Ageless Startup

My friends at Entrepreneur Press have just released the pre-order links  for Ageless Startup. Publication date is March 17, 2020.  Please get in touch if you would like to discuss a presentation to your group about exploring entrepreneurship in the second half of life.  Pre-order sites for Ageless Startup: Amazon:   https://amzn.to/2A2N70N Barnes & Noble:   http://entm.ag/0s51 IndieBound:  https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781599186634?aff=EntPress Porchlight Books:   https://www.porchlightbooks.com/product/ageless-startup-start-run-and-grow-a-business-at-any-age--rick-terrien?variationCode=9781599186634

The myth that entrepreneurship is only for the young is upside down. The majority of startups are launched by people over 45.  We have the knowledge, the networks, and the wisdom to put our skills to work on our own terms. Don't just  wish  for a secure future.  Take some reasonable action steps that you can fit into your life now. Here's a bit of inspiration just published earlier by Entrepreneur Magazine.  I especially like the idea of older entrepreneurs choosing younger mentors.  I'm doing this with my newest launch and it's paying off wonderfully - in many great directions. Something to Think About for the Coming New Year: You're Not Too Old to Be an Entrepreneur 'Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau and IRS, researchers from MIT and Northwestern University found that 2.7 million entrepreneurs started businesses between 2007 and 2014.  And their average age?  42.   I f that’s not surprising enough, the researchers also learned that the entrepren

Launch ant test your ideas.  It won't be a straight line but you'll be glad you launched this journey.  A piece from Forbes puts this in context... "A third of business owners never planned on starting their own company. And in spite of the challenges they faced, from raising finance and finding customers to managing with little personal income, only 1% regret their decision, while 12% wish they’d started their business sooner. Ninety per cent say they are happier than when they were employed." Put a toe in the water.  Learn something new.  Take a small chance.  It's not hard.  It's just new. Link to source article

The increasing value of the Ageless Startup. Update from Australia... ' Four out of five Australians over 40 feel pressure to look for additional streams of income as they look towards retirement.' ' Given such easy access to technology, it’s no surprise that, as they head towards retirement, older generations are swapping boardroom stress to find greater balance and happiness in a second career aligned to their passions. While this may seem idealistic, the majority of Australians believe it’s never been a better time to start a business, and over half don’t believe age is a barrier.' ' Entrepreneurship has arguably never looked more attractive, with each age group bringing its own strengths to starting a new enterprise. Nonetheless, universal entrepreneurial truths stand strong at any age – greater work flexibility, the opportunity to pursue one’s life passions, and the freedom to design one’s own lifestyle choices. It’s easy to see why the vast majority of r

There is a powerful new study about entrepreneurship with great implications for the economy and those of us in the second half of life. " A new study found the average founder of the fastest growing tech startups was about 45-years-old — and 50-year-old entrepreneurs were about twice as likely to have a runaway business success as their 30-year-old counterparts." " The new study by Jones, Javier Miranda of the U.S. Census Bureau and MIT's Pierre Azoulay and J. Daniel Kim, looked at an expansive dataset and found the most successful entrepreneurs are middle-aged. "Take David Duffield, who founded Workday in 2005 at the ripe age of 65.  Workday went public in 2012 and today has a $26.47 billion market cap.  Whereas younger founders may benefit from their creative thinking and lesser degree of entrenchment in an industry, the exact opposite qualities work to the benefit of their older counterparts." "Older entrepreneurs have had years to build their

AARP has long been an effective advocate for older citizens.  I'm a member.  But it's been hard to get too enthusiastic about their approach to publicity and outreach in the past. Things are changing.  Lots of smart new approaches are emerging. AARP brands their Purpose Prize with the great phrase, ' Making a Difference is Ageless.   As a Purpose Prize Fellow, I like that a lot. They've been posting a new TV commercial that is also a significant change from their past branding.  It's pretty cool. The spot is called 'The rules of aging are changing.'  It shows a wide range of people from all ages and all walks of life interacting and making contributions.  One of my favorite lines is: "Too old?  Too young?  No, we're in this as one." There are all kinds of roles for those of us in the second half of life.  Valuable, fulfilling roles that make a difference in our communities, including the role of ageless entrepreneur. Watch the new s

The runway for ageless entrepreneurs - those of us in the second half of life - to launch and grow new enterprises - is wide open. The recent Kaufmann Index of Startup Activity (2016) highlights a major trend in the American economy that is going largely unreported. Startups among people below age 44 fell 12.95% from 1996 through 2016. Startups among people above 45 rose 13.21% 1996 through 2016. That's a 26.1% shift in entrepreneurship from younger to older entrepreneurs. And yet the common myth is that startups are the purview of the young.  Policies get made, infrastructure gets built and myths continue around this narrative.  All the while, older entrepreneurs march ahead, setting the pace out of the limelight. It's clearly not slowing down these ageless entrepreneurs.  New opportunities arise daily.  New problems arise that need solutions. Older entrepreneurs have experience, knowledge and networks behind them.  We are ideally positioned to grow new organizat

Carl Schramm, the former President of the Kaufmann Foundation wrote a great article in a recent  Wall Street Journal  titled, "Older Entrepreneurs Do It Better". The article points out that, "According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, American who are 35 or older are 50% more likely to start a business than their younger counterparts." The article also points out the value of experience, knowledge, and networks.  "One reason for the prevalence of older entrepreneurs is that it takes some time for people to recognize that their destiny is to start a company.  Their inspiration comes not from college programs teaching them generic entrepreneurship skills but from what they've learned in previous jobs." Mr. Schramm recommends a series of steps that can be taken to support mid and late career entrepreneurs, including re-tooling to college and university systems to make available training in emerging technologies and business practices.  S

'Ageless' is becoming a trend. The country of Japan is working to match their society and its workforce to the reality of longer lifespans and lower birthrates.   Their new concept of an 'ageless society' recognizes that many people in the second half of life remain committed to working, and to contributing and growing their communities “The general trend of uniformly seeing those aged 65 or over as elderly is losing credibility,” an outline of the new policy said. “The government will review the (current) standardization by age bracket and aim to create an ageless society where people of all generations can be active according to their wishes.”   Read this article  in The Japan Times However,  Japan continues to lag in entrepreneurship .  Perhaps a worthy experiment - on a countrywide scale - would be to start small and start smart.  Allow older people who would like to ease into retirement years to start small service businesses that cater to the needs of their pe

To borrow a phrase from AARP's Purpose Prize,  "Making a difference is ageless." One of the most exciting and fulfilling ways to make a difference is through entrepreneurship.  You have knowledge, networks and the opportunity to serve. Entrepreneurs make life better:  They fix problems; they use their experience, wisdom, and networks to build solutions that enhance their communities and strengthen themselves.   Ageless Startup is the starting point for those of us in the second half of life that would like to join this revolution.     Welcome.