50 Reasons Women Over 50 Make Great Entrepreneurs

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Let’s just get one thing out of the way: I don’t like the word “boomer.” I’ve never gone “BOOM!” in my entire life. Demographically, I’m a boomer but personality-wise, uh, not so much. If you’ve got a better name for this demographic, I’d love to hear it in the comments!

It’s unmistakable though: whether we call ourselves boomers or not, women over 50 are starting businesses faster than ever. And I think that’s great news for our economy, for our communities, and for ourselves.

Here are my 50 reasons that women over 50 make GREAT entrepreneurs:

1. Time flexibility
2. Location flexibility
3. Expand your own education
4. Apply your own education
5. Travel for your business
6. Meet people from all over the world through online engagement
7. Volunteer with more flexibility
8. Add money to your kids’ college fund
9. Get paid for your skills
10. Sidestep age discrimination
11. Apply the depth of your life experience
12. Leverage the your lifelong contacts
13. Long time residence in a community gives you credibility and connections there
14. Kids’ schedules are not a factor or are less demanding
15. Existing savings can help you get started
16. You know what you want more clearly than ever
17. You care what other people think less than ever
18. You know life is short and there’s no time to waste
19. It’s a great intellectual challenge
20. It’s an opportunity for spiritual growth
21. You’re not limited by a salary cap
22. You get to be your own boss
23. You can’t get laid off
24. You can write off your gadgets, if you use them for work
25. You don’t have to work in a stuffy office tower
26. You want to avoid office politics
27. You can work while traveling
28. You can create residual earning opportunities
29. It’s never been cheaper to start a business web site thanks to WordPress
30. It’s never been easier to get PR thanks to social media
31. It’s never been easier to learn those technologies
32. You’re on Facebook anyway
33. You can contract for anything you need for less money than ever
34. You can be global from day one
35. Deferred compensation programs like retirement accounts are generous for the self-employed
36. Fill in the gaps of investment-based retirement income, especially when rates of return are low
37. Flexibility to be available for aging parents
38. Technology makes it less expensive to start a business than ever before
39. You know how to get up from life’s knocks
40. You have an idea that you want to see realized
41. You want to make a difference in your community
42. Creating success is empowering
43. You want to achieve your potential
44. You have more time on your hands
45. You’re tired of giving so much of your time to an employer
46. You want to stand up for your personal values
47. You want to give more to charity
48. You want to build wealth
49. You want to create a legacy
50. You know you really want to

Got more? I’d love to hear your reasons for starting a business.

image credit: opensourceway

Related posts:

1. Why Your Great Big Brain Won’t Run A Business
2. Little League Lessons for Entrepreneurs

By Laurie Foley

Laurie Foley helps entrepreneurs discover their natural brand. She is also the creator of Blog More, Stress Less, the six-step system for coaches who want to learn the craft of blogging for business growth. Registration is open now for the March 2012. Early registration discount is available through Tuesday, February 28, but space is very limited. Register now: http://blogmorestressless.com