The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago.
The second best time to plant a tree is today.
The best time to start your dream business was yesterday.
The second best time is today.
It doesn't matter how old you are.
Don't believe me?
• Eric Yuan started Zoom at 41
• Robert Noyce started Intel at 41
• Donald Fisher started Gap at 40
• Robni Chase started Zipcar at 42
• Lee Goodwin started Geico at 50
• Ray Kroc started McDonalds at 52
• Sam Walton started Walmart at 44
• David Baszucki started Roblox at 41
• Reid Hoffman started LinkedIn at 35
• Toni Morrison wrote her first novel at 40
• Henry Ford created the Model T car at 45
• Harland David Sanders started KFC at 62
• Ellen Latham started Orange Theory at 54
• Michael Bloomberg started Bloomberg at 39
• Vera Wang entered the fashion industry at 40
• Samuel L. Jackson got his first major role at 43
• Martha Steward published her first cookbook at 41
• Arianna Huffington started The Huffington Post at 55
• Steve Carrel landed his hit role as Michael Scott at 42
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Takeaway:
It’s widely believed that the most successful entrepreneurs are young. Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg were in their early twenties when they launched what would become world-changing companies.
Do these famous cases reflect a generalizable pattern?
Research shows that among the top 0.1% of startups based on growth in their first five years, the founders started their companies, on average, when they were 45 years old.
Remember: It's never too late to turn your dream idea, into your dream business.
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That's a wrap. Hope you enjoyed this post. If you did:
1. Follow me @arjunmahadevan for more like this (and for more on how to turn your dream idea, into your dream US business with @doolaHQ)
2. RT this, if you can, to share this with a friend to remind them: It. Is. Never. Too. Late.