In a world that often associates entrepreneurship with youth, age doesn’t limit the ability to innovate and build a successful business. Many individuals have proven that starting a venture later in life can lead to extraordinary success. If you’ve ever wondered if it’s too late to pursue your entrepreneurial dreams, these ten stories will change your mind.
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Arianna Huffington (The Huffington Post)
Arianna Huffington was 54 years of age when she founded The Huffington Post in 2005. She was a politician and writer before becoming the founder of the news source that grew into a dominant force in the digital media industry. AOL bought The Huffington Post for €304m and it became the first commercial digital media business to win a Pulitzer in 2012.
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Colonel Harland Sanders (KFC)
Harland Sanders was 62 when he began franchising his famous chicken recipe, eventually transforming Kentucky Fried Chicken into a global empire. Sanders had his share of failures in different careers before he was able to land a job in the food industry, all throughout which he was able to sell KFC for €15.2 million, which by the present rate is even higher. Today, KFC has grown into nearly 19.000 outlets in the whole world.
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Ray Kroc (McDonald’s)
At 52, Ray Kroc had a vision for the McDonald brothers’ small restaurant that would eventually change the fast-food industry forever. But later at the age of 62, Kroc was able to turn McDonald’s into a fast-food joint that was worldwide. Today, McDonalds has over 41800 restaurants in the world, and its worth € 176 billion.
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Bernie Marcus (The Home Depot)
Fired from his CEO job at 50, Bernie Marcus didn’t let adversity stop him. He co-started Home Depot at the age of 50 the Company transformed into home improvement retail giant. At one point for a while Home Depot faced a lot of challenges but nowadays the company is one of the biggest home improvement retailers, with a market value of $373.2 billion.
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Taikichiro Mori (Mori Building Company)
Leaving academia behind at 55, Taikichiro Mori founded Mori Building, a real estate company that transformed Tokyo’s urban landscape. They made him the world’s richest man twice and his worth reached €14.5 billion in the early 1990s.
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Peter Donnelly (Genomics plc)
At the age of 54, Peter Donnelly co-founded Genomics plc, focusing on applying genomic data to healthcare. Some of the groundbreaking contributions are in the field of precision medicine and drug discovery. The company has funded €79.7 million and remains at the forefront of genomic research.
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Lady Amanda Feilding (Beckley Psytech)
Lady Amanda Feilding was 76 when she co-founded Beckley Psytech in 2018. Her company is more focused on mental health treatments that can be provided by psychedelics. Feilding’s studies have received €90 million funding in funding to date based on research done over four decades.
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Dr. Carmen Hijosa (Ananas Anam)
Dr. Carmen Hijosa founded Ananas Anam at the age of 60 and introduced Piñatex, a fibrous pineapple leaf textile. She’s revolutionized the fashion industry and provided a more sustainable substitute for leather. The company has secured €3.6 million in funding that will help it increase its reach.
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Wally Blume (Denali Ingredients)
Wally Blume was 57 when he founded Denali Ingredients, the company behind the popular Moose Tracks ice cream. Today Denali earns € 77 million per annum catering for their client’s need for different types of dairy products and flavors.
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Amadeo Giannini (Bank of America)
Starting Bank of America at the age of 61, Amadeo Giannini aimed to serve the immigrant and working-class communities. It became one of the world’s largest banks by earnings €82.2 billion and capitalization €326.4 billion.
Entrepreneurs who start later in life demonstrate that age is not a barrier to success. Research indicates that individuals in their 50s and 60s often outperform younger entrepreneurs, leveraging their experience, strong networks, and the lessons learned over time. With passion and determination, starting an entrepreneurial journey at any age remains a viable and rewarding endeavor.
