Sorry to hear that you considering hanging up your trowels, Dick. It can take a while to get a reputation built up and that can be hard if you have a bit of a price squeeze in your area.
Would you not consider doing it part time for a while to see if you can build a rep? Once you get a reputation, work seems to follow on.
I personally, have only been in the game just short of a year, and I am now just starting to get referrals. I have another business that I run side by side so I know it can be done. Consider the part time thing for a while, it would be a shame to waste the investment in training and tools after such a short time.
There is always loads of help available on here.
Grumpy