Age race? Young vs. Old?

[Aragorn]

I came across an article I wanted to share with you guys:
How Old Are Successful Tech Entrepreneurs?

In short, it turns the spotlight to the urban legend that in order to become a successful (tech) entrepreneur one needs to be young. The older you get the more probable entrepreneurial success . The authors feed that with facts.

Personally, I consider youth has great advantages:

• Independence
• Curiosity
• Ample time to compensate for (expensive) mistakes
• At the pulse of new developments
• Young folks tend to network naturally (they hang out with others as compared with the more reclusive life of a family)
• Naivety in a positive sense (life's not as complex yet)

On the other hand life experience helps aspiring entrepreneurs a great deal:

• Experience in life and job (a more practical approach; knowing better what is possible)
• More likely to take calculated risks
• More substantial and less superficial goals
• Identifying niches at the interface between old and new economy (because ideally they know both worlds and how to talk to representatives of both worlds)

I don't consider age a go or no-go criterium for entrepreneurship. It is deviating the discussion from its core: Most everyone cannot be an entrepreneur, because of:

• Missing courage
• Lacking stamina
• Absent brains
• Reduced creativity
• Outright laziness

This has nothing to do with age. It is a question of character and personal development. There are people who are born entrepreneurs like there are born artists or mathematicians. And there are those who gradually develop into entrepreneurs. Those who need to go a long way before their talents emerge. To me, either way is fine.

Any questions and suggestions? Please let me know. Thanks!

 

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