Startups Are Not Always a Young Person’s Game
If you think you need to be young, fresh-faced, and only days out of business school to think seriously about launching a new business, it’s officially time to think again. There are a number of experts out there with some pretty specific ideas about what actually makes someone an ideal fit for entrepreneurship, and they’re not what you might be expecting.
The following are just a few of the details on which demographics are considered the most likely to found successful startups according to a recent study conducted by Bloomberg Beta. Do you and your would-be business partners make the grade?
Older May Actually Be Better
Passion and youthful energy aren’t the only characteristics that might make someone a good potential business owner. The wisdom and experience that come with age make pretty good assets to have in your corner as well. In fact, according to the Bloomberg study, ideal candidates ranged in age from their late 30’s all the way into their 40’s.
They were also significantly more like to have an extensive background working in business, finance, or a similar field. Of course, if that background included hands-on experience working with startups, so much the better! They were not necessarily more likely to have experience holding senior management or high-ranking leadership positions.
Staying Power Is Helpful as Well
When you picture the quintessential startup founder, what type of person comes to mind? If you’re like most people, you don’t just picture that person being younger. You also picture them being a rebel type who doesn’t necessarily fit well into the existing system or gel with any established company cultures, but that image may not be terribly accurate.
It turns out that being a team player with a history of staying at the same place of business for many years at a time is actually helpful to would-be entrepreneurs. This seems to be the case even for people who may have considered themselves stuck at a dead-end job they didn’t particularly enjoy. Such people may have a better grasp of what does and doesn’t work as far as company culture goes.
In other words, the wonderfully exciting world of startups isn’t necessarily reserved for the young or the restless. There’s quite a lot an older perspective can bring to the table as well, so never let anyone tell you-you’re too old to follow your dreams. According to some, there’s quite literally no such thing.
