But then there's Edgar Adams, this stubborn old bugger from Australia's Central Coast, who's spent 35 years kicking the butt of mediocrity in the business world, only to retire at 86 like it's no big deal.
The local legend is finally calling it quits after years of turning local business news into something you'd actually read.
Edgar's the editor and owner of the Central Coast Business Review, a magazine that's less "Wall Street Journal" and more "Hey, did you know the Borg’s just bought Somersby?"
It's the kind of publication that shows up in your mailbox via Australia Post, and instead of tossing it in the recycling, you think, "Huh, maybe I'll flip through this while waiting for the wife to get dressed."
Twenty thousand readers strong, and not one of them is complaining—because who else is gonna tell you that getting a park in Gosford is like musical chairs but everyone sat down in 1985?
What's the deal with Edgar, though? This guy's been the Central Coast's unofficial therapist for entrepreneurs since the late '80s.
Back when fax machines were cutting-edge and "networking" meant showing up to a room full of strangers with breath mints and a forced smile. He didn't just write about the plumbers and pie makers scraping by, he championed them.
And then there's the Gosford Erina Business Chamber—GEBC to those in the know, or "that room full of suits arguing over parking" to everyone else. Edgar didn't just join; he became a director, the glue-gun wizard holding it together for decades.
We're talking networking events that weren't just awkward handshakes but actual lifelines: connecting manufacturers to suppliers, lobbying for better roads and championing small businesses through floods, fires, and that godforsaken pandemic when everyone suddenly remembered they had a "hobby farm" out back.
Long-serving Director? Check. Tireless advocate? Double check. Edgar's efforts weren't flashy—no TED Talks or viral TikToks - just quiet, dogged work that kept local jobs alive.
Over the years, he's mentored more startups than you could imagine, always with that twinkle in his eye, like he knew the joke was on the bureaucrats.
Married 59 years to Beverley, God love her, putting up with a man who probably proofread love letters for typos, Edgar's life was a masterclass in persistence. Mondays at 8:15 a.m., you'd find him on Coast FM, dishing wisdom like a salty uncle at Christmas: "Listen, mate, if your business plan involves 'vibes,' you're already stuffed."
And through it all, the magazine chugged on, 12 issues a year, spotlighting the heroes: The family-run engineering firm that built half the bridges on the M1, the café owner who turned a beach shack into a tourism empire.
Edgar didn't chase glory; he chased fairness. In a world where big corps gobble up the little fish, he was the angler teaching 'em to swim faster.
Now, as of September 2025, right around when the rest of us are still figuring out how to respond to a friend request on Facebook, Edgar's signing off. Final issue drops, red pen retires to the drawer next to the good china.
End of an era? More like the end of the world's longest coffee break conversation. The Central Coast businesses will miss him - without Edgar, who's gonna call out those hidden anti-development rules that make building a lemonade stand feel like applying for a moon landing permit?
But here's the kicker: Guys like Edgar don't really retire. They just trade the desk for a lounge chair on the porch, critiquing the Councils financials, reminds me of the chamber's budget meeting!"
So raise a cuppa to Edgar Adams: The man who made business feel less like a blood sport and more like a pub yarn with mates and proved that in business, the real secret sauce is showing up with a smile and a story.
What's next for him? Probably editing the cloud for typos. Because some habits die harder than that one pair of jeans from high school.
