Radiologist retires, then immediately starts over

Richard Brown left his tenured position at University of Michigan in 2020, then took a new job the following Monday. He's now 71 and running a banana-skewer startup called Poka Snack.

“I never want to retire. Why would you do that?”

His philosophy: never stop learning

Brown says hobbies and work should both involve learning something new. When a job becomes routine, growth stops. That's why he keeps jumping to unfamiliar territory instead of coasting.

“When something becomes routine, you probably have stopped growing.”

From dot-com ventures to health startups

During the tech boom, Brown launched websites selling textbooks and hotel rooms while still practicing medicine. He also created an educational site for cancer patients. Those ventures taught him not to fear failure.

“I think the problem with most people is they're afraid to look stupid.”

The problem with most people

Brown says fear of looking foolish stops people from pursuing ideas. His advice: if you think something should exist, build it. You might be wrong, but you might also be right.

“If you think that something should be done, just do it.”

Poka Snack solves a real problem

Brown wanted an easier way to freeze and eat bananas. Existing skewers were hard to insert, broke easily, and left splinters. After testing 40 prototypes, he designed one with patent-pending semi-helical geometry.

“When I couldn't find what I was looking for, I decided to see if I could create it myself.”

Kickstarter success and TikTok following

Poka Snack launched on Kickstarter this year and raised over 90 percent of its $4,000 goal. Brown has also built more than 14,000 TikTok followers and is working with a U.S. manufacturer on production.

AI made him a solopreneur

Brown used AI throughout Poka Snack's development, from design and branding to marketing and business planning. Without it, he said, running the business alone would not have been possible.

Ask what excites you, not what pays

Brown's final lesson: stop asking what career to pursue. Ask instead what genuinely excites you. That curiosity, not salary or prestige, is what keeps people engaged across decades.

“The question is: 'What are you excited about?'”