Hi Tom,
I had my DCM last year 37 years service, My plan was to start my own business and having purchased two CNC machines ( With some of the DCM ££££) Then on the Wednesday I had a job offer too good to say no to. 12 months later I have settled into my new job and have started to look at using my machines as a "Side Hustle"
at 55yo I had to look that up. I would look at local makerspaces and pop down they seem to have open evenings for newbies to see what's on offer.
Fab Labs are good for Fusion Training 121 training.
Good luck with your dream and go for it.
Dave