It’s all in the mind.
Age is just a number.
If you want anything wholehearted, the universe conspires to gift it to you.
Have you read these lines before?
You must have.
But the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
So, while we refuse to accept the discouragement that age brings to life, we cannot deny that it does take away quite a few things. But does the biological clock and its inevitable effect really take away our entrepreneurial acumen? For some it does for others it doesn’t. It all depends on how you see your life.
Let’s check out.
- Sam Walton founded Walmart at 44.
- Adi Dassler founded Adidas at 49.
- Leo Godwin founded Geico at 50.
- Gordon Bowker founded Starbucks at 51.
- Joseph Campbell founded Campbell’s Soup at 52.
- Arianna Huffignton founded The Huffignton Post at 54.
- Charles Flint founded IBM at 61.
- Harland David Sanders founded Kentucky Fried Chicken at 62.
- Henry Kaiser founded Kaiser Permanente at 63.
It’s interesting to see the ascending order of age and how that hasn’t deterred individuals from achieving what they wanted to, an initiative to generate the desired profit.
Entrepreneurship starts with an idea. The idea that can make a difference to the society around. With age comes experience, prudence, network and personality. All these traits are invaluable for planning, execution, leadership and crisis management. Thinking in the right way and also adhering to it, come what may, is the secret of an entrepreneur.
For example, JK Rowling was a single mother in the middle of her life living from hand to mouth when she imagined a fantastic world with a boy practicing witchcraft, only to be laughed at by most publishers in London. The rest need not be said as she has her last laugh.
Thus, however much the world may mock you, your confidence takes you places, irrespective of your age. And the right intuition to feel the market pulse improves with age as you see the world in all its colors.
However, there will always be a risk factor. But the possibility of a loss must never eliminate the chances of profit, as a path breaking idea does end up being welcomed and rewarded at some time. Being rational enough to ignore unreasoned apprehension backed by an able idea is the key to successful entrepreneurship. After all Mark Zuckerberg had to withstand debacles like Coursematch and Facemash before hitting the bull’s eye with Facebook. The zeal to strike never fades till you breathe your last.
Lastly a few pearls of wisdom and statistics for dreamers, young and old: To become an entrepreneur at any age, you should be
- Ready for longer hours of commitment.
- Keep up with the world in terms of technology and knowledge
- Find your passion and work towards it
As per industry experts
- 40 is the average age of accomplished entrepreneurs in Computers, Health Care and Aerospace.
- In 1996 just 14.3% of new entrepreneurs were on the right side of 55. In 2012 it was 23.4%.
- Age group 55 to 64 age group start new ventures more vigorously than that of 20-30.
