Entrepreneurship at any age

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Entrepreneurship over 40:

Middle of the Road

Often I think back to the simple days, 17 years old with a concrete career path chosen, ideas of how love and family will align; absolutely certain assured the progressive wave of Math and Science (before STEAM was a thing) would carry me into my thriving 40-year Nursing career and that was that. Fast forward, 2019 Math and Science evolved into technology smart homes, watches, seeing friends and family on screens real-time and virtual corporate meetings! As if that’s not enough, being 40 years old isn’t nearly as depressing or decrepit as I half- imagined; leaving me in deep ponderance of what the hell to do next? I’m vibrant woman almost two decades into Nursing, experienced love and family in a gender binary heteronormative nontraditional way (none of which was fathomable in the 90s) with lots of life to live and tons more of dreams to fulfill. I would say the answer is to strap up and evolve with the times! Millenials confidently and unapologetically seized social attention from many traditionalists, boomers and alike with the notion of entrepreneurial endeavors being more beneficial to wealth building and quality of life. This, of course, caused many to clutch their pearls and some of us rethink the way “goals” are viewed.

📷 Fresh Start But Not Really

Being middle age in the tech age isn’t oh so bad, there are some skills to gain true! Many skills we’ve attained without the assistance of Google and Wikipedia making a good mix for a firm foundation to evolve into entrepreneurship. Soft skills such as communication, conflict resolution, critical observation, and leadership are phenomenal must-haves when preparing to team build, create a sturdy business plan and network in efforts to build an empire or small firm. Having experienced a plethora of social and economic change gives middle ager/ Gen X folks an upper hand in understanding the importance of trend stamina, patience while building and personal interaction all extremely valuable in entrepreneurship.

What Now?Living in such a tech and microwave era has its perks, most support entrepreneurial endeavors and connects us to resources around the world. Google has tools and apps to assist, Intuit, Quickbooks, nTask, Calendly, and so many other apps to assist in daily tasks and organization. Social meetups, online events and creating cohesive groups allow you to get out there and network!Being an entrepreneur after 40 might present with many challenges but EXPERIENCE is by your side. The life and educational journeys you have gained will be valuable in setting you up for long-term success as a business owner. Right now the doors of opportunity are endless and if you truly have the passion, desire and drive to be an entrepreneur at any AGE, I would GO FOR IT!!

Author: Kellea Paloade, BSN, RN

Instagram: @kelleaanne