Yahoo Answers time. I saw a question and it revolved around asking ‘why are young people successful at starting companies?’ It almost seems a little bit of a ridiculous question at first glance, but I can understand. I think it revolves around bias and focusing on what’s the most fun, and encouraging those that believe or perceive to still have time to do things.
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But what’s more fun to talk about? The 35 or 40-year-old guy or gal with three kids and a mortgage that has a six figure e-commerce business or the 22-year-old guy that created Facebook and billions and billions of dollars and whatnot?
I mean, really, come on. While a lot of that gets visibility and is seen as awesome and inspirational and role model-y, really and truly, I think it is just a reporting bias and that everyone is perfectly capable of being just as successful, regardless of age. As a matter of fact, I bet if you put the numbers to the test, there are more quantity wise, successful people at the age of 35, 40, 45 in an entrepreneurial role than all of the 20-year-olds combined, especially on a longevity scale.
So, I think that that question is pretty much handled in where you’re getting your information from, where you’re getting your inspiration from, and who you’re hanging around. So keep your chin up there. If you’re young, use it as inspiration. If you’re old, don’t let it get you down. There’s still plenty of opportunity left. You’ve still got a ton of value to add and there’s always room to grow. There’s money out there with your name on it, you need to go pick it up.