Success in entrepreneurship does not require any age, and while a lot of young entrepreneurs have become brands themselves, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it comes with age. In fact, there are a lot of entrepreneurs who only started their enterprise and became successful after they reached 40. If you think it’s already too late to become an entrepreneur, here are some entrepreneurs who made it big even after their 40s.
1. Dietrich Mateschitz
Image: luxatic.com
Dietrich, co-founder of Red Bull, was not born to be a man of success. It actually took him about 10 years to graduate from the University, and he worked for Unilever and for Blendaz for more than a decade before he co-created Red Bull. He was already 43 when he founded Red Bull GmBH with his Thai partner Chaleo Yoovidya, who concocted the drink, in Austria. He actually hired a marketing firm who actually said he would fail. However, he ignored their opinion and his experience in marketing sparked Red Bull’s success which still dominates the energy drink industry almost 30 years from when Red Bull came out in the market.
It is a must to believe in one’s product.
2. Ray Kroc
image: Flickr
Ray Kroc is not the man behind McDonald’s but he became the name behind the world’s largest fast food franchise. He was already in his 50s when he first franchised a McDonald’s restaurant and bought the company when he was already 60. He was worth $8B at the time of his passing in 1983, and his restaurant chain is leading globally with 36,900 stores worldwide.
Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get.
3. Mary Kay Ash
The woman behind this successful company was not a successful employee. She actually wrote a book after she was passed over a promotion working for Stanley Home Products. She even went through a difficult personal challenge having to create Beauty by Mary Kay after her husband passed away. However, these circumstances did not hinder her from creating Mary Kay Cosmetics at the age of 45. Currently, the Mary Kay company nets an annual wholesale revenue of $3B across the globe.
Don’t limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, remember, you can achieve.
4. Henry Ford
image: Underwood and Underwood/Corbis
With a capital of $28,000, Henry Ford, together with Alexander Malcomson, created the Ford Motor Company. After working as a Chief Engineer for Edison Illuminating Company, and co-founding a few companies backed by capitalists, he created the Ford Company in 1903. He was 40 back then.
If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself. Henry Ford
5. Momofuku Ando
image: http://www.tofugu.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/momofuku-ando-2.jpg
It is probably experience that made innovators out of the most successful entrepreneurs. Well, at least it did for Momofuku Ando, the inventor of Chicken Ramen. Ever wondered how the instant noodle came about? It was because Ando developed noodles that could help to satisfy the needs of-of Japanese people in the post-war era. Bread was not as popular as noodles so Ando created the first pre-cooked noodles. He was already 48 when he first marketed and packaged the product. He was already 61 when the cup noodle debuted. He is the founder of Nissin Food Products and had a net worth of $100 million.
It is never too late to do anything in life.
6. Vera Wang
Image: twitter @VeraWangGang
Vera Wang was rich in experiences when she became a bridal wear designer at the age of 40. She was an editor at Vogue and worked for Ralph Lauren for 3 years before she decided to create her own enterprise. Designing for the most popular celebrities globally, Wang’s net worth is $400 million.
When I decided to get married at 40, I couldn’t find a dress with the modernity or sophistication I wanted. That’s when I saw the opportunity for a wedding gown business.
7. Donald Fisher
image: forbes.com
Donald Fisher was already 50 when he and his wife, Doris, launched the Gap label which had a huge success. He had his own businesses renovating hotels in the 1960s but it was only the Gap that gave him tremendous success. His net worth was $3.3B.
Let’s do more than just sell clothes.
Age definitely doesn’t matter in business. In fact, one’s experiences can actually help one achieve success. Indeed, it’s never too late to do anything in life, as Momofuku Ando once said.
