Dear leaders, with the end of year reviews likely happening, I thought it might be time to give you a different perspective.
I had a funny conversation with a friend recently, where they questioned if they were too old to launch something at 41.
It is only a recent phenomenon that founders of companies were actually under the age of 30.
FWIW Jeff Bezos was 30 when he started Amazon and now at 57 is one of the richest people in the world.
Tech has obviously broken the older traditions and accelerated how young founders and company leaders can be.
If your idea and product are good enough and you bring the right people around you, age is just a number.
Responsibility is obviously a big influence on making the choice on whether you go for an idea or not, with the way of the world, you are never too old.
Here is a list of highly successful companies from founders that were over the age of 40.
40’s
Vera Wang, Vera Wang 40
Robert Noyce, Intel 41
Diane Greene, VMware 43
Sam Walton, Walmart 44
Jim Sinegal, Costco 47
Adi Dassler, Adidas 48
50’s
Rudolf Dassler, Puma 50
Bernie Marcus, Home Depot 50
Gordon Bowker, Starbucks 51
60’s
Charles Flint, IBM 61
Col. Sanders, KFC 62
If your idea is good enough and you have the right timing, sprinkled with luck and of course hard work, you have a chance at any age. (obviously, the younger you are the likelihood is you have fewer responsibilities and don’t need as much sleep or caffeine)
Maybe revisit these the next time you are considering your options or you have an itch you cannot stop scratching.
Thanks and have a great week.
Danny Denhard
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