It is better than 36
Ask HN: Is it too late to do a startup after 35?
51–56 of 56 posts
Re: Ask HN: Is it too late to do a startup after 35?
#52Earlier quoted context omitted.
Well, that is another stereotype. When you're older and have held more high-paying jobs, you also tend to have savings, assets, a better credit history and other funds to cushion the blow. Plus, with a spouse, you have economies of scale potentially so they can work while you lead a startup with little or no pay. I would guarantee if you took a survey, that the average founder actually falls somewhere around 38-45 ye…
I was referring to working for a startup than founding one. I think you are right about founding, that many founders will be older necessarily. And in that case, you at least have controls of the risks and are chasing your vision, not someone else's. But working for a startup at 40 seems problematic, since you aren't really taking risks as an entrepreneur.
I don't believe the original post was about working at a startup, it was more regarding founding one. Hence my answers to that effect.
I don't see the difference though. Netscape was co-founded by a 20-something Marc Andreessen, but run day-to-day by a couple 40-and-50-somethings in the early days, not including the developers, many of which were well into their 30's.
Like I said, the 20-something startup kid - either worker or founder - is a stereotype and not accurate. I can keep coming up with more examples if you want. There are dozens of them for every one 20-something wunderkind example.
Heck, looking back now that I'm in my 30's, I marvel at the ignorance I had in my 20's that could have easily led me to ruining a startup. Experience is simply irreplaceable and more valuable than youth in business, regardless of what you've been told.
Now that I'm a little older, I have a successful company which I could simply not have achieved without millions of dollars in investment at a younger age. That investment would have all gone to keeping me afloat while I made mistakes due to the naivete of my 20's. Contrarily, working in industry for a little while first, I learned from other successful companies and leveraged the good things while jettisoning the bad things I saw.
Re: Ask HN: Is it too late to do a startup after 35?
#53As some already mentioned, it's never too late.
I'll add a little bit from my experience, of having started a technology company in my 20s and then, later, starting two others after my 40s, all of them active until now.
The two most important things I felt different were: time and energy.
I explain.
The time I had to work for my startup when in my 20s was huge, almost any time I wanted, and everyday. And that's what I did. I worked everyday, all the time. When you love the company you founded, that's what you want to do.
But now, after my 40s, life changed. Married, children, and a lot of obligations and responsabilities. I definitely don't have the time I had in my 20s to dedicate to the startup. And yes, you need to dedicate time!
Regarding the energy, I mean the energy related to health, physical capacity, intellectual concentration and ability to handle stress. These are all different 20 years down the road. And I amazed now, to see and feel the amount of energy one needs to dedicate to the startup. I had forgotten this.
I'm not commenting all other aspects related to loving what you want to do, entrepreneurship capacity and persistence because I'm taking these as given.
So, in short, if you have the _time_ and the _energy_, go ahead do your startup. Otherwise, go do something else.
Re: Ask HN: Is it too late to do a startup after 35?
#54The biggest challenge I find with ex-corporate mid 30s folks is their inability to reduce their personal burn and lifestyle in order to survive the startup process to succeed. The question you're asking is the wrong one. It's not how old you are. The question is, can you do without your pay, sustain your family (if you have one) and the mental stress around that, for 18-24 months before your startup becomes profitabl…
Actually, the answer is most commonly yes, and more so than someone in their 20's that is burdened with student debt and no experience or industry contacts. Mid-30's people have savings, assets, credit history and other funds. Plus, they potentially have a spouse to cover expenses while the startup grows. That is the best kind of investment in terms of supporting a new business. The stats don't lie - the average foun…
My answer was based on anecdotal evidence. Yes, having a supportive a spouse is key and a win for a mid 30s professional. I started my first business in my mid 30s so my peers are in this group.
From that perspective, the average founder is definitely not late 30s to early 40s. Maybe I'm hanging out with the wrong crowd... :-)
Re: Ask HN: Is it too late to do a startup after 35?
#55No way. If anything you may be at an a significant advantage. Theirs an awesome book by Noam Wasserman "Founders Dilemmas" which puts data behind all factors of founderhood. Your experience could give you a great base of knowledge to work from.
I have been told by some that corporate experience allows you to develop good working relationships that can be used when finding co-founders as well as getting customers.
Re: Ask HN: Is it too late to do a startup after 35?
#56Earlier quoted context omitted.
As someone who is 39, why is "impressiveness = achievements / age" a problem in your eyes? Looking back at my own life, pretty much all my worthwhile achievements has come after 20, and according to that formula I'd come out very favourable against 20-25 years olds like myself. That formula is pretty much just saying that they expect people to have more achievements the older they are, which does not seem unreasonabl…
No one has ever said "that's incredible for a 40 year old". Only the young get benefit from this equation. I would bet that your achievements would not be considered great by someone who uses this equation, no matter how great they are. The somewhat misquoted phrase that's attributed to the Alibaba CEO describes the spirit of people who use this type of thinking better than my equation will: "If you're not rich at 35…
No one says "that's incredible for a 40 year old" because a 40 year old is expected to have had time enough that we don't need the qualifier of age.
In part because the world is full of examples of 40 year olds being successful, but despite the Silicon Valley bias, impressive 20-year olds or 25-year olds (or even 30-year olds) with big achievements are extreme outliers.
Even in the startup world.