OLDERPRENEURS are no longer seeing age as a barrier, but “recognising it as a superpower”.
There has been a rise of “olderpreneurs” in recent years – the growing number of people who are starting businesses, switching careers, or embarking on entirely new professional ventures well into their 60s and beyond.
Far from winding down, these pioneers are proving that age can be a competitive advantage in today’s business landscape where even the Government appears to celebrate high-growth scale-ups over regular business.
Denise Yeats’ business fell victim to the Covid pandemic — running an events company was not the best hand to be holding when the country went into lockdown in March 2020.
She was 52 at the time and, almost six years on, has reinvented herself as a personal trainer (PT).
Denise Yeats, Director at Denise Yeats, explained: “At 52, after losing my events company to the pandemic, I reinvented myself as an IRONMAN Certified Coach, PT and menopause specialist. I’d spent years running events for charities, but Covid wiped that out overnight. Rather than seeing my age as a barrier, I recognised it as my superpower.
“Who better to help women navigate perimenopause and menopause than someone living it? I now combine individual coaching with corporate speaking, delivering “Menopause in the Workplace” programmes to organisations like the Met Police, BT Group and LabCorp. I walk the walk, too, and recently completed a 24-hour endurance challenge.
“The advantages of age are decades of professional experience, an established network and the confidence to back myself that I didn’t have at 30. The challenges have been learning to market myself and accepting that building something new takes time. My advice: your life experience is your USP. Don’t compete with 25-year-olds: olderpreneurs need to offer something they can’t.”
No more counting the pay cheques
Paul Harrison, co-founder of The Travel Franchise, said the company has a network of over 750 home-based personal travel consultants including many above 50-years-old.
He added: “98% of franchisees have never worked in travel before and a significant percentage of them are over 50. Many are former police officers, NHS workers, corporate high fliers, couriers and teachers.
“Some were made redundant in their 50s and 60s, and many are now working to build up their pension pot while enjoying a better lifestyle. Working in your older years shouldn’t be about counting down the pay cheques until retirement; it’s about enjoying your later years with a lifestyle you love.”
Marietta Maidman is a home-based Not Just Travel consultant who was made redundant aged 59. She’s used her earnings from her travel business to build her own retirement house in Cyprus.
She said: “Age discrimination can’t affect you when you’re your own boss! Until redundancy, I would have never had the confidence to make the leap into self-employment myself. Now that I have, it’s liberating. I used my long-established contacts and time on the phone to build my own customer base. I run my own business on my terms; I’m never going back into employed work.”
Bob Grace OBE, 63, who also runs a travel consultancy through Not Just Travel, was previously regional director of Jaguar-Landrover, heading up their operations in Germany, Panama, Argentina and China.
Having travelled extensively, Bob set up his business to follow his passion in travel during his retirement.
He added: “Since starting my business I haven’t looked back. I serve my extensive network of high-net-worth individuals to deliver bespoke, luxury holidays and exceptional service. My age and experience are valuable assets in the travel industry.”
Olderpreneurs showing how it’s done
Other olderpreneurs shared their experiences. Jon Crocker, Founder at Manchester-based ICENI Mastermind Group, said starting new projects in later life “is always good for the hunger”.
He added: “In 2026, I’m launching G³, a hybrid service for businesses in the UK and Germany. I am 59 and the main motivation is freedom and the fact that my age makes me virtually unemployable because businesses are (I can only assume) concerned I might not be technically competent.
“The challenges are the obvious financial ones, the lack of genuine peers rather than overly-keen whipper-snappers and friends and family concluding it is the onset of a major breakdown. The advantages are using my general life and work experience, less importance placed on what other people think and a ‘few’ grey hairs to add that sense of gravitas.
“When it comes to the practical side of things, most of my work can be done from home so I avoid the soul-destroying daily commute but it does mean ideas and plans don’t get a second pair of eyes on them.
“Financially, many at my age have the financial security as well but I still remain in a precarious position which is always good for the hunger.”
Age and experience provide an edge
Sarah Gatford, Derby-based Sarah Gatford, called on people to go for it into their 60s.
She continued: “I launched my coaching practice in my late 50s after 30 years as a British Sign Language interpreter. At 58, I graduated with an MSc in Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology. After 30 years of interpreting, I wanted to speak as myself and use my own voice to support people.
“Interpreting has taught me that communication goes deeper than words. I kept noticing people struggling with clarity about what they needed, not just what they were saying. My age and experience are my edge. Clients trust me because I’ve lived through complexity.
“I coach people navigating transitions, struggling with identity crises, and losing clarity about who they are when they’re no longer working. Three decades of relationships become capital you can’t manufacture in your 20s. I tell others that your experience isn’t baggage. Don’t wait for perfection. Go for it, and refine as you go.”
Suzanne Noble, Co-Director at London-based Startup School for Seniors, said people over 50 have the highest ratio of freelance workers.
She added: “In my 50s, as a result of the pandemic and losing most of my work, I created Startup School for Seniors, a government-funded programme that supports over-50s to take an idea and turn it into a business.
“We have supported over 600 people since 2020 to learn how to start a business. One in 5 people aged 50+ are now freelance, more than any other age group.”
Changing careers
Dr Marianne Trent, Clinical Psychologist at Coventry-based Good Thinking Psychology, said olderpreneurs often get to do what they wanted earlier in their lives.
She continued: “I am a creator supporting aspiring psychologists and I am delighted to report that some of my most popular podcast and YouTube content is focused on how to change careers as an older applicant.
“For a variety of reasons people often don’t get to pursue their calling earlier in life but I adore that we are fuelling the narrative that it’s never too late to thrive in your career..
Samantha Acton, Director at Domestic Angels, shared the story of Sandra who started a business in her 50s.
She added: “Sandra is a Domestic Angels franchisee who started her business later in life. Like many people in their 50s and beyond, she reached a point where she wanted more control, flexibility and purpose from her working life, but questioned whether she had left it too late to start something new.
“Today, Sandra runs a thriving home services business in her local community. She chooses the hours she works, leads a growing team and has built a loyal client base around trust and reliability. Her life experience has become a genuine advantage, from managing people to balancing work with real-life commitments.
“Sandra now says she only wishes she’d done this sooner. With a proven franchise structure, training and ongoing support, Sandra avoided how overwhelming it was to start from scratch and instead focused on building a business around her life. Her story shows that later-life entrepreneurship and being an olderpreneur is about using experience and confidence to build a business with purpose.”
