By Contributor Melissa Houston
Ageism Is Real, But So Is Midlife Success
Last week I attended a summit, and one speaker鈥檚 comment has stuck with me ever since: 鈥淐ompanies today are only looking for young, forward-thinking workers.鈥 The room stayed silent, but I felt a fire light up inside me. Not because I disagreed that ageism exists, because it absolutely does, but because I know that narrative isn鈥檛 the full story.
Here鈥檚 the truth: You鈥檙e not too old, and it鈥檚 not too late. Not at 50. Not at 60. Not even at 70. The data backs it up, and so do the countless stories of people who鈥檝e started over, built businesses, launched new careers, and created real wealth well past what society considers their 鈥減rime.鈥
If you鈥檝e ever heard that you鈥檙e too old to reinvent yourself, I want you to question it. Let鈥檚 challenge that belief and show you exactly why your age is not a liability, and why it鈥檚 your greatest advantage.
The Lie We鈥檝e Been Sold About Age
We鈥檝e been sold a lie that tells us that once you hit a certain age, especially 50, you鈥檝e missed your shot at doing something bold, like starting a business or switching careers. The world subtly (and sometimes blatantly) tells us that innovation belongs to the young. That big ideas come with fresh faces and twenty-something energy. That if you haven鈥檛 made it by midlife, you should quietly step aside.
This message is baked into startup culture, tech media, and investor preferences. Venture capital often chases youth, not wisdom. Headlines glorify teen founders and Ivy League dropouts while ignoring the seasoned entrepreneurs who bring real-world experience, emotional intelligence, and long-term strategy to the table. For older professionals, especially women who already face bias around visibility and leadership, the result is a quiet shame, a feeling that time has passed them by. But that鈥檚 not just harmful. It鈥檚 dead wrong.
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What the Data Actually Says
The numbers tell a very different story than the one we鈥檝e been led to believe. Research from the Kellogg School of Management found that entrepreneurs in their 40s are nearly twice as likely to build a successful business compared to those at 25. Why? Because success in business isn鈥檛 just about energy and tech savvy, it鈥檚 about strategy, resilience, and decision-making, which come from years of experience.
In fact, many iconic companies were started by people well past the so-called 鈥減rime鈥 entrepreneurial age. Vera Wang entered fashion design at 40. Colonel Sanders started KFC in his 60s. Arianna Huffington launched HuffPost at 55. These aren鈥檛 exceptions, they鈥檙e proof that experience brings clarity, confidence, and stronger business instincts.
When you鈥檝e spent decades working, raising a family, solving real-life problems, and building relationships, you have something younger founders simply don鈥檛: perspective. Your professional network is deeper. Your judgment is sharper. And you鈥檙e not chasing shiny objects. You are focused on building something that actually works. That鈥檚 a competitive advantage you can鈥檛 fake.
Ageism Is Real, but It鈥檚 Not the Whole Story
Ageism is real. Hiring managers pass over r茅sum茅s based on graduation years. Investors often assume younger founders are more 鈥渋nnovative.鈥 Media spotlights tend to focus on youth-driven success stories. These biases can make it harder for people over 50 to access funding, visibility, or even basic credibility in the startup space.
But that鈥檚 not the whole story. There鈥檚 a growing wave of midlife entrepreneurs who are flipping the script, building profitable businesses, and proving that age is an asset, not a setback. Resources tailored to older founders are expanding鈥攖hink women-focused accelerators, midlife reinvention programs, and grants for second-act entrepreneurs. You鈥檙e not behind. You are in the perfect position to build on everything you鈥檝e already lived and learned.
The bottom line is that while the message that entrepreneurship is a young person鈥檚 game and gets shouted from more stages than we鈥檇 like, the evidence states otherwise. The data is clear: experience wins. If you鈥檙e over 50 and thinking about starting a new venture, trust the numbers, trust your instincts, and trust the power of everything you have already overcome. Forget ageism; this chapter might be your most successful yet.
Melissa Houston, CPA is the author of Cash Confident: An Entrepreneur鈥檚 Guide to Creating a Profitable Business and the founder of She Means Profit.
She Means Profit is dedicated to advancing women entrepreneurs with the financial education, strategic coaching, and business resources they need to break financial barriers, scale profitably, and build sustainable wealth. Our mission is to increase the number of women-owned businesses generating $1 million+ in revenue, ensuring that more women achieve financial independence and long-term success.
The opinions expressed in this article are not intended to replace any professional or expert accounting and/or tax advice whatsoever.
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