Understanding the older entrepreneur

Author:
SMALL Malcolm
Journal article citation:
Working with Older People, 16(3), 2012, pp.132-140.
Publisher:
Emerald

Older workers facing redundancy or retirement may decide to run their own business, be that a company, partnership, or on a self-employed basis. The purpose of this paper is to gain insight into the prevalence of entrepreneurial activity amongst older people, and whether such activity may be an option for them to extend their working lives. The research sample was recruited from the Institute of Directors Policy Voice database. An e-mail survey was distributed which included a series of questions relating to age and business activities. Older respondents (aged 55 years or over) were also asked to answer 3 more open-ended questions in more depth. Over 1,200 responses to the survey were received. The findings show that starting, running or continuing in individual business or entrepreneurial activity was surprisingly commonplace amongst the research sample, suggesting that there might be more older entrepreneurs amongst the population as a whole than might have previously been supposed. For those with the requisite skills and personal attributes, entrepreneurship in later life would appear to be a valid option for extending working lives.

Subject terms:
older people, retirement, self-employment, employment;
Content type:
research
Location(s):
United Kingdom
Link:
Journal home page
ISSN print:
1366-3666

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