Never Too Old to Get Rich

Foreword

Elizabeth Isele

Founder and CEO,The Global Institute forExperienced Entrepreneurship

No! “Senior Entrepreneurship” is not an oxymoron. The 21st century is the “Age of Experience” and that experience is driving social and economic change worldwide. Today’s longevity is historically unique. There is no blueprint for what to do with an additional 20 to 30 years, but entrepreneuring seniors around the globe are designing their way into new lives, optimizing their life and work experience in nontraditional career paths and creating businesses of their own – from micro- to multimillion-dollar ventures – in unprecedented numbers.

For the past six years, I have been crisscrossing the globe, convening dynamic summits of world leaders in government, universities, and the private sector to raise awareness of the power of experience, and to convey the urgent need to build an ecosystem of innovative collaborations and new pathways, through technology and inclusion, to equip older individuals with the skills and resources they need to support and sustain an “Experienced Economy” (www.amp.com.au/amp/videos/releasingthepotentialoftheexperiencedeconomy).

At the summits, I share insights and best practices from country to country, such as:

• Finland is the first country to declare experience is its number one natural resource!
• A recent study in Spain revealed that for every €1 the government invests to mitigate the “retirement syndrome,” it will receive a stunning €129 in return.
• In ...