Ageless Startup

"Circular economy business models keep products, equipment, and infrastructure in use for longer, increasing the value of these resources. Principles that underpin circular economy thinking include reducing waste and finding innovative ways to repair, recycle, and reuse materials by returning them to the value chain. This is an intrinsically attractive strategy and business model for ageless entrepreneurs. One could even make the case for considering new, late-life careers as a wise reuse of the talents, skills, and knowledge developed over lifetimes of work and inquiry." Rick Terrien ### From: Starting Up Smarter. Why Founders Over 50 Build Better Companies. Dr. Mary J. Cronin. This quote is from my chapter which concluded this great book. Models for Regenerative Sustainability. Rick Terrien Page 287

"Young and old alike can be innovation partners in this new world. While older entrepreneurs have lifetimes of experience and networks to share for the common good, young people have been born into a world where existential threats are a clear and present danger. Young people do not have the luxury of ‘kicking the problems down the road’. They feel their timelines for finding solutions are shrinking. There has always been a strong sense of urgency in younger generations to make change happen quickly, but this movement is being magnified by the multiple system failures endemic in the world, including climate change, food systems failures, and rampant pollution endangering health and life. Founders in the second half of life will find abundant overlap of purpose with younger entrepreneurs. This is a unique time in our cultural and commercial history where these kinds of multigenerational partnerships can be formed around shared causes. Mentoring can and should be multidirecti...

"Why is an ageless startup right for you? When you consider your options, you’ll likely see that the question perhaps shouldn’t be “Why me?” but rather “Why not me?” Consider this: You have skills and knowledge that have taken most of a lifetime to accumulate. You have the time to build a new career slowly and thoughtfully that can reflect the values you want to leave for those who follow. You have networks of friends, colleagues and connections and that are unique in history. You have the passion to make a difference and time enough on the planet to not care what others think about you." Rick Terrien Source: Mar 26, 2020 Entrepreneur Magazine. 26 Questions to Help You Decide If a Late-in-Life Business Is Right for You. Rick Terrien. Article: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/346439

This is a great new quote from The Economist in support of the longevity infrastructure we're building at the CAE. Unlocking the potential of older years The Economist. Dec. 21, 2021 (6:04) “In the rich world 90% of people will now reach their 65th birthday and most of them will have plenty of healthy years ahead of them. Encouraging people to make use of these healthy years could unlock economic potential that’s being lost in retirement. To make the most of this increasing life expectancy, to reap a so-called longevity dividend you need to make sure that you set up the infrastructure to make that possible . More flexible ways of tapping into, say your pension savings, to employers taking a more open-minded approach.” (6:40) Emphasis added Youtube link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJCr5WJapm8

Are there any mistake(s) you can share from your own current career? Every day should be an opportunity to discover and grow and correct whatever didn’t work before. There were definitely disappointments and gut punches and states of bewilderment. But I chose to see them more as obstacles to overcome, rather than mistakes. " Martha Davis Kipcak Ageless Startup. Start a Business at Any Age. Page 16

"Work every day to maintain good emotional, spiritual and physical health. Cultivate curiosity and tenacity and wonder. Listen more. Talk less. Stay active and engaged in people, in ideas, in what truly brings value to life." Martha Davis Kipcak Ageless Startup. Start a Business at Any Age. Page 16

What is your best piece of advice you would share with someone in the second half of life considering entrepreneurship? Own your shit. "Nothing is as exhausting as people who refuse to own any error, intentional or accidental. Own your shit. People will respect you for it. And you can respect yourself. Work every day to maintain good emotional, spiritual and physical health. Cultivate curiosity and tenacity and wonder. Listen more. Talk less. Stay active and engaged in people, in ideas, in what truly brings value to life." Martha Davis Kipcak Ageless Startup. Start a Business at Any Age. Page 16

"You possess the self-discipline needed to see tasks through to fruition. By this time in your life, you’ve likely figured out what you’re truly passionate about and can build new enterprises to serve those goals." Rick Terrien Source: Mar 26, 2020 Entrepreneur Magazine. 26 Questions to Help You Decide If a Late-in-Life Business Is Right for You. Rick Terrien. Article: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/346439

"Older entrepreneurs can create significant value for themselves and their communities by focusing on the life skills and traits that got them here: common sense, tenacity and a strong ethic of helping." Rick Terrien Source: Mar 26, 2020 Entrepreneur Magazine. 26 Questions to Help You Decide If a Late-in-Life Business Is Right for You. Rick Terrien. Article: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/346439

"When you ask yourself some simple questions about where you’ll be working at 60 or 65, don’t see work as a burden to live through. See it as a path to liberation in the later years of your life." Rick Terrien Source: Mar 26, 2020 Entrepreneur Magazine. 26 Questions to Help You Decide If a Late-in-Life Business Is Right for You. Rick Terrien. Article: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/346439

"When you give your organization time to evolve, you can offer services that are unique and truly benefit your community." Rick Terrien Source: Mar 21 2020 Association Now – Running a New Organization? Take it Slow. – Ageless Startup: Start a Business at Any Age. Article: https://associationsnow.com/2020/03/daily-buzz-running-a-new-organization-take-it-slow/?fbclid=IwAR2sXPxPJjfDCSD-FS9lbCPTazH4kLF6ZV8iYIZ9Pr7AXxyw2DKaAgocXD4

“These kinds of contributions require the opposite of rushing. They require that the entrepreneur be prepared with sustainable solutions and, more importantly, to have taken the time to understand the problems being addressed and the impact their new enterprise can have on those already in the fray,” Rick Terrien Source: Mar 21 2020 Association Now – Running a New Organization? Take it Slow. – Ageless Startup: Start a Business at Any Age. Article: https://associationsnow.com/2020/03/daily-buzz-running-a-new-organization-take-it-slow/?fbclid=IwAR2sXPxPJjfDCSD-FS9lbCPTazH4kLF6ZV8iYIZ9Pr7AXxyw2DKaAgocXD4

"You can enter any part of our economy at a small scale that matches your goals and aspirations. But it’s crucial to build a professional practice and personally grow in professionalism as you develop your business model. Treat your business like the professional practice it is right from the start." Rick Terrien Source: Mar 12, 2020 Entrepreneur Magazine. The 3-Step Startup Journey. Get each of these steps right, and you just might have a successful business on your hands. Rick Terrien. Article: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/346438

"Planning isn’t a mystical process of divining the future. Planning is an exercise in looking into yourself to determine what you think is worth pursuing and then telling yourself the story of how you’ll get there. Ignore shortcuts and fast answers. Your plan is your story to write." Rick Terrien Source: Mar 12, 2020 Entrepreneur Magazine. The 3-Step Startup Journey. Get each of these steps right, and you just might have a successful business on your hands. Rick Terrien. Article: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/346438

"Once you solidify your plan, you can consider the 10-10-10 rule: Be able to describe your enterprise in 10 seconds. Then, be able to present your concept in 10 screens. Then, be able to provide a deep dive into your business to customers and stakeholders in 10 minutes." Rick Terrien Ageless Startup. Start a Business at Any Age. Page 71

I'm going to begin using this blog to post quotes that I can refer to later. These will also be available for public use - if sourced here. I can be specific with the citations this way. I want to use these for the launch of our Center for Ageless Entrepreneurs / CAE. Center for Ageless Entrepreneurs

I had a good conversation with Grant Bledsoe on the podcast Grow Money Business recently. Links Below. Thanks Grant! “There is a common misconception that successful entrepreneurship exists only for younger individuals. This week on the podcast, Rick Terrien shares why we should challenge that thought process. Rick, a long-term entrepreneur and author, shares how he has dedicated his time to assisting others with launching a business in their second half of life. Throughout the episode, we dive deep into the essentials of entrepreneurship and crucial information that will give you inspiration and guidance along the way. LINKS: Video link to the podcast : https://www.abovethecanopy.us/gmb-ep-108-launching-a-business-in-the-second-half-of-life-with-rick-terrien/ Audio link to the podcast : https://growmoneybusiness.libsyn.com/ep-108-launching-a-business-in-the-2nd-half-of-life-with-rick-terrien From show notes : [02:29] Rick’s Journey - Rick talks about his wor...

I am using this post to gather media links since the book was published and we launched the Center for Ageless Entrepreneurs. This is a sample of reviews, interviews, podcasts, and articles - during the pandemic Ageless Startup: Start a Business at Any Age . Rick Terrien Entrepreneur Press. April 2020. www.ageless-startup.com The Center for Ageless Entrepreneurs A peer-to-peer network for experienced entrepreneurs. Business driven. Non-profit managed. Co-founder. Executive Director. www.agelessentrepreneurs.org REVIEWS: Carl Schramm, former president of the Kauffman Foundation: "Entrepreneurship provides an exciting new career for millions of older Americans, one they would never have anticipated growing up in a world that presumed people’s work life would end at 65. Rick Terrien has provided a fabulous roadmap on how to approach this new chapter in life. His brilliant 'Ageless Startup'...

In my opinion, older workers are done undervaluing themselves. Good article from CNN Business. The data that shows Boomers are to blame for the labor shortage “Last month, there were 3.6 million more Americans who had left the labor force and said they didn't want a job compared with November 2019. A whopping 90% of them were over 55.” Many in our age group will want to continue contributing. We can create social enterprises, for-profits and non-profits. The Center for Ageless Entrepreneurs provides an infrastructure for these new ageless entrepreneurs to work together. Link to CNN Story. 12-18-2021

"Entrepreneurs over fifty represent a vast, largely untapped global resource. People with decades of experience bring knowledge, networks, and know-how to the table. In the U.S. there are about 100 million people between forty-five and sixty-five. Pre-pandemic surveys indicated about 25% wanted to launch their own small enterprise. That’s twenty-five million potential startups in the queue. With twenty-five million new entrepreneurs ready to contribute creative solutions where needed, with thirty years of experience each, that’s 750 million years of human experience ready to launch sustainable organizations for their own success and that of the planet" ### From: Starting Up Smarter. Why Founders Over 50 Build Better Companies. Dr. Mary J. Cronin. This quote is from my chapter which concluded this great book. Models for Regenerative Sustainability. Rick Terrien Links to book will be added as available.

I was honored to present at the 2021 Stanford Century Summit this week. Thanks to the Stanford Center on Longevity for the invitation and for organizing this inspiring event. So many valuable conversations got started. Our panel focused on entrepreneurship in the second half of life. Links to the Center for Ageless Entrepreneurs and the Stanford Century Summit in the comments. Thanks to all involved!

I am looking forward to my presentation tomorrow at Stanford University's Longevity Center for their annual Century Summit. The theme for the panel is 'Entrepreneurship in the Second Half of Life'. Register / join. Below is a link my new friend and panel moderator Maria Thomas posted Direct link to registration / Maria Thomas post

My friend and colleauge Dr. Mary Cronin has just announced her new book: Starting Up Smarter. Why Founders Over 50 Build Better Companies . I am honored to be a chapter author, under the title, Models for Regenerative Sustainability. Why adapting Circular Economy strategies comes naturally to older entrepreneurs. Mary's news: "Announcing STARTING UP SMARTER, my new book inspired by the stories of founders whose business success is grounded in social purpose, sustainability, and inter-generational collaboration. With abounding thanks to the entrepreneurs and chapter authors at the heart of this book, including..." Congratulations Mary! Direct link to book coming soon