Starting a Business at 60: My Father's Story
thoughts.jatintiwari.com
thoughts.jatintiwari.com
So many things that really do make money but were not worthwhile on shitty terms can come into reach, plus anyone involved can have no doubt that you're intending to make something happen sooner rather than later. Whether it's building a desirable acquisition target, or laying the valuable foundation for a growing institution.
Youth is wasted on the young.
Wealth is wasted in the hands of the old.i felt i might be too old to try again and felt a little alienated from everyone i speak. everyone speaks about lot of things but feel everything is quote shallow and nobody understands what it takes. i keep having thoughts about what i could have fixed, what business i can try now. am little burnt out from tech and wanted to have a smaller non tech business but felt would i be able to or not. but reading about this gave me a sense of belonging or thought that there are some of us who are always not satisfied.
As a person who was raised on a small family dairy farm, when I read this I thought of cow milk processing like in the US; producing pasteurized milk, cheese, etc. But I have never seen milk or cheese in my limited exposure to Indian cuisine. So, maybe someone can enlighten me; what type of milk and how is it processed?
Indian cuisine is diary oriented to a point that while vegetarian food is super common, it is very difficult to find vegan food (especially North Indian food which is more common in the west). As a fun exercise try finding a local Indian restaurant and see how many of the dishes are vegetarian vs vegan. If you live in an area with a large Indian population, you may find Indian vegetarian restaurants locally - check their menu for vegan items. Milk consumption both directly or in tea is extremely common. Butter and ghee (clarified butter) is omnipresent in Indian cooking. Yogurt (locally called curd) and buttermilk (watery yogurt) is also widely consumed. Paneer, which is a kind of cheese made from curdling milk (very similar to tofu) is very common in North Indian dishes.
- straightforward milk harvesting.
- paneer (a type of cottage cheese, and an Indian staple, the principle source of protein for vegetarians. when vegetarian Indians [in India, not necessarily elsewhere] mention cheese, this is "ackshually" what they're talking about).
- yogurt (called "curd" or "curds" in India. a staple that's eaten raw, or added to curries while cooking). Fun fact: till a generation ago, most yogurt in India was made at home (or in the shop in the case of eating establishments) using starter that had been passed down for generations. (if one branch of the family got thicker, tastier yogurt than another branch [from their starter], the first branch would share their starter with the second branch -- if they had cordial relations.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/26/dining/homemade-yogurt-st...
I know a 50 year old personally who finished ironman triathlon.
But also, some of us just feel like we're in a rush, and we see the people around us doing and achieving things that we'd like to have done already. If you don't have kids by 30 and want them, there's a lot of nonsense telling you that time is gradually running out, etc.
Our worship of youth (relevant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROJKEwYEx8Q) starts hitting different at a surprisingly young age. I assume it's far worse for women too.
Last I counted she has 5 current ongoing civil lawsuits, on both sides of the courtroom. Two of her own children won't speak to her and the third is getting there.
Anecdotally speaking, I'm just tired of nearly everything and I have nothing I could call life aspirations or dreams. I'm satisfied if I get through another day in peace.
Some people are young until the moment they croak, some are old from the moment they gain real awareness and agency, but most people cruise from young to old on a biological slide.
Simply put, aging is a bitch.
I can't pull all-nighters or concentrate as hard as I could in my youth anymore, among many other things, and I'm more or less constantly exhausted simply due to the fierce but uncaring passage of time.
>mental rather than physical
No doubt it's more mental than physical, but it all comes down to aging one way or another. There's less wonder in life the more I experience; I'm just tired and the only explanation is I'm old, full stop. Most people are more young at 35 than I am, but I'm not one of them.
When I say I'm tired, I mean literally so. I have lots of joys in life even if it's not as wonderous anymore; lots of things I want to do. The problem is I don't have nearly enough energy nor time for them anymore as I get older. I have more responsibilities (things that need doing) as I get older and my body simply isn't as lively as when I was younger.
And that is only going to get even worse as time passes.
Aging is a bitch.
(For context, I'm 40 and feel old too. My partner died after a short and nasty illness, which was difficult in itself, and I was left to care for our then two years old kid. I only have one responsibility, but it's more than enough...)
Depends totally on the life experience of the person. Look at the reactions of friends and family to the Luigi Mangione story. They are all universally suprised and shocked. Why?
Cause the assumption is a well educated well off 26 year old can handle what ever the environment throws at them.
nobody said they can’t. Statistics show they don’t do it the at the same rate so it’s an accomplishment when some do
> At first, I doubted if he could run a business at his age. I wanted him to relax at home.
As for this
> Statistics show they don’t do it the at the same rate so it’s an accomplishment when some do
51% of US business owners are at least 55: https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/2020/comm/busi...
The impetus of this particular thread and context of gp (sabbaticaldev) comment is "starting" a business at age 60.
On the other hand, your cite seems to be survey of all businesses and gets a snapshot of whatever ages the business owners happen to be when the survey was done. In other words, maybe many of those 55+ business owners started when they were much younger?
If I were to guess I think most founders would be either young or above middle age. Living “poor” is less of a problem when you’re young, and then once your children grow up and you have both experience and stable finances you’re again free of a lot of life’s responsibilities. Meanwhile you’re likely going to be struggling to even find enough hours in your life to take a shower in your 30-40ies with small kids and jobs, and you’re also likely to actually depend on paychecks during this period.
Well, brain decline is documented and starts well before 60, but maybe we're not equal. I'm 50, and I can tell my mind isn't as sharp as it used to be. My memory isn't as good, and I feel complex mental tasks require more energy. It seems I've lost a layer of cache. That being said, I'm not done yet, I'm still able to do my job (SWE in a competitive environment where my colleagues are much younger).
I imagine people who are staying healthy are more likely to have a healthy brain.
In a competitive environment, certainly take advantage of your colleagues youth and inexperience.
The most problematic area is some people’s assumptions that you are too old to contribute. This might be misunderstanding or deliberate as they want less objections to their plans (or exploitations).
Being your boss might be an ideal solution.
In my culture, as well as that of the critics, we agree that 60 is not old, and it's also quite normal to be starting a business at such an age. But his culture, which makes berth in Bengaluru, India, obviously has different expectations regarding age, and so that's why it's unusual (but elating) to see his father do this at such an age.
Just remember that, and cut him some slack.
Enterprise is throwing the last dime you have knowing if you lost it, it's the streets.