No, you’re not too old to “do a startup”
Creating a successful startup company that scales is extremely difficult. It takes tremendous skill. The problem is, we have this image of the successful startup founder as a young person with a great idea, drive, and ambition. But, that’s not enough which is why successful startup founders are older than you expect. 35–45 seems to be the average age most research points to (links in comments). And that’s an average, so many are much older.
My favorite gray-haired entrepreneur is probably Ray Kroc, who turned Mcdonald’s into a global franchise and brand starting at the age of 52. (Wonderful movie The Founder with Michael Keaton doing the role of Ray Kroc tells that story).
As Gary Vaynerchuk often points out in his many social media posts: if you’re 40, 50, or 60 years old — you still have many, many years left to create something amazing. “But what about my health”, you may say. Well, doing something hard but meaningful is the most rewarding thing you can do — for your health. Waking up motivated, learning new things, pushing yourself — that keeps your mind sharp.
Sure, we can all get a sudden losing ticket in the brutal lottery of life. There’s nothing fair about that. But, working with something that is truly meaningful to you is one of the best things you can do to keep yourself healthy. Meaningful work and meaningful relationships are two very powerful medicines.
Even if you don’t end up on the cover of a magazine.
