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The right age to be a founder

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I am in my mid 30s and have been debating starting a company vs. potentially joining a startup. Read this article here that has thoughts on the topic:

http://tapwage.com/cheatsheets/2015/07/28/its-not-too-late-to-start-a-company

The article is very reassuring about my age, but I have a kid on the way and a high paying job. It talks about conviction and I am not sure how much conviction I should have. I am really nervous about the idea (it's in ecommerce). Is that normal or is it a sign that I should maybe just work at a startup instead?
 
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theag

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Simply start the business in your freetime?!

This is an entrepreneur forum so you probably wont get good advice on joining a bubbly unicorn startup here.
 

TJPB

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I am in my mid 30s and have been debating starting a company vs. potentially joining a startup. Read this article here that has thoughts on the topic:

http://tapwage.com/cheatsheets/2015/07/28/its-not-too-late-to-start-a-company

The article is very reassuring about my age, but I have a kid on the way and a high paying job. It talks about conviction and I am not sure how much conviction I should have. I am really nervous about the idea (it's in ecommerce). Is that normal or is it a sign that I should maybe just work at a startup instead?

Ah, the 30s, I remember them. Sure WISH TO HELL I had started back then!
 
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Simply start the business in your freetime?!

This is an entrepreneur forum so you probably wont get good advice on joining a bubbly unicorn startup here.

I understand but do you think joining a startup (maybe more early stage) is valuable experience to starting a company?
 
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Ah, the 30s, I remember them. Sure WISH TO HELL I had started back then!
When did you start? Does it always feel this scary? I am working on the product part time now and want to quit to do it full time because I believe in it, but I am nervous as hell.
 

TJPB

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When did you start? Does it always feel this scary? I am working on the product part time now and want to quit to do it full time because I believe in it, but I am nervous as hell.

I started when I was 40. I'm also at a point when quitting the day job makes sense....it's always scary.
 

theag

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I understand but do you think joining a startup (maybe more early stage) is valuable experience to starting a company?
No, not really... Working for an experienced and successful entrepreneur as a personal assistant/protegee or sth like that, yes, but since most "startups" tend to only burn money and dont really know what they are doing I dont think thats good preparation for being an entrepreneur... unless you want to go down that road of being a fulltime money raiser and burner ;)

Most people here start their businesses on the side while working a job until they can quit, so we are all pretty biased. You will find quite a few very inspiring progress thread that turned out like that, especially on the inside..

And I agree with @TJPB... I'm on the verge of quitting myself after a long time of working on my business in my freetime, its pretty scary. But I guess it will always be scary... Hiring the first fulltime employee ("Can I even afford his salary?? He depends on me..."), to renting a real office space ("Can I even afford the rent..."), to selling your company ("Am I getting screwed here?!")...
 
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Get Right

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Entrepreneurs hit their strides at different times and in different ways. I don't read too much into expected timelines.

Examples - I know an 18 year old on here that is strooongggg and will go a long way. I also know a 72 year old guy in town that got it right last year.

If you want to mitigate risk try @theag method above...and congrats on expecting!
 

Will Hodge

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I am in my mid 30s and have been debating starting a company vs. potentially joining a startup. Read this article here that has thoughts on the topic:

http://tapwage.com/cheatsheets/2015/07/28/its-not-too-late-to-start-a-company

The article is very reassuring about my age, but I have a kid on the way and a high paying job. It talks about conviction and I am not sure how much conviction I should have. I am really nervous about the idea (it's in ecommerce). Is that normal or is it a sign that I should maybe just work at a startup instead?

"Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."
-Mark Twain

Age means nothing. There are people younger and older than you on this forum, don't let someone's perception of what age is best for you determine what the outcome of your life will be.

That being said, I do agree with theag on this one, solely because it was my situation as well. Start in your free time, build up your skillsets, make mistakes while you have the backing and safety net of a job (especially since you having a family), and learn the hard way. For ME personally, I have always learned the most valuable lessons the "hard way". I could listen to different people preach and state their opinions all day for months, but if I didn't actually see WHY and EXPERIENCE what things I was doing wrong, I never learned the true value of the lesson at hand. With that in mind, you should take the advice you get, and apply it your own situation in the ways you see fit. Learn the smart way! No one can make these decisions for you, but the best move in your situation (IMHO) is to start in your free time, learn from this forum, make mistakes, and once you have a stable income, take the leap to Entrepreneurship. Even if you learn eCommerce isn't your thing, you could find a different beast you want to tackle, or you could find out that it's not for you. Better to learn that in your free time rather than sacrificing your livelihood at your current position to learn that it's not for you. Best of luck!
 

Vigilante

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The best time to have started something? Last year.

And absent of that? Now.

Regret lives in next year.
 
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John the Man

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There's only one thing that makes us scary - MONEY. If you have money, nothing is scary, you can quit your job anytime, you can start a company anytime at any size at any age... The absolute effect of liquid money can overcome the uncertainty of all endeavors, money is the weapon and life support. If money is not really a problem then nothing can scare you, GO FOR IT, Let's build a business.
 

M&A

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Obviously the younger the better due to:

More energy
No mortgage
No marriage
Less responsibilities
No kids
More time to build experience
More room for mistakes

No point getting upset about things you can't control though :)
 

Ninjakid

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Start a company in your spare time.

Actually work on something. It may be tough to motivate yourself after you've just worked a shift at your job, but think of it as your ticket out.

If you need a lot of capital, don't use a loan, credit cards, or anything that will inevitably result in personal loss. Get money from investors. Better to play with someone else's money than your own.

Joining a startup may be tempting but here are some things to consider:

  • Most startups fail. That's just the cold-hard reality. You could find your cash-flow being cut very abruptly.
  • The business is ultimately under someone else's control.
  • You're essentially still an employee but with more responsibility, a lax hierarchy, longer hours, and probably for a lot less money.
Hope to see a progress thread from you soon.
 
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User Power
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Jul 28, 2015
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"Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."
-Mark Twain

Age means nothing. There are people younger and older than you on this forum, don't let someone's perception of what age is best for you determine what the outcome of your life will be.

That being said, I do agree with theag on this one, solely because it was my situation as well. Start in your free time, build up your skillsets, make mistakes while you have the backing and safety net of a job (especially since you having a family), and learn the hard way. For ME personally, I have always learned the most valuable lessons the "hard way". I could listen to different people preach and state their opinions all day for months, but if I didn't actually see WHY and EXPERIENCE what things I was doing wrong, I never learned the true value of the lesson at hand. With that in mind, you should take the advice you get, and apply it your own situation in the ways you see fit. Learn the smart way! No one can make these decisions for you, but the best move in your situation (IMHO) is to start in your free time, learn from this forum, make mistakes, and once you have a stable income, take the leap to Entrepreneurship. Even if you learn eCommerce isn't your thing, you could find a different beast you want to tackle, or you could find out that it's not for you. Better to learn that in your free time rather than sacrificing your livelihood at your current position to learn that it's not for you. Best of luck!
thanks for this response. it's very thoughtful and helpful.
 

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