by
Garrett Clark
Wealth Management
Why More First Responders Are Becoming Entrepreneurs
More and more first responders—firefighters, EMTs, and law enforcement professionals—are turning their skills and discipline into thriving businesses. This blog explores why so many are stepping into entrepreneurship, from the desire for financial freedom to creating a legacy beyond the badge. We’ll highlight the unique advantages first responders bring to the business world, the challenges they face, and how tools like the Solo 401(k) can support their journey from service to self-employment.
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When most people think of first responders, they picture dedication, grit, and service. They might not realize that many firefighters, EMTs, and law enforcement professionals are also quietly building businesses on the side—and redefining what retirement and financial freedom can look like.
And they’re not doing it by accident.
The new generation of first responders is turning side hustles into second incomes, launching businesses from their basements, garages, and patrol cars, and leveraging their skills to serve their community and secure their future.
The Rise of the Entrepreneurial First Responder
1. The Schedule Creates Opportunity
Many first responders work shift-based schedules (24 on, 48 off, or similar), which means you might have entire days available to build something of your own—whether it’s carpentry, fitness training, real estate, consulting, or an online business.
This built-in flexibility is something traditional 9-to-5 workers don’t enjoy, and when used intentionally, it can be a launchpad for profitable ventures. Some responders use this extra time to get licensed in other fields, earn certifications, or invest in growing a product-based or service-based business on their off days.
2. The Skills Transfer Seamlessly
Discipline. Decision-making. Adaptability under pressure. These aren’t just job skills—they’re entrepreneurial superpowers.
As a first responder, you’ve already mastered communication, crisis management, and leadership. Those same qualities can drive success in business. You already operate under high pressure with lives on the line—running a side hustle is well within your wheelhouse. Customer conflict resolution, critical decision-making, and multitasking? You’re already doing it every shift.
3. The Motivation Hits Close to Home
Even with a pension, inflation, rising healthcare costs, and family responsibilities can outpace what retirement plans were designed to cover. For many, starting a business isn’t just about income—it’s about security.
A side business can serve as a backup plan, a creative outlet, or a bridge to a new post-retirement career. And unlike a pension, which is fixed, a business and the wealth it builds can scale over time. Entrepreneurship gives first responders a way to build something that belongs entirely to them.
When most people think of first responders, they picture dedication, grit, and service. They might not realize that many firefighters, EMTs, and law enforcement professionals are also quietly building businesses on the side—and redefining what retirement and financial freedom can look like.
And they’re not doing it by accident.
The new generation of first responders is turning side hustles into second incomes, launching businesses from their basements, garages, and patrol cars, and leveraging their skills to serve their community and secure their future.
The Rise of the Entrepreneurial First Responder
1. The Schedule Creates Opportunity
Many first responders work shift-based schedules (24 on, 48 off, or similar), which means you might have entire days available to build something of your own—whether it’s carpentry, fitness training, real estate, consulting, or an online business.
This built-in flexibility is something traditional 9-to-5 workers don’t enjoy, and when used intentionally, it can be a launchpad for profitable ventures. Some responders use this extra time to get licensed in other fields, earn certifications, or invest in growing a product-based or service-based business on their off days.
2. The Skills Transfer Seamlessly
Discipline. Decision-making. Adaptability under pressure. These aren’t just job skills—they’re entrepreneurial superpowers.
As a first responder, you’ve already mastered communication, crisis management, and leadership. Those same qualities can drive success in business. You already operate under high pressure with lives on the line—running a side hustle is well within your wheelhouse. Customer conflict resolution, critical decision-making, and multitasking? You’re already doing it every shift.
3. The Motivation Hits Close to Home
Even with a pension, inflation, rising healthcare costs, and family responsibilities can outpace what retirement plans were designed to cover. For many, starting a business isn’t just about income—it’s about security.
A side business can serve as a backup plan, a creative outlet, or a bridge to a new post-retirement career. And unlike a pension, which is fixed, a business and the wealth it builds can scale over time. Entrepreneurship gives first responders a way to build something that belongs entirely to them.
“Service teaches discipline—entrepreneurship turns it into freedom.”
Garrett Clark
Director of Sales
Entrepreneurship Is More Than Extra Income—It’s a Wealth-Building Strategy
Starting a side business isn’t just about making money in your spare time. It’s about what that income enables you to do over the long term.
Whether it’s putting more toward your mortgage, investing in your children’s education, or preparing for retirement, the money you earn outside the department can help you build generational wealth.
Here's what you can do with that extra income:
Pay down debt faster
Increase your emergency fund
Invest in real estate or the stock market
Start your own retirement savings plan
Cover rising healthcare costs or future education expenses
This last point is key. Most people assume their pension is enough. But relying only on your pension is like building a house with one wall. You need to create a stable structure for your financial future, and that means diversifying your income and building retirement savings outside your government plan.
The Solo 401(k): The Retirement Tool Most First Responders Don’t Know Exists
If you’re earning self-employed income—even part-time—and you have no full-time employees (other than your spouse), you likely qualify for a Solo 401(k). It’s one of the most powerful, tax-advantaged retirement accounts available.
What Is a Solo 401(k)?
A Solo 401(k) is a retirement account designed for self-employed individuals and small business owners without employees. That includes:
Firefighters with a side carpentry business
EMTs teaching CPR certification courses
Police officers doing part-time security consulting
Paramedics who flip vintage cars or manage Airbnbs
As long as you have self-employment income, you qualify. And that opens the door to a retirement tool that goes far beyond your pension.
Why It’s Powerful:
High Contribution Limits: In 2023, you can contribute up to $66,000 (or $73,500 if you’re 50+), combining both employee and employer contributions.
Tax Flexibility: Choose between traditional (pre-tax) or Roth (after-tax) contributions based on your goals.
Loan Access: Need capital for your business or a personal emergency? You can borrow up to $50,000 from your Solo 401(k).
Investment Control: Unlike department pension funds, you can choose your investments—stocks, mutual funds, ETFs, real estate, and more.
The Solo 401(k) gives you total control over how and when you save. It’s portable, flexible, and designed to grow with your business.
How to Get Started in 3 Simple Steps
Getting started with a Solo 401(k) is easier than you think. Here’s how:
1. Set Up Your Business Structure
If you haven’t already, make your business official. This can be a sole proprietorship, an LLC, or even an S-corp. You’ll also need an Employer Identification Number (EIN), which you can get from the IRS for free.
2. Open a Solo 401(k) Account
Major brokers like Fidelity and Schwab offer Solo 401(k) plans, or you can choose a provider that specializes in self-directed options. Some plans come with no maintenance fees. Make sure the provider allows both Roth and traditional options, as well as loan features if those matter to you.
3. Start Saving (Even Small Amounts Count)
Even contributing $100–$200 a month adds up. Over time, with compound interest and tax savings, that could grow into hundreds of thousands of dollars. You don’t have to wait until your business is booming to start—consistency matters more than large lump sums.
And unlike pensions, your Solo 401(k) is yours to keep, invest, and control—no matter what changes in your career.
The Bottom Line: You Deserve More Than a Pension
You’ve spent your career serving others. Now it’s time to serve your future.
Entrepreneurship isn’t about walking away from the job—it’s about leveraging your time, skills, and experience to build something that works for you. Whether you retire at 55 or keep working in another role, having your own business and retirement plan gives you choices.
Because real retirement isn’t just about stepping away from the job—it’s about having the freedom to decide what comes next.
Ready to start your next chapter?
Visit www.survival401k.com to learn how to open a Solo 401(k) and take control of your future, just like so many first responders already are.
Entrepreneurship Is More Than Extra Income—It’s a Wealth-Building Strategy
Starting a side business isn’t just about making money in your spare time. It’s about what that income enables you to do over the long term.
Whether it’s putting more toward your mortgage, investing in your children’s education, or preparing for retirement, the money you earn outside the department can help you build generational wealth.
Here's what you can do with that extra income:
Pay down debt faster
Increase your emergency fund
Invest in real estate or the stock market
Start your own retirement savings plan
Cover rising healthcare costs or future education expenses
This last point is key. Most people assume their pension is enough. But relying only on your pension is like building a house with one wall. You need to create a stable structure for your financial future, and that means diversifying your income and building retirement savings outside your government plan.
The Solo 401(k): The Retirement Tool Most First Responders Don’t Know Exists
If you’re earning self-employed income—even part-time—and you have no full-time employees (other than your spouse), you likely qualify for a Solo 401(k). It’s one of the most powerful, tax-advantaged retirement accounts available.
What Is a Solo 401(k)?
A Solo 401(k) is a retirement account designed for self-employed individuals and small business owners without employees. That includes:
Firefighters with a side carpentry business
EMTs teaching CPR certification courses
Police officers doing part-time security consulting
Paramedics who flip vintage cars or manage Airbnbs
As long as you have self-employment income, you qualify. And that opens the door to a retirement tool that goes far beyond your pension.
Why It’s Powerful:
High Contribution Limits: In 2023, you can contribute up to $66,000 (or $73,500 if you’re 50+), combining both employee and employer contributions.
Tax Flexibility: Choose between traditional (pre-tax) or Roth (after-tax) contributions based on your goals.
Loan Access: Need capital for your business or a personal emergency? You can borrow up to $50,000 from your Solo 401(k).
Investment Control: Unlike department pension funds, you can choose your investments—stocks, mutual funds, ETFs, real estate, and more.
The Solo 401(k) gives you total control over how and when you save. It’s portable, flexible, and designed to grow with your business.
How to Get Started in 3 Simple Steps
Getting started with a Solo 401(k) is easier than you think. Here’s how:
1. Set Up Your Business Structure
If you haven’t already, make your business official. This can be a sole proprietorship, an LLC, or even an S-corp. You’ll also need an Employer Identification Number (EIN), which you can get from the IRS for free.
2. Open a Solo 401(k) Account
Major brokers like Fidelity and Schwab offer Solo 401(k) plans, or you can choose a provider that specializes in self-directed options. Some plans come with no maintenance fees. Make sure the provider allows both Roth and traditional options, as well as loan features if those matter to you.
3. Start Saving (Even Small Amounts Count)
Even contributing $100–$200 a month adds up. Over time, with compound interest and tax savings, that could grow into hundreds of thousands of dollars. You don’t have to wait until your business is booming to start—consistency matters more than large lump sums.
And unlike pensions, your Solo 401(k) is yours to keep, invest, and control—no matter what changes in your career.
The Bottom Line: You Deserve More Than a Pension
You’ve spent your career serving others. Now it’s time to serve your future.
Entrepreneurship isn’t about walking away from the job—it’s about leveraging your time, skills, and experience to build something that works for you. Whether you retire at 55 or keep working in another role, having your own business and retirement plan gives you choices.
Because real retirement isn’t just about stepping away from the job—it’s about having the freedom to decide what comes next.
Ready to start your next chapter?
Visit www.survival401k.com to learn how to open a Solo 401(k) and take control of your future, just like so many first responders already are.
When most people think of first responders, they picture dedication, grit, and service. They might not realize that many firefighters, EMTs, and law enforcement professionals are also quietly building businesses on the side—and redefining what retirement and financial freedom can look like.
And they’re not doing it by accident.
The new generation of first responders is turning side hustles into second incomes, launching businesses from their basements, garages, and patrol cars, and leveraging their skills to serve their community and secure their future.
The Rise of the Entrepreneurial First Responder
1. The Schedule Creates Opportunity
Many first responders work shift-based schedules (24 on, 48 off, or similar), which means you might have entire days available to build something of your own—whether it’s carpentry, fitness training, real estate, consulting, or an online business.
This built-in flexibility is something traditional 9-to-5 workers don’t enjoy, and when used intentionally, it can be a launchpad for profitable ventures. Some responders use this extra time to get licensed in other fields, earn certifications, or invest in growing a product-based or service-based business on their off days.
2. The Skills Transfer Seamlessly
Discipline. Decision-making. Adaptability under pressure. These aren’t just job skills—they’re entrepreneurial superpowers.
As a first responder, you’ve already mastered communication, crisis management, and leadership. Those same qualities can drive success in business. You already operate under high pressure with lives on the line—running a side hustle is well within your wheelhouse. Customer conflict resolution, critical decision-making, and multitasking? You’re already doing it every shift.
3. The Motivation Hits Close to Home
Even with a pension, inflation, rising healthcare costs, and family responsibilities can outpace what retirement plans were designed to cover. For many, starting a business isn’t just about income—it’s about security.
A side business can serve as a backup plan, a creative outlet, or a bridge to a new post-retirement career. And unlike a pension, which is fixed, a business and the wealth it builds can scale over time. Entrepreneurship gives first responders a way to build something that belongs entirely to them.
“Service teaches discipline—entrepreneurship turns it into freedom.”
Garrett Clark
Director of Sales
Entrepreneurship Is More Than Extra Income—It’s a Wealth-Building Strategy
Starting a side business isn’t just about making money in your spare time. It’s about what that income enables you to do over the long term.
Whether it’s putting more toward your mortgage, investing in your children’s education, or preparing for retirement, the money you earn outside the department can help you build generational wealth.
Here's what you can do with that extra income:
Pay down debt faster
Increase your emergency fund
Invest in real estate or the stock market
Start your own retirement savings plan
Cover rising healthcare costs or future education expenses
This last point is key. Most people assume their pension is enough. But relying only on your pension is like building a house with one wall. You need to create a stable structure for your financial future, and that means diversifying your income and building retirement savings outside your government plan.
The Solo 401(k): The Retirement Tool Most First Responders Don’t Know Exists
If you’re earning self-employed income—even part-time—and you have no full-time employees (other than your spouse), you likely qualify for a Solo 401(k). It’s one of the most powerful, tax-advantaged retirement accounts available.
What Is a Solo 401(k)?
A Solo 401(k) is a retirement account designed for self-employed individuals and small business owners without employees. That includes:
Firefighters with a side carpentry business
EMTs teaching CPR certification courses
Police officers doing part-time security consulting
Paramedics who flip vintage cars or manage Airbnbs
As long as you have self-employment income, you qualify. And that opens the door to a retirement tool that goes far beyond your pension.
Why It’s Powerful:
High Contribution Limits: In 2023, you can contribute up to $66,000 (or $73,500 if you’re 50+), combining both employee and employer contributions.
Tax Flexibility: Choose between traditional (pre-tax) or Roth (after-tax) contributions based on your goals.
Loan Access: Need capital for your business or a personal emergency? You can borrow up to $50,000 from your Solo 401(k).
Investment Control: Unlike department pension funds, you can choose your investments—stocks, mutual funds, ETFs, real estate, and more.
The Solo 401(k) gives you total control over how and when you save. It’s portable, flexible, and designed to grow with your business.
How to Get Started in 3 Simple Steps
Getting started with a Solo 401(k) is easier than you think. Here’s how:
1. Set Up Your Business Structure
If you haven’t already, make your business official. This can be a sole proprietorship, an LLC, or even an S-corp. You’ll also need an Employer Identification Number (EIN), which you can get from the IRS for free.
2. Open a Solo 401(k) Account
Major brokers like Fidelity and Schwab offer Solo 401(k) plans, or you can choose a provider that specializes in self-directed options. Some plans come with no maintenance fees. Make sure the provider allows both Roth and traditional options, as well as loan features if those matter to you.
3. Start Saving (Even Small Amounts Count)
Even contributing $100–$200 a month adds up. Over time, with compound interest and tax savings, that could grow into hundreds of thousands of dollars. You don’t have to wait until your business is booming to start—consistency matters more than large lump sums.
And unlike pensions, your Solo 401(k) is yours to keep, invest, and control—no matter what changes in your career.
The Bottom Line: You Deserve More Than a Pension
You’ve spent your career serving others. Now it’s time to serve your future.
Entrepreneurship isn’t about walking away from the job—it’s about leveraging your time, skills, and experience to build something that works for you. Whether you retire at 55 or keep working in another role, having your own business and retirement plan gives you choices.
Because real retirement isn’t just about stepping away from the job—it’s about having the freedom to decide what comes next.
Ready to start your next chapter?
Visit www.survival401k.com to learn how to open a Solo 401(k) and take control of your future, just like so many first responders already are.