Entrepreneurs Get Better with Age

When my mother turned forty, we threw her a tongue-in-cheek funeral-themed surprise party, festooning the living room with paper tombstones engraved with Rest in Peace. That party theme is now a laughable conceit — forty then was older than forty now. Almost. In today’s world, there is still a bias against older people — employers in particular often think (in their mind) what Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary is fond of saying to entrepreneurs he doesn’t like, "You are dead to me." If we’re being honest, we probably agree with O’Leary. Who of us hasn’t said, "I’m looking for someone young and hungry." The implication is clear: If you aren’t young, you have nothing to contribute.

by Whitney Johnson

Full Story: http://blogs.hbr.org/johnson/2013/06/entrepreneurs-get-better-with.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+harvardbusiness+%28HBR.org%29&cm_ite=DailyAlert-062813+%281%29&cm_lm=sp%3Arbendis%40bendisig.com&cm_ven=Spop-Email

When my mother turned forty, we threw her a tongue-in-cheek funeral-themed surprise party, festooning the living room with paper tombstones engraved with Rest in Peace. That party theme is now a laughable conceit — forty then was older than forty now. Almost. In today’s world, there is still a bias against older people — employers in particular often think (in their mind) what Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary is fond of saying to entrepreneurs he doesn’t like, "You are dead to me." If we’re being honest, we probably agree with O’Leary. Who of us hasn’t said, "I’m looking for someone young and hungry." The implication is clear: If you aren’t young, you have nothing to contribute.