Lifestyle
Encore diaries: from lawyer to inventor, meet Amanda Lintott
Citro takes a look at the career reinventions people make after the age of 50, when encore careers beckon and call to us. Amanda Lintott graduated from university as a lawyer before catching the entrepreneur bug and starting her own businesses in the motor industry. She's spent the last 2 years developing, testing and creating a car-only bug and spider spray called Roadblock.
Then:
Lawyer
Now:
Inventor of Roadblock, a car-interior-friendly insecticide spray to banish spiders and bugs.
What did you think you'd grow up to be when you were young?
“When I was still a child, all I wanted was to be a Solid Gold dancer. That show was so good. My mother told me that I didn’t have the legs which was a tough blow at the time but I know I could have kept up with the moves. "
How does being older make you wiser in your career?
Being older helps in so many ways. You are more efficient with your time, more confident to recognise and admit things you don’t know rather than wasting time trying to figure things out for yourself or worse, stuffing it up. You have a bigger network of people to support you and you have more respect from others.
What's been a highlight in your career?
Which older people in business do you admire?
"Oh wow. There are so many but Oprah Winfrey, Dolly Parton and Sarah-Jessica Parker are just 3 examples of older women who are continuing to take risks and doing things they love. "
What made you invent a car bug spray?
"My career has taken me from lawyer to car dealer to inventor of car products. I started a brand called Autonomy because - despite all my years in the car industry - I couldn’t think of a single trusted brand of car products for everyday drivers. I also had a backlog of product ideas for Australian drivers that just didn’t exist on the market. I had suggested these ideas to many of the people I had worked with (mostly men) but they all thought I was crazy and were content to just wait for whatever products and accessories overseas manufacturers threw at the Australian market."
Really - are bugs in cars a big problem?
"One of the first products I saw a need for was a treatment to prevent the build up of cobwebs in cars. The problem affects so many drivers and there is also the fear and danger of spiders themselves. According to our research, 78% of drivers have experienced a spider in their car, 79% have had problems with cobwebs, and a scary 23% have come close to having an accident after discovering a spider in their car.
"Spiders are attracted to the warmth of car engines and can often be found in the engine bay, door frames or on the underside of the car. They get startled by vibrations when the car gets moving. If this happens at high speed, it can be a dangerous distraction. Even at low speed, spiders in cars are people’s worst nightmare.
"Getting Roadblock spray to market involved finding a manufacturer and then a LOT of testing. We tested the product over 6 months and 3000 hours against all automotive surfaces. I think alot of people thought I was crazy. I knew there would be a market for a treatment with a nozzle for hard-to-reach places that wouldn’t damage car surfaces. After that, we needed to go through the slow and complex process of getting the product registered with the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Association. This registration came through in May 2023."
Do you have advice for other encore career inventors?
Just keep moving. It is so easy to feel defeated by daily obstacles, but once you get through them, they are nothing in hindsight and help you prepare for the next ones to come.
What are your best 5 tips for people over 50 starting their own business?
I would say:
1. Create a market – get an audience or some expressions of interest before you do anything.
2. Start small, ideally while you have another income.
3. If you don’t have co-founder, surround yourself with someone who has a vested interest in your success. Friends and family are great but you should always have someone with “skin in the game” to help you through the many different decisions you need to make on a daily basis. An experienced lawyer or accountant, an investor or even a future customer.
4. Brace yourself for a giant wall of rejection. Life in your own business is always harder than working for someone and getting a regular pay cheque.
5. Make some time to give back or volunteer in some small way."
Hardest life lesson
"Raising kids has been harder than any business I’ve started. I have 3 of them. That said, there are similarities between parenting and business.Both jobs require lots of patience, constant adaptation and listening. When my kids were small, I was often overwhelmed by their immediate needs and by wanting to be with them as much as possible. Now that they are older, I am free to spend more time away and take more risks with work. They also love being involved and helping wherever they can. I ring them for inspiration for Instagram captions, blog ideas and occasionally drag them into product videos and reels. I know they want to see me succeed and am hugely grateful for their support, encouragement and perspective. They don’t think I’m crazy!"
Hardest career lesson
"My biggest issue in business has always been self-confidence which can be dangerously debilitating. I know many people struggle with imposter syndrome but I think my issue is even bigger than that. At work, I used to get disappointed or worried(yes, I even cried) if I didn’t get regular feedback but I know my nerves were just a by-product of caring too much and I’ve learnt not to expect reassurance from others In fact, sometimes silence is the best sign that someone likes and respects what you are doing."."