Am I too old to start a business?
No.
Short and sweet!
I believe that if you’re thinking about starting a new venture, age shouldn’t be the issue that stops you exploring further.
It’s all too easy to dismiss opportunities based on unfounded assumptions like ‘I’m too old.’ The immediate response is: ‘who says you are?’
And one of the best things about starting your own business is that you are the one making the decisions. That gives you the freedom to take control of your own beliefs and assumptions – and to reframe any that are unhelpful, one of which might be ‘I’m too old.’
Instead of seeing age as a negative, try listing what you have gained from your previous experience - the knowledge, skills and understanding these have given you and which you can share with future clients or customers.
It’s all too easy to forget the real gold dust that underlies a desire to start a business: the passion you have for the potential service or product you want to launch.
Don’t forget that many clients or customers will see your age as an advantage – they may be able to identify with you more easily and respect your years of experience. Your career and life story will become part of why your ideal client chooses you – so feeling comfortable in your own skin (whatever your age) is a vital part of taking your product or service to the world.
Ask these questions instead
When exploring the option of launching your own business, focus on you, your offer and your potential customers.
Here are some questions to get you started:
1. Why is this your best option?
2. What are you offering?
3. Is there a need?
4. Who are your clients or customers? And why will they choose you?
5. What is your business model?
6. How will you fund it, especially as a start up?
7. How well qualified are you to offer this service?
8. What makes your business different?
You can see that there’s so much to think about than your age!
My story
How can I be so sure age needn’t hold you back? One very good reason is that I launched Freestyle Careers when I was 60. I’m happy to say the business is going well and continues to provide me with great fulfillment while also offering a vital service to help others redesign their careers.
I believe my experience and the self-knowledge that often comes with age has contributed to the success of the business.
The reasons I chose to become self-employed remain the same as they did four years ago – despite the uncertainties of this Covid year.
So why did I choose this option?
1. This business aligns with my values, especially autonomy, authenticity, creativity and love. I’m completely myself in all aspects of my coaching work and how I present it to the world, able to create each day to play to my strengths, make business choices swiftly and without compromise, and able to offer a service that is valued by my clients.
2. Coaching and personal development are real passions of mine. They’re at the heart of my purpose – enabling others to become more themselves and design futures to fit them better. This has been a motivator for me since the 1980s! Most often, this work doesn’t feel like hard graft but rather an extension of my natural and acquired skills. That’s a great reward in itself.
3. I’m bringing 4 decades of experience in teaching, learning and development to serve every client. My own career change experiences around the world also help potential clients to trust me. I’m well qualified, have wide experience in a whole range of settings, but I also understand career change on a personal level because I’ve made 3 clear career shifts in my life. That story attracts them.
4. There’s also a real demand for the work I do. More and more people are rethinking their working lives and looking for a reliable process to explore better options for themselves. When I see the journey my clients experience – and how much clearer and more inspired they are at the end of our work together – I know this is worthwhile work. What could be better than that?
Prepare positively
While age didn’t hold me back, it did perhaps make me more cautious about creating a sustainable business. I did my research, took sound business advice, developed a business model that could deliver the life I was seeking, added new qualifications and licensing to my suite of skills, and thought very carefully about who my ideal clients would be.
I sat down with a clear head and looked at my finances and what I would need to have behind me at the outset. I developed a viable transition strategy, so that after 18 months, I was able to move full time into this work.
I was able to do all this because I was sure about three things:
· Why this was the perfect work for me
· How my clients would benefit from working with me
· What I needed this work to do for me – the rewards I value which go far beyond the financial
This clarity is especially important when times are uncertain. And I think we can all agree the past year has disrupted just about everything!
I’ve had to adjust my business offerings to suit the times, launching a self-study version of my career change programme to suit leaner finances, and have taken on associate coaching work that still matches my values.
It’s been hard, but I’ve never thought about giving up – nor have I considered my age a problem. Knowing WHY I do this work has kept me sane, focused and motivated, and it’s helped me be creative and resourceful in very challenging times.
So no, my answer remains the same: age needn’t hold you back.
Unless, of course, you let it!