built an audience of 2,600 women on Facebook, and my Instagram and Linkedin pages are growing quickly, too. At 63, I’m proof that age is no barrier when it comes to learning new things. Now, I’m not only keeping up with all the 20-somethings using social media, I’m actually teaching them things, and that’s something I’ll never stop feeling proud of.
✱ facebook. com/groups/ lifebeginsat45