HIGHEST RATE OF ENTREPRENEURS, AMERICANS OVER 50

John and I are both over 50, but we’re not ready to retire yet.  We operate 4-5 businesses; we work from home.   What we’re doing, working from home, is more common today than it’s been in America for some time.

In America today more folks over the age of 50 are starting new businesses than ever before.

“‘The United States might be on the cusp of an entrepreneurship boom—not in spite of an aging population but because of it,’ the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation stated in a report last year,” U.S. News & World Report, “A New Wave of Entrepreneurs,” Oct 2010.

Workers over 50, with years of work behind them, may understand better how to deal in the job market.  They may have the benefit of business connections made during their work years to help them anticipate and deal with challenges that discourage younger workers.  Greater financial resources can also help them survive better than their younger counterparts.  And they may have more of a stick-to-it attitude in the face of problems.

The highest rate of success in entrepreneurship belongs to the over 50 age group.  With life expectancy increasing we may see entrepreneurs in the 70s age group in the future.

BUSINESSES STARTED BY OVER 50s MORE SUCCESSFUL

Not only are over 50s starting more businesses than younger counter parts, start-ups with older owners are more likely to survive:

“Firms surviving through 2008 were much more likely to have primary owners older than age 45,” according to the Kauffman study.

 EXPERIENCE IMPORTANT IN STARTING NEW BUSINESS

Anyone beginning a business is wise to stay close to his prior experience. Go after ventures that build on what you’ve already done, or what you’re already passionate about.  Hobbies, long-term interests promise more success than new schemes. What skills have you developed?  The old question, “What do you love?” can be a guide to a new path.

Older entrepreneurs may pursue a new business because of financial need, or they may simply love bringing something new to life, overcoming a challenge, and making something happen.

Many over 50 want to remain active.  They may not want to be seen as spectators at the game we call, “Life.”  They choose, rather, to be fully engaged. 

John and I aren’t ready to retire from everything yet.  There’s too much to experience, and too many new skills to learn.  We’re stretching to learn computer skills and new approaches to health.  New learning is part of what makes life interesting.  Learning from the mistakes we make, seeing progress.  That’s what keeps us going.

Janice

P.S. I’m learning now how to do videos.  Just finished the video for the Home Page, after doing and redoing it 5-6 times…At the tip top of this page click “Home” in the upper left corner and you should be at the Home Page with my new video.

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Hello, Entrepreneurs!

We’re fortunate to live in a time of rapid changes that support small businesses and Entrepreneurs.  We’ve moved back into real conversation–permission-based, when people, not elites, have the voice.

The following links will help you dig in further to sociology behind this revolution and help you, I hope, find your niche to take part.

Markets are organizing themselves into tribes engaged in digital conversations to connect, communicate, and converse with a target audience.  People can no longer be approached with a mass-marketing mindset.   They want to be part of the conversation.  They’ve had a taste of contributing their viewpoints, and they want to hear the opinions of others and discuss.

It’s with the small business owner that you find the genius of connecting with small groups, flexibility to change direction rapidly, and flexibility to respond rapidly to current world events.  That can be most effectively done with a blog built around targeted key words.

Here’s your link to QuanSite, the blog system that automatically connects your blog article to social media sites> 

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