ANY OVER 40 SEARCHERS?
Hello- The 2018 Stanford Search Fund Study indicated that very few searchers are over age 40 (3% of new funds in[redacted]were started by someone older than 40, and 7% in[redacted]As someone who is approaching his 50th birthday this year and just starting to explore search funds, I am very interested in hearing from anyone who is in the over-40 crowd. What model did you use? Did you enlist a partner? What challenges, if any, did you face?
* Jim Sharpe’s Searching Mid-Career: https://www.searchfunder.com/article/viewarticle/1425
* Starting A Search Mid-Career: Life Experience vs. Formal Education https://www.searchfunder.com/article/viewarticle/58
* Mid 30s Search https://www.searchfunder.com/article/viewarticle/564
* Over 60 Funded Search https://www.searchfunder.com/article/viewarticle/56
Great article on this and stats re age and entrepreneurial success at https://secondsquared.space/if-you-follow-media-coverage-of-the-entrepreneurial-world-you-could-be-forgiven-for-thinking-its-just-the-domain-of-people-in-their-mid-20s-and-technology-start-ups-koshies-business-buil/
And to address the unsaid - even if you go it alone and become the singe searcher without a partnership, one of the important aspects of your strategy will be to address your succession/address the key-person risks associated at any level in any business.
And speaking from experience, by the time you are in your 40s (IMHO my 40s were just the start of me getting my mojo) you have probably experienced all kinds of business relationships and are beginning to know what works/doesnt for you. I was in partnership with a corporate psychopath (ticked[redacted]of clinical psychopathic attributes) from which I learned much and was able to learn how to spot the signs early.
Being clear on what you bring to the table and what your blind spots are is important too as your business partner should not bring the same as you - you have to complement and leverage your unique abilities to really gain momentum.
Also don't forget the power of a great investor community - many of whom will support the right minded entrepreneur.