Did you know that Arianna Huffington founded her online newspaper at the age of 54? The columnist, one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the field of communication, is considered one of the most influential women according to Forbes magazine.
And who hasn't heard of the story of the famous pharmacist John Pemberton and Asa Candler? The former invented the formula for the most famous soft drink in history. The latter bought the mixture and founded the “happiness machine”.
They were both over 40. Do you know which company we're talking about? Yes, it was Coca-Cola.
Starting from scratch at 40 and getting started
American consultancy Easy Life Cover has compiled data on entrepreneurship and claims that 1 in 3 new companies in the United States are created by people over 50 years old.
In fact, entrepreneurs between 55 and 64 years old have had the highest rate of entrepreneurial activity over the past 10 years. And their companies, according to https://hbr.org/ , are twice as likely to survive the first five years than those created by young people between 20 and 30 years old.
Experience shows that there is no ideal age for starting a business. Each age group has its pros and cons. So, whether starting a business, investing or leaving our current job to look for another, we all face certain difficulties.
Data from Spain Startup show that the average age of entrepreneurs in Spain is around 40 years old, that they are men and women with experience in the workplace, who are aware of and rationally confront professional risks.
For example, when you have a certain amount of experience, you may be resistant to new ideas or encounter technology that you don't know how to use. Friends and family may also be hesitant and not be happy with the idea of you starting a business at that age.
However, you should never doubt your ability. Age is just a number and with effort you will be able to do it and prove it to yourself or to others.
Destroying myths about starting a business at a certain age
The stereotype of a long-term unemployed person who will probably never work again is very far from the forty-something. Quite the opposite. In the real world there are no teenagers making millions by inventing video games. What there are are professionals who know the market they are targeting because they have spent their entire professional careers struggling, sometimes failing and sometimes winning.
The key to success is found in the path, not in the door.
And what are the advantages of an entrepreneur who is over 40 years old?
Most Experience :
Experience counts. Entrepreneurs who have worked before know the market and their professional experiences serve them well when making decisions: they have already made mistakes and learned from them, they can more easily identify risks and know how to recognize a good opportunity.
entrepreneur
Contacts :
Having worked for a long time, they have a contact list of professionals in their professional field. They have an easier time finding future partners, investors, business angels , something that is fundamental, especially in the first stage.
Motivation :
They are already accustomed to a work routine, which is essential to get back into the swing of things with enthusiasm and strength. This is also a decisive factor in increasing productivity and morale.
Having worked before, they know their own strengths and weaknesses better and can identify which tasks they are better at or which they should delegate.
Whether through the creation of a technical idea focused on the sector that is mastered or as project leaders managing teams of professionals, the market always needs and values those who know what they are talking about when they decide to start from scratch, with the knowledge of the risks and difficulties inherent to any beginning.
Maybe 40-year-old professionals can't go and live in their parents' garage to invent the first personal computer, but Steve Jobs, at that very age, premiered Toy Story at Pixar, the film and the production company that changed animated films forever.
infographic starting from scratch at 40
Do you want to tell us your story? Have you started your business after 40 or do you know someone who has? Leave us your comment smile
At Cursos Femxa we support your entrepreneurship, both through our blog, where we create specific content for entrepreneurs , and through our selection of courses for managing companies, you have resources to train yourself for free. In addition, there are comments on the website and blog, and our team is at your disposal to answer your questions. Contact us!
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Category: Entrepreneurship
Tags: undertake entrepreneurship Companies business creation startup myths long-term unemployed entrepreneur motivation
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Comments ( 7 )
Anonymous - Wednesday, March 07, 2018
I'm 40 and I want to start something, but I don't know where lawyer email lists to start and, honestly, I'm scared. Help! I want to make a magazine
0
Good morning,
Training in business creation is a good option to start your own business. You can consult our catalogues of courses by sector on this website. In addition, there are courses such as this one www.cursosfemxa.es/gestion-negocios-onl ... emxa-curso that may be of interest to you. Go ahead with your project! Good luck. Regards,
0
Anonymous - Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Thank you, I have been an entrepreneur all my life, I joined a group of companies in a high position and I set up a company within it. My internal company began to sell my services to external companies and in the end the holding company ended up demanding that time because I was leaving the rest of the companies "stranded." I proposed to work half a day and the other half to set up another new business. I have known what it is to be rich, an entrepreneur, to go bankrupt, to be scammed, robbed, psychologically abused. Now, the money is not good and I know that it is on the street, I don't know if I am still in the field I have been working in for 20 years or if I am setting up something completely different. In any case, I know how to build myself up from nothing and go out and sell whatever. It is time to be happy, even though my little girls have a high standard of living, fortunately when I separated from their mother they were left with properties and a good company set up. I am no longer afraid of living in a friend's house, or even in my jeep. I won't sell my Harley Davidson either, I'll save up for a couple of months and go for it...