• Jacqueline Gathers is a home inspector and owner of a Pillar to Post franchise in Brooklyn. • She worked for New York City for 30 years and had no interest in entrepreneurship. • When her husband died at the age of 55, Jacqueline became a home inspector.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jacqueline Gathers, owner of JS Gathers Pillar to Post Home Inspectors franchise. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I'm a third-generation civil servant. I spent 30 years at the New York City Housing Authority. I enjoyed the work and felt that I was helping people find safe and affordable housing.

When I first joined the Housing Authority back in the '80s, my dad insisted I sign up for early retirement. At the time, the extra contributions to my pension seemed expensiv

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