10 Reasons It Is Never Too Late to Start a Small Business

It seems that it is often the young entrepreneurs who make headlines and gain a lot of recognition for their achievements. Think of Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), Matt Mullenweg (WordPress), and Pete Cashmore (Mashable) – all in their early 20’s, and at the top of their list of successful entrepreneurs.

But the age of the founder is not the main factor that determines whether a business will succeed or not. These six successful entrepreneurs, ranging in age from 40s to 60s, show that the success of a business is not directly related to the age of its founder.

In fact, there is an argument that those who start a business later in life have a better chance of achieving success: Studies have shown that if you are over 55, you have twice the chance of your colleagues under the age of 35 to start. the implementation of high growth.

Not sure? Here are 10 reasons why you can be a better entrepreneur now than you were when you were younger.

1. You have life experience.

The most obvious and undeniable benefit of starting a business later in life is the fact that you now have many years of life experience that you can put into your new business.

It is based on worldly trends, and it has a business acumen that you did not have in your 20’s. You are very patient and willing to take each step in the process of starting a business (even the most unpleasant steps) one by one to give your business the best chance it has in success.

Although you may not have additional information on every aspect of a business start-up process, you may be aware of the importance of things like having a business plan, building a strong financial plan, and doing extensive market research. And you know who you need to help you with the pieces you can make yourself. This brings us to Reason # 2 …

2. Know a lot of people (and know people who know people).

At this stage in your life, you may have developed a large and diverse network of peers and colleagues. And because a new business often needs a village to thrive, your connections will be a great help as you get started.

Think of all the professionals you have met in your life who can share their advice or provide resources to help you in your new business — lawyers, refugees, traders, venture capitalists, financiers, real estate agents, contractors, designers, and writers. . This depth of a prosperous network usually takes years to build, so age is very important in this situation.

Being knowledgeable in business, you also understand the importance of communication and are able to request submissions if necessary to further projects. This usually expands your network two or three times, giving you all the resources you need to get started.

3. You can set and execute goals.

Goal setting is an important part of starting and running a business and is needed continuously throughout business life. At a young age, we do not always understand the power of intelligent goals to acquire from one place to another.

As a person who sets goals, the process of defining the outcome you want, and the steps you will take to make that outcome a reality, will come as second nature.

Your life experience will also help you stay focused as you consider the different paths you can take to achieve your goals so that you can move forward in an effective, inexpensive, and productive way.

4. You may benefit from investors.

While young entrepreneurs are often preferred by investors because it can make it easier for them to acquire greater ownership and more control over the business, it can be argued that older entrepreneurs offer better opportunities for success because of what they bring to the table.

According to Entrepreneur.com, many capitalists are looking for older, more experienced, and more experienced entrepreneurs who “already exist, doing that.” As Susan Schreter points out, leading investors are opportunists, and by supporting older and wiser entrepreneurs who have made mistakes, they are able to invest more efficiently.

5. You know what you’re passionate about.

Most young entrepreneurs know they want to start a business of some kind, but they may not know exactly how they want to do it. This is because they have not yet had enough time to develop the concept of what they really love.

“Passion is one of the most successful motivators when it comes to starting a business – and it is often one of the strongest predictions that a vision will lead to success,” says Richard Branson.

Without loving your job, it is possible that your business idea will emerge at some point. Older entrepreneurs know what they enjoy doing — and cannot — and can adjust a new business to fit it.

6. You have important information for today’s economy.

In recent years, there has been an economic shift from industrialization to information, which means that most of us have the opportunity to continue working beyond the normal retirement age. In fact, age makes us more valuable as professionals because it usually means we bring more skills and knowledge to the table. This is true for entrepreneurs, too. This economic transformation will support older entrepreneurs who decide to pursue it later in life because you can turn your knowledge into a much-needed asset.

7. You are financially secure.

Starting a business at a young age means that you will probably have to deal with business owners and other major life investments that most of us face: housing payments, child care (child care, education, sports, holidays), health care, insurance. , car payments, student loan payments, and retirement savings.

Although the costs really do not diminish, as you grow older, you are more likely to pay for a significant percentage of the larger items. This frees up money to invest in your business.

In addition, having fewer financial responsibilities makes the idea of ​​starting a business less risky as it is thought, you will lose a lot of things that do not work out.

8. You have many startup options.

When you are young, you have limited experience, limited network, and limited finances, so your startup options are often limited, and – often, the bootstrapped startup is the only way you can go unless you can protect the ever-present financial backer.

As a financially secure professional, with extensive experience, you have many options when it comes to your way to business. Sure, you can start a new business from scratch, but that’s not the only option on the table.

You can buy a franchise, use the power of an already successful product and make it your legacy. You can also build partnerships with business partners and split costs, workloads, and profits. Or, you can be an investor yourself, passing the other side of the table by donating money to someone else’s business idea.

In return you get a percentage of the business, you leave the job “in the trenches” for them to manage.

9. You have failed before.

Failure is a part of life, and as we grow older we have more failures in our numbers. Whether you have two major failures in your list or 22, it is a huge advantage for two main reasons.

First, the most important part of each failure is the lessons learned in the program. Each failure has taught you the importance of preparation, effort, and why you need an emergency plan.

Second, your fear of failure is probably less important now than it was in your youth. While the fear of failure can lead to uncertainty, lack of confidence, and inadequacy, a little fear may be the strongest reason why older entrepreneurs have an easy start.

10. You are self-confident.

Do you know all of these shortcomings we just talked about? In addition to the important lessons learned, these failures also create one major benefit as soon as you are able to return — boost your self-confidence and motivate you to do better.

Many young entrepreneurs have a high level of confidence and a certain level of self-confidence in nature, but much of it comes from the pure hope that their business vision will change for the better.

Being optimistic is really necessary when you start a business, but if you take that hope and add to the confidence that comes with a proven track record of success, it is invincible.

As a seasoned professional, you have already experienced both victories and defeats, and you already have strong confidence that will allow you to take your business ownership challenges lightly and excel.

So when you grow up and feel like your business opportunity is slowly disappearing every year, think again. Now maybe a good time to take a trip and start a small business.

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