We’re excited to share that our Launch Director, Bethany Mascena Tracy, and franchisee publisher Mandi Wilkie were highlighted in recent national stories. In a Next Avenue feature, Regretting ‘Unretirement’ – When Going Back to Work Doesn’t Work Out, Bethany weighed in on common frustrations of retirees who return to a corporate 9-5 job — all of which are relieved by, instead, launching their own franchise business, as many have here at N2. Mandi contributed to an AARP feature, Gen X’s Retirement Strategy? Start a Small Business, which underscores a growing national trend among Generation X toward entrepreneurship.
This kind of recognition on well-known media platforms like AARP and Next Avenue are not just a win for Mandi and Bethany, it’s a win for The N2 Company community. It shows that the stories we help cultivate through our network of independent publishers resonate on a national stage. The articles capture how Gen Xers are taking control of their professions and financial futures by launching small businesses rather than relying on traditional retirement plans.
In Mandi’s case, her journey is a powerful example of turning adversity into opportunity. After losing her job in 2018 during a difficult personal transition, she chose to apply her determination and business smarts to become a publisher with N2, launching Stroll Ledgeview magazine in Green Bay, Wisconsin. With no formal journalism background, Mandi built her magazine from the ground up and has grown it into a sustainable community resource.
Through her work, and with Bethany’s leadership and guidance, Mandi exemplifies what we see every day in our network: Gen X professionals reaching for a future defined not by worry, but by ownership, impact, and control.
Why is this so significant?
Gen X is caught between financial uncertainty and reimagined retirement. Nearly half of Gen Xers aren’t confident they can afford to retire at age 65, so many are looking for alternative paths that give them flexibility and income control. Entrepreneurship is emerging as one of those paths. AARP
Rather than simply accepting the status quo, Gen Xers are building businesses that allow them to continue contributing professionally, stay engaged with their communities, and support themselves and their families on their own terms.
Being featured by Next Avenue and AARP highlights not only inspiring individual journeys like Mandi’s, but also the larger economic and cultural shift toward self-directed income streams. We’re proud that The N2 Company plays a part in that shift by empowering independent publishers to build thriving local media businesses, and we’re honored that AARP and Next Avenue saw fit to share that story with their wide audience.
If you haven’t had a chance to read the full AARP article yet, check it out here: Gen X’s Retirement Strategy? Start a Small Business. To read the full Next Avenue article, follow this link: Regretting ‘Unretirement’ – When Going Back to Work Doesn’t Work Out.
