I attended a networking event recently where I was probably one of the oldest people in the room — I turned 57 this year.

Over coffee, I got chatting with another business owner (who was about my age) who said something that really stuck with me.

He admitted he sometimes gets a bit of 'imposter syndrome' at these kind of events.

“Everyone just seems younger,” he said,
“Fresher, full of energy… they talk about their ambitions and goals like they’ve got it all figured out — and I’ve been doing this for 20 years!”

But here’s the thing… Age should never be what defines the person you are. It's merely a number!

Because while the younger crowd might have fresh-faced enthusiasm, endless qualifications, and enough energy to power a small city — we’ve got something that only time can teach:

👉 A Degree from the University of Life.

That degree covers all the good stuff. Resilience. Perspective. People skills.
And the wisdom that comes from the kind of mistakes you only make once.

We’ve weathered storms.
We’ve learned what really matters.
And that life experience? Well, it’s pure gold in business.

It reminded me of a few legends who proved that age is no barrier when it comes to chasing your dreams:

- Colonel Sanders started KFC at 65.
- Ray Kroc took McDonald’s global at 52.
- Anne Boden was 55 when she founded Starling Bank!
- James Dyson was 46 when he launched his bagless vacuum cleaner
- Henry Ford was 45 when he designed the revolutionary Model T car.

This year, I’ve gone back to being in the room with those young, fresh-faced business owners too as part of launching some new ventures from scratch. Sometimes I can't quite believe that I'm 57 and back at start-up mode myself!

But while it’s been a rollercoaster (as start-ups always are), I’m loving every bit of it. The energy, the creativity, the challenge — all fuelled by a healthy dose of experience and perspective.

So, to my fellow “seasoned” entrepreneurs out there — don’t ever doubt your value.

Let your experience be your advantage.

We might creak a little more getting started in the mornings…
…but once we’re running, there’s absolutely no stopping us. 💪