I’ve always been an entrepreneur.
I remember a conversation with my Dad. I must have been maybe a Freshman or Sophomore in high school, the time my parents began discussing what I wanted to do in life.
I remember this conversation because of my dad’s reaction. I told him I didn’t want a job where I had to sit behind a desk. I emphatically told him I did NOT want to be a “secretary”. He was a bit shocked and had to share the cold, hard truth with me… that I would more than likely have to sit behind a desk. He was the one person in my life who told me I could be anything I wanted to be, but also, he didn’t know what else I could be since that’s all he’d seen in women in the workforce.
It felt SOOO restrictive…to think of sitting for 8 hours behind a desk pushing paper around. I still feel this way today. AND…. I had SO MANY years of jobs that were immobile behind a desk. SO. MANY. YEARS.!
But then I hit 50 years old, and I determined a few things. I was NOT going to spend the rest of my days sitting at a desk. I also determined that I was going to follow my God -given purpose for however many years I had left on this earth. I am grateful for where God led me. He knows my giftings because He placed them there.
Sitting behind a desk for those years prepared me for where I am today, so… I don’t regret any of it.
He has guided me, molded me, and pushed me out of my comfort zone in more ways than I can share in this one blog. From where I was to where I am today…light years!
I’m now 58 and feel like I am almost in my stride. The journey has been sweet and difficult and humbling and encouraging and most of all…MINE.
With the undying support of my amazing husband… I have built a business. (Simply typing those words has me emotional.)
It’s a business I am very grateful to say feels very in alignment with my calling, gifts, and purpose.
Have I chased the shiny objects and distractions?
Of course.
Have I had to find my way back to the narrow road He has for me?
Yes, more times than I care to admit.
Am I still always learning and growing and figuring it out for myself with His help?
YES…and this is what makes my journey EVERYTHING!
So, is 50+ too old to start a business?
ABSOLUTELY NOT!
I certainly hope not, because that’s what I did!
Friend, I cannot encourage you enough to find a quiet space and seek God in this. If you’ve found this blog because you are searching for this answer, please give it some serious prayer.
There are many factors that play into a decision like this, and of course, the biggest on most people’s minds is this…Can I afford it?
The answer is…. Maybe…and…there are some guardrails you can put up to help alleviate some of the unknowns that your brain plays on repeat.
My words of wisdom around this topic are always the same (remember, these are guardrails, not rules):
- Have a year’s worth of your home expenses saved up. This is a separate amount of money from your retirement, your current saving etc etc. This is a fund you will use to pull from for a year to pay for your household in the event that every other means of income dries up.
- Start your endeavor BEFORE you leave your day job. You MUST have proof of concept before you give up your day job. At our age, finding a job is rough, and you DO NOT want to leave what pays your bills and funds your retirement prior to knowing if this will work.
- Have the salary you want to make in your new business for the next 12 months, plus the annual budget amount you’ve determined, is required for running your business for a year. This is what you will pull from each month to build your business and pay yourself.
This sounds like a lot, doesn’t it?
Did I do any of those things?
NOPE!
Which is exactly why I can sit here and tell you this.
I WISH I’d had this. Here’s why…
People see right through you when you need clients or money and it changes the atmosphere. You’d think people would want to be supportive and hire you because you are shiny and new and energetic and excited.
The opposite is true.
They want experience, settled, calm and successful.
Is this fair?
NOPE.
But it’s the lived experience I had, and I do not want any of my friends to experience what I did.
If you meet with a potential client and your home funds are safe, and your business funding is sitting in a savings account, you can be 100% present with the one you’re meeting with. And this is also totally apparent in your demeanor and presentation. The air of desperation is totally a ‘thing.’
Back to my original question, is 50+ too old to start a business?
Emphatically NO! It’s not too old, and in nearly every instance when I meet with one of you lovely ladies, I see a life of wisdom, lived experiences, and knowledge which ONLY happens with someone your age… AND I get excited for you.
God is calling His entrepreneurial daughters. I see it every day. I see the successes and KNOW He has a place for you.
If you sense God nudging you toward something new in this season, you’re not alone. You’re DEFINITELY NOT TOO LATE. Many Christian women 50+ are launching businesses that are more aligned with purpose than anything they did in their 20’s or 30’s.
If you’d like encouragement, guidance, or just a place to explore what God might be stirring, I’d love for you to take a look at our Christian Mastermind Groups for women. These groups are designed for women walking this exact journey – 50’s and beyond who are called, gifted, and ready for more.
“Even to your old age and gray hairs, I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you, and I will rescue you.”
Isaiah 46:4 NIV
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