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Leaders Letter 83 – It’s Never Too Late, You’re Never Too Old

Dear leaders, with the end of year reviews likely happening I thought it might be time to give you a different perspective. 

I had a funny conversation with a friend recently, where they questioned if they were too old to launch something at 41. 

It is only a recent phenomenon that founders of companies were actually under the age of 30.  Tech has obviously broken the older traditions and accelerated how young founders and company leaders can be. 

If your product is good enough and you bring the right people around you, age is just a number.

Responsibility is obviously a big influence on making the choice on whether you go for an idea or not, with the way of the world, you are never too old. 

Here is a list of highly successful companies from founders that were over the age of 40. 

40’s 

  • Vera Wang, Vera Wang 40
  • Robert Noyce, Intel 41
  • Diane Greene, VMware 43
  • Sam Walton, Walmart 44
  • Jim Sinegal, Costco 47
  • Adi Dassler, Adidas 48

50’s 

  • Rudolf Dassler, Puma 50
  • Bernie Marcus, Home Depot 50
  • Gordon Bowker, Starbucks 51

60’s 

  • Charles Flint, IBM 61
  • Col. Sanders, KFC 62

If your idea is good enough and you have the right timing, sprinkled with luck and of course hard work, you have a chance at any age. (obviously, the younger you are the likelihood is you have fewer responsibilities and don’t need as much sleep or caffeine)

Maybe revisit these the next time you are considering your options or you have an itch you cannot stop scratching. 

Have a great week.

Thanks,

Danny Denhard