When we think about starting a business, we often imagine young entrepreneurs, tech start-ups and people in their twenties chasing the next big idea. But something interesting is happening: more people over 50 are choosing to take a different path, stepping away from traditional employment and building businesses of their own.
And perhaps it’s one of the most exciting entrepreneurial trends of our time.
Take Colonel Harland Sanders, the founder of KFC. He didn’t build his famous franchise empire as a young entrepreneur. He began franchising his chicken recipe in his sixties, proving that ambition, determination and a good idea don’t come with an age limit.
Today, we’re seeing a similar spirit emerging across a new generation of over-50 entrepreneurs.
From independent bookshops, coffee shops and artisan bakeries to gardening businesses, consultancies, coaching practices, online retailers and creative ventures, people are turning lifelong interests, professional experience and personal passions into independent businesses.
There are several reasons behind this shift.
Firstly, experience is an asset. After 25 or 30 years in the workplace, people have developed valuable skills, relationships, knowledge and commercial understanding. Rather than continuing to work for someone else, they’re choosing to put that experience to work for themselves.
Secondly, the world of work is changing. With AI, automation and technology transforming traditional jobs, some people are questioning what the next chapter of their working lives looks like. For others, redundancy, restructuring or changing career expectations are becoming the catalyst to do something different.
And thirdly, starting a business has never been more accessible. AI can help with marketing, websites, customer service, research, business planning and administration. What once required a team of people or significant investment can increasingly be achieved by one person with the right idea and the willingness to learn.
But perhaps the biggest driver is something less tangible: the desire for independence, purpose and control over your own future.
Of course, starting a business at 50 or 60 isn’t without its challenges. Financial security, risk and the learning curve associated with new technology all need careful consideration. But maturity also brings perspective, resilience and a better understanding of what really matters.
I think we should stop looking at entrepreneurship as something reserved for the young.
The next successful independent bookshop, consultancy, coffee brand or technology business could be started by someone in their fifties or sixties who has finally decided to back themselves.
Colonel Sanders showed us that it is never too late to start something remarkable.
Perhaps the next big business idea isn’t coming from a 25-year-old Silicon Valley entrepreneur. Perhaps it’s coming from someone who’s spent 30 years building experience and is now ready to build something of their own.
Age isn’t the barrier. Sometimes, it’s the advantage.
Well, it has some thrust boosters and thrusts into the air.
Now, can it actually fly?
No, not really! Can it go up and down – yeh maybe. But will we get flying cars soon? Yes! I think so. This is the step in the right direction.
Now whilst it looks like a normal car, and have to admit, it’s a cool car!
And is this the first flying car?
No.
We’ve seen them before.
Well, I have.
Where?
Come on…
Ok.. that wasn’t real. But, it will become a reality very soon!
The thrusts… the flying, the car itself! It’ll all be happening very soon. But how do you govern flying cars? We’ve just got our head around self-driving cars and now they’re going to be flying?
But this is the speed at what technology is advancing at.
From the steam engine to the car, to the man on moon… and then when computers came about, check out the tech advancements!
AI is off course seriously driving the advancement right now.
So where do this take us? And what comes after flying cars?
Calm down Bal… we haven’t got the flying cars yet. Ok, yes, we haven’t but they’re coming… and when they’re here, you’ll be thinking, what’s next?
Recently, I was in a call listening to someone (of authority) who was asking what makes people successful?
My answer (after having read a number of books) was consistency/persistence. Nope… it was Culture.
Hmm… I thought. Culture is important, but how important is it to one persons drive? Culture would be around a team, a group of people rather than an individual. This got me thinking further… that ‘culture’ doesn’t appear on John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success either. So back to what I wrote, it was consistency… the belief that you can achieve anything but you have to keep going. Start somewhere but consistently keep adding and building, and growing.
It’s happening. Well, people are talking about it.
Anthropic’s CEO recently released a 3,800-word essay calling for a global slowdown of AI development. He said that while the technology offers many benefits, it is advancing too quickly for researchers to continue safely.
Combine that with…
Worried?
‘The scary thing is, if AI continues as is, there is a 10% chance it could wipe out humanity in the next 10 years.’
Ok, chances are low. But there is a chance! And yes, 10 years is a long time away but wiping out humanity, come on!
So what happens now?
Well, the President of the US doesn’t seem to be taking it seriously…
Honestly, we need to be a little more serious and focussed here.
Leaders worry that advanced AI agents can act unpredictably or bypass testing before humans fully understand how to control them.
And this happened somewhat recently! (Which I’ve shared before about bots/agents talking to each other, made their own language, the humans couldn’t understand them so had to quickly switch them off!)
I’ll leave you with this video… but before I do, It’s not looking good unless we really understand the impact of AI at the speed it is going at. Slowing down is one thing, the advancement of these models is another.
It’s funny that when you’re young, you think I want to do this, and I’ll progress by doing that.
Life throws a curveball at you. And you’re then sat re-assessing your options.
The thing is, life is short. So many people say, follow your passion. Obviously, you have to do the maths to ensure a) your passion pays for your everyday life and bills, and b) can you side hustle your passion till it’s at the stage of paying for your everyday life and bills?
I saw the below post and thought of Ted Lasso, Believe.
Like the Samsung, but more refined. But let’s be honest, most apple products are refined. Nevertheless, it’s here. It brings back memories of the Motorola Flip phone, remember that classic? When you were done with a call you’d flip it down to close. I guess you won’t be using as much force with this one when you come to close it, purely down to the cost of it being $2000!
Yes, you got that right.
This one is expensive.
But don’t worry. Apple also introduced the iPhone 18. Better than the 17. But for me, it’s not the phone itself, it’s the camera that has caught my attention.
Apple describes as its “most advanced camera system yet,” built around a 48-megapixel Fusion Main camera with variable aperture — a first for iPhone. Six “laser-cut blades” automatically adjust across four aperture settings to manage depth of field and lighting, while a new sensor is designed to improve low-light shooting and group-photo detail.
A new “Pro controls” interface lets photographers manually adjust aperture, shutter speed, and white balance, and check exposure with an onscreen histogram; an API also lets external developers access the aperture range.
I’ll be honest, it’s coming quite close to me ditching my DSLR and just using the phone to take all images and videos!
New airpods were announced too…
Oh, and new watches… including (the one I’ve been waiting for) Ultra 4!
Apple Watch Ultra 4, aimed at athletes and outdoor use, offers up to 50 hours of everyday battery life and up to 84 hours in Low Power Mode, with a Max Extended Workout mode that can track outdoor activity for up to 45 hours; it comes in natural and black titanium, starting at $799.
There is a new Apple Watch 12 that’s come out.
And there’s alot more on health. That’s right, the app gets more data, insights and advanced details. Wanting you to live longer and buy more apple products I guess.
And, one more thing…. Siri. I hear it’s more advanced than ever before. Which is great, because it needs to be. There’s so much voice activation can do, and I always feel let down by Siri and revert to Alexa (mainly when I’m at home).
