Don’t believe what they tell you. Life has a second act. In fact, some lives have three acts or four or five or maybe nine if you’re a serial entrepreneur. 

The heart of business is creativity: the desire to make something new. The twist is that you want to make money on it. But for some entrepreneurs, the goal is bigger than that. Noble pursuits are much easier to pursue if you’ve already struck gold. 

In other words, folks some folks pursue passion projects instead of retirement. And they do that because they want to give back — plus they can’t quit the hustle.

Sherry LaTour was never supposed to own her business. She was raised to believe women shouldn’t work at all. Instead, she bootstrapped her way from the accounting department at a trucking operation in Houston to running a multi-million dollar oil and gas company. 

Instead of retiring early, Sherry took on a new venture: mentorship. She bought Tops Appliances and Cabinetry in Lafayette and added “business incubator” to the company’s suite of services. 

Tops houses dozens of small businesses that Sherry advises. She’s also carved out time to run a consulting business for oil and gas firms. Think of her like a mentor-preneur. 

Second acts in business take an open mind. Bob Luke wants his third act to be cast with free thinkers. 

When he’s not working as General Manager of Tiger Safety Rentals, Bob is working on his passion project: Cafe Detente. It’s part coffee shop, part think tank and part retreat for free thinkers. It’s also his front yard. 

Cafe Detente has a give-some take-some ethos. Members sign up to be baristas or brewers. Brewers host custom workshops on topics of interest, and baristas sign up to attend. There’s a lofty goal here: bridging divides and finding common ground. The name "Detente" captures the vision: an easing of hostilities. 

In a past life, Bob owned and operated a bar and grill. 

Out to Lunch Acadiana is recorded live over lunch at Tula Tacos and Amigos in downtown Lafayette. You can find photos from this show at itsacadiana.com.

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