More than a buzz word, entrepreneurship has reached such levels of appreciation and respect that it is now even glamourized. Successful entrepreneurs are being exposed as role models, and they inspire the new generation far beyond the creation of their venture.
The economic environment, and the different crisis that emerged from it, also raised the attention on this proactive approach to that is entrepreneurship fostering it as the best way to contribute to your own success and the general economic growth. Entrepreneurship as a concept is fashionable.
But let's face the truth!
Self-employment today is a less popular option than it was in recent years, with a clear majority in the EU favoring work as an employee. Lack of financial resources, lack of the skills to be self-employed, lack of business idea, difficulty in reconciling self-employment with family commitments, the risk of failure and its consequences or the burden of red tape are quite popular reasons why our parents have always been pushing us to go for a safe employment status where we can just be promoted (or not) and live in peace for the rest of our lives.
It doesn't sound very romantic or adventurous, but this vision is still deeply rooted in the mindset of baby boomers. According to studies out of Duke University, the Founder Institute, and Northwestern, the average entrepreneur is actually 40 years old when launching his or her first startup and the average age of leaders of high-growth startups is 45 years old.
The majority of successful entrepreneurs didn't have entrepreneurial parents or entrepreneurial aspirations from an early age. They just got tired of working for others or woke up one day with an urgent desire to build wealth before they retired.
Really? Does this mean that entrepreneurship still happens so often as just a consequence of trying to escape from a non-desirable employment status? Are we anyway so afraid of risk that millennials or not, we still feel the need to wait for more experience, more age, and more savings to take the big leap?
Here you can find the best reasons to start up before you are 30 (and because you really want it).
You don't have anything to lose
If you think about it, this is the greatest argument ever.
The best moment to risk in life is when you do not have anything to lose and many things to win. While you are still studying or heading the first years of your professional career, you don't have savings, not a reputation, brand or name to lose. What can you be afraid of? You can always blame failure on your lack of experience and people would understand and even consider you brave.
In most of the cases, you still have parents supporting you and a secure comfort zone to come back in case of need, so no punch is painful. The worst thing that can happen is that you spend 5 years of your life on something that at the end do not reach up to the 'Eureka'! But what about all the experience you got through the process? And what about if it does work out?
You don't have other responsibilities apart from personal and professional development
No mortgage, no debts, no family or kids to care off. It is the best and only time when you can really risk it all and still being responsible. Your only real obligation is to work hard for your personal and professional development while ensuring to create a better world for yourself and others. If you have the idea and the setting the mature behavior is to take action and go for it.
Inexperience makes you bold
And this is also important. You can't fear the risks and dangers that you don't know. And having in mind that fear is the number one obstacle for success, maybe the fact that you are inexperienced on the field because of your young age would be your best ally against all monsters.
This is not an equivalent for going and doing things blindly. Nothing that is not reasonable and well prepared can end up properly. But, if you have the idea, the determination, and the will to work hard and persevere, business plan, market analysis, and financial strategy are easy things to learn by doing with the help of good mentors and senior doers.
You still have full levels of energy to invest
Everything worthy in life cost an enormous amount of effort and energy. And this is why there is a proper moment for everything when both your physical and mental strength for it is at its peak. Take advantage of your push, your drive, and your fearless approach to success. Invest your energies on trying it out while you still are at your peak for learning, growing, trying and dreaming.
You still have all the time to fail and succeed
Before our thirties, we still think that life is endless. That we have time to try and fail and try and achieve. And it is true. The sooner you start to take ownership and responsibility for your own ideas and dreams the bigger chances you have to learn from failure about how to succeed.
Believe on the fact that you can make it and work hard to get the experience you may be lacking. So when you leave your twenties and start heading to your forties, you can look back and say 'I did take advantage of the time I got, I lived fully while others were figuring out and now I know where I am going.'
