This posting is about some new information on entrepreneurs that many of you may find surprising. According to Professor Scott Shane writing for BusinessWeek, people over 55 are more likely than young people to start a new business. He cites Dane Stangler of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation that Americans from 55 to 64 had a greater rate of entrepreneurship than those from 20 to 24.. His research is supported as well by data from the 2008 U.S. Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report and the November 2009 Bureau of Labor Statistics. You can read all the specific details in the article The New Face of Startups Is A Senior Citizen.
The article then goes on to suggest two possible reason for the surprising number of older entrepreneurs, one may be that people who have always been interested in entrepreneurship finally have the time and money to pursue their dreams. A second reason may be that those over 55 have been laid off and are unable to get another job in our current economy. Maybe you agree with these two possibilities or can come up with some of your own. One thing to consider based on these findings is if you currently own your own business and are thinking of selling it, you may be looking for buyers in the wrong age group.
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