Are Older Entrepreneurs Threatened By the Younger?

Thursday, April 26, 2007 at 04:21pm by David Askaripour in Life

angry dude

Want to know what I see a lot of nowadays?

I see a lot of young entrepreneurs rooting for other young entrepreneurs all over the map. Generally speaking, whenever I come across a group of young entrepreneurs in a gathering, I see them expressing support, concern, and passion for each others� businesses.

I see them swapping business cards and talking about how partnerships can be formed. I see them offering assistance and sharing ideas about how they can help one another.

When young entrepreneurs present on stage, I see other young entrepreneurs responding with great alacrity and intensity. I see other young entrepreneurs rushing to speak to them after they�ve presented.

Want to know what else I see a lot of nowadays?

I see a lot of older entrepreneurs showing blatant pessimism, disdain, and outright negativity towards the younger generation of entrepreneurs. Something is definitely different and noticeable about the way older (35+ years-old) entrepreneurs react to the younger crowd of entrepreneurs (30 and under).

I�ve not only experienced this first hand, but I�ve spoken with numerous other young entrepreneurs who have faced the firing squad from older entrepreneurs/businessmen (who want to be entrepreneurs, but aren�t�and will end up working a 9 to 5 forever).

I don�t think it�ll take a degree in Rocket Science to figure out some of the reasons why such reactions from older entrepreneurs/businessmen occur. Let�s take a stab at a few possibilities:

Fear:

Frankly, I think that many older people fear younger entrepreneurs because of the many feats that we have accomplished at such a young age. We are moving at a speed that has never been seen before. We are the first generation to really exploit the advances made with the Internet / WWW. When older entrepreneurs see 18 � 22 year-olds building, literally, multi-million dollar — 1B dollar businesses, I think that a certain level of anxiety is provoked, which leads to fear, which leads to trying to put a stop to it� and so forth.
Security:

Some older people may be thinking about a lack of security. Let�s face it, young entrepreneurs are creating companies and hiring employees. And the fact of the matter is, young entrepreneurs are more likely to hire young employees — people they can relate to better in a social respect. Older businessmen may feel that if young entrepreneurs continue to grow at the rate that they are, then the future outlook on jobs may seem bleek.
Jealously:

Could it be that the older generation is jealous of our accomplishments? Could it be that they never expected us to accomplish so much at such a young age? I think that this holds true with certain members of the older generation — no doubt. Let�s face it, older entrepreneurs/businessmen aren�t immune to jealousy and may very well be expressing their feelings through negative comments to entrepreneurs such as �that�s never going to work� your idea is horrible� not going to happen!… keep dreaming!� It�s one thing to be critical about an idea, but it�s another thing to completely bash a concept with a slew of negative remarks that add no real insight or ways to improve the concept. I absolutely hate when I see other entrepreneurs — young or old — conduct themselves in such a manner.

For whatever reason this is happening, anyone would be naive to deny that it is, in fact, happening. Entrepreneurs, of all ages, should be in each other�s corners no matter what. Age, on the road to success, shouldn�t be a factor and shouldn�t be used as a tool to bash someone�s ideas or concepts. We�re in this together.

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13 Comments

Adam Gilbert

April 26th, 2007 at 6:26 pm

Yes we are my man.

I love this.

Anthony

April 26th, 2007 at 6:34 pm

While this article certainly has merit, I also don’t think it’s giving enough credit to the older generation. How about this possibility for why the older generation of entrepreneurs looks down on most of this generation’s: WISDOM. Let’s think about it. We live in a generation where most young people think that in order to make money, they must be in a service/intellectual property industry. Which is true - for now. But here’s the problem - traditional industries are disappearing. We have tons of entrepreneurs starting websites & blogs with the only business model being advertising. That’s great. But what happens a few decades from now, when there’s less to advertise because all of this generation’s entrepreneurs found it so easy to make money advertising and servicing that they forgot there was a need for physical products, retail storefronts, restaurants - should I keep going?

Web 2.0 is the renaissance of the web after the first dot-com bust, but guess what? It’s not invincible, and it, too, is a bubble. And for every time an older entrepreneur heckles a younger one without merit, there is also a case where there IS merit. After all, how many times can an older entrepreneur hear about the next blog/social networking site/online service before he/she starts to laugh about the whole thing?

All of us need to realize that maybe, just maybe, older entrepreneurs have some experience. And although they may not fully understand the intricacies of this new market, they do understand - and rightfully so - that many young entrepreneurs are extremely naive. They’re part of a bubble that’s going to burst and many don’t even realize it because they haven’t been in business long enough to have ever survived one before.

We’ve got some growing up to do. And although it’s never wise to fully listen to anybody else’s opinion, it definitely IS wise to try to understand the merit behind an older generation’s opinion before jumping the gun and assuming it can be attributed to fear, insecurity and jealousy.

David Askaripour

April 26th, 2007 at 6:49 pm

Adam, right on!

Anthony.
Hmm… I don’t think that young entrepreneurs doubt that older ones have experience — that’s far from the case. And if the older generation wants to “laugh” and “heckle” younger ones based upon their business models/revenue streams, then that’s a problem that “they” have to deal with… believe me… us young entrepreneurs aren’t affected by these hecklers… In fact, it’s great that they do, because it motivates us…not discourages us. So, can’t agree with you, that young entrepreneurs are extremely naive. That’s a sweeping statement and I just don’t see it. Sure, there are some that are…but I wouldn’t say most. And the whole bubble bursting claim doesn’t hold up because that’s simply a given… the market ALWAYS corrects itself, not matter what industry, age, or anything else… it’s inevitable. I’ll say it again: FEAR, JEALOUSY, and INSECURITY ARE factors.. It’s just that simple. But, please, feel free to think otherwise

TOMAS

April 26th, 2007 at 7:55 pm

Interesting post David. And since I’m now 31 years old, according to Mind Petals I guess I’m an “Older Entrepreneur”? In my experience, I’ve had nothing but respect and admiration for ANY entrepreneur regardless of age, ethnicity, social status, et cetera. Of my closest business buddies, only 1 of them is actually older than I am with the rest being under 30 years of age and I’m not sure if they have ever mentioned being looked down upon for being young. That’s a bummer to hear that you would be picked on, and yes - these events are a result of fear, jealousy, and insecurity. Most likely, it’s the complex that many individuals in this world have (not just older individuals) in which they try and pull you back down because they down want to be alone in their self doubt. So the statement you’ve made that “older people fear younger entrepreneurs” may have some merit, I would likely say that there are many older individuals who also applaud and encourage the younger generation to continue making changes in this world.

David Askaripour

April 26th, 2007 at 8:04 pm

Hey Tomas,

Thanks so much for your input and valuable feedback. I agree, there are MANY, in fact, probably MOST, older entrepreneurs who encourage and support younger entrepreneurs. It’s glad to hear that people such are yourself are out there. The article, for better or worse, addresses the common thread that I have noticed throughout the gatherings that I have attended and from the many conversations that I have had with fellow young entrepreneurs. BTW, awesome blog!

TOMAS

April 26th, 2007 at 10:37 pm

Thanks David, I’m glad you like it! And keep up the great work on Mind Petals!

yoda

April 27th, 2007 at 3:24 am

I couldn’t disagree more (at least when I think about myself in relation to this story).

I’m 41, been building websites for going on twelve years, have been fortunate to learn a ton about how to build a company, both foolishly/stupidly as well as skillfully (witnessed a ton of other people doing it too) and am now more qualified and ready than I’ve ever been.

Currently partners and I are taking our experience and knowledge, developing a realistic business plan and creating a rock solid company that if nurtured and carefully executed will surely be successful. It’s so exciting that I feel like I’m getting younger everyday! We don’t have any goals to be bought out. We love what we do and want to continue doing it! Plus we can help more and more people as a result.

Don’t misunderstand me, its wonderful that younger people these days can find the rockstarly success and do so much. Even better, it’s awesome that the technology industry fosters opportunity for people of all ages.

Todd

April 27th, 2007 at 5:27 am

David,
I believe that most of this age discrimination actually originated with the younger entrepreneurs or with their cheerleaders. The age lines happen to fall on the boundary between X generation and Y, so I’ll use those terms.

The proponents of Y, such as Paul Graham, have stirred the pot by telling Y that they are invincible and they can do anything they want. The structure of Y combinator actually discriminates against X. For example, if an X’er could actual survive on 2k per month, they probably wouldn’t move to Boston or SF for an extended “group jam session”.

Then there is the Y group itself, headed by such luminaries as Mark Zuckerberg. This group shows outright distain for X. He completely discounts X and their years of knowledge and experience (guess what, it actually matters). He’ll find out, though. In about eight years.

I find it sad and, at the same time, comical, that these two groups have such low regard for X, when it is X (and their elders) that built modern operating systems, the infrastructure for the web itself, and most of the real software that fuels present-day computers (for example, the scripting languages themselves). When you compare the typical Web 2.0 code base (a bunch of script (PHP, Python, Perl or Ruby), markup, and script (JS), lashed together) with any of the aforementioned, Zuckerberg and his lot seem like Pop artists criticizing the Impressionists.

There may be a perception of reverse age discrimination now. I would argue, though, that it’s a reaction to the waters having been fouled by these vocal Y groups.

David Askaripour

April 27th, 2007 at 11:47 am

Hey Yoda,

Rock on! That’s great and I wish you guys all much success. In terms of success, like I said, age plays no factor whatsoever, it really doesn’t. That’s the point I’m always trying to drive home. I guess, for some people, they just can’t be comfortable watching the younger generation have the same sort of success the older generation has.

David Askaripour

April 27th, 2007 at 11:54 am

Hey Todd,

Those are some excellent points. I agree with you to an extent, there is a niche of the gen Y group who openly discriminate the older gen X. But, I feel that most of that comes from people telling them that they could never amount to anything, that they weren’t going to make it, and that they should stay in school…etc… I think that that general sentiment, regardless if a younger entrepreneur specifically encountered it or not, is now being pushed back in the older generation from some young entrepreneur. Oh, and Y Combinator…yeah… that’s a whole ‘nother story. There’s a list of things that “I” can complain about what’s going on over there; and I’m a young entrepreneur..heh Thanks for your comments

Adam

April 27th, 2007 at 3:49 pm

Dave,

Great post. I think you’ll always have haters, regardless of age or even success. Mark Cuban has done blog posts where he’s talked about how people he knows tell him he was lucky to start Broadcast.com and sell it for 5 BILLION dollars…with total disregard for his hard work and perseverance.

It’s tough too, because you should always listen to what an old entrepreneur has to say. They have experience, and many times can help guide you. As with anyone, you’ve just got to be selective - listen to what’ll help and ignore anything that won’t.

I also don’t think most YE’s are internet related as Anthony pointed out…just most of the YE’s we know. Of the people I knew from high school and college that started businesses, more started night clubs and bars and pizza shops than Web2.0 businesses. Those industries will be just fine.

yoda

April 27th, 2007 at 4:48 pm

David,

Thank you for the kind words. To add, a few more things…

Younger people have another disadvantage, I can see: They must depend more on other people and even then they are bound to make more mistakes. Nothing against them at all. It’s just the reality of things as far as I can tell.

Older, more experienced business people can cut costs and increase overall quality and productivity pretty much on their own, simply because of the skills they possess.

Not to get on a soapbox or anything, but I’ve spent the last 15 years of my life trying to master my craft of building websites while at the same time building up my business skills and mastering Japanese. I also have a teaching credential and years of experience teaching, which built up my people and communication skills. This has proven invaluable to me. (Please don’t misunderstand me - my point is not to brag and I hate people who do that. I just think it’s worth pointing out)

So unlike a “greenhorn youngin”, I am capable of building the vision & product on my own (to a large degree, not completely of course), handle the business end and do business both here and abroad. Pair this with other experienced Jedi’s and you’ve got yourself a team of heavy cats.

There is simply no substitute for experience.

Regards,
yoda

P.S. I use the nick “yoda” affectionately to express that I may look slow but I can kick your ass at anytime, my young Padowan! Hehe! My real name is Doug.