Age is not a hindrance to business: people who founded successful companies after 40 years

Experts from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology conducted a study for the scientific journal American Economic Review. Its results showed that the optimal age for starting a successful business is after 40 years. This conclusion is confirmed by examples from life, reports Trends RBK.

Dietrich Mateschitz

At the age of 40, Mateschitz founded the energy drinks company Red Bull GmbH. Dietrich was born in Austria in 1944. He did not have excellent studies, but was able to build a career in marketing. He first worked at Unilever, then at Blendax. His life changed dramatically thanks to drink Krating Daeng, which he tried in his 40s.

Krating was made by Thai businessman Chaleo Yyuvidya and decided to release it in the European and US markets. Together with Dietrich, they produce the drink and found the Red Bull GmbH. The development of the composition of the drink was at Chaleo, and Dietrich was engaged in product marketing.

The marketing was pretty aggressive, they really wanted Red Bull to be associated with extreme sports. Through the marketing of Mateschica, Red Bull is now sponsoring sporting events that help the company increase sales.

According to Forbes, 2019 billion cans were sold in 7,5, which could provide caffeine for 80% of the world's population. In 2021, 77-year-old Dietrich entered the top 100 richest people in the world from the Forbes list with a fortune of almost $ 27 billion.

Linda Weinman

Linda Weinman received her liberal arts education in 1976. But she decides to become an entrepreneur and opened two retail stores... In this case, Linda has failed. After that, in the early 1980s, at the dawn of the development of computer technology, she independently mastered work with graphics and animation.

New knowledge helped her create special effects for blockbusters. Among her works are "Star Trek-5" and "Robocop-2". But entrepreneurial ambitions made themselves felt. In 1995, Linda, together with her husband, created the Internet platform Lynda.com. On it, for a small fee, one could buy access to video tutorials on working with computer programs. The business was so successful that in 2015, Lynda.com was bought by LinkedIn for $ 1,5 billion. This online school is now known as LinkedIn Learning. Here you can learn modern professions, including programming, web design, graphics and animation.

James Simons

Simons founded the investment company Renaissance Technologies at 44. He has actively studied mathematics from the age of 23 and has achieved immense success in academic and applied science. But at 44, James decided to use his knowledge to make money on the stock exchange. Simons founded the investment company Renaissance Technologies, whose work is based on numerical models and the search for mathematical relationships in the market.

From 1988 to 2018, Renaissance Technologies' flagship Medallion fund achieved an annual return of 66% before taxes and 39% after taxes, thanks to a scientific approach, a record for Wall Street. In 2009, Simons retired, and in 2013 he was named the best investment manager in the world.

Mary Kay Ash

Mary founded the Mary Kay cosmetics company at the age of 45. She was born into a poor American family, single-handedly raised three children and earned a living by selling books door-to-door. In 1939, Mary joined Stanley Home Products, where she worked for over 20 years. But, despite all the merits and experience, they refused to raise her, preferring less experienced men.

At the age of 45, with the support of her sons, Mary founded a company selling cosmetics and body care products, which she named after herself - "Mary Kay". Today it is one of the most successful network marketing companies. Total sales - over $ 3 billion per year.

Dmitry Zimin

Dmitry Zimin at the age of 59 founded the telecommunications company "Beeline". His whole life is connected with science: he worked as an engineer, head of a laboratory and director of a center for the development of radio equipment. At the age of 30, Dmitry became a candidate of sciences, and at 51 - a doctor.

The collapse of the USSR also influenced the field of science. Zimin, in order not to be left without work, began to look for a new field of activity. At the age of 59, he founded the joint-stock company Vympel-Communications, where he became president and CEO. Most Russians know the company under the Beeline brand - today it is one of the largest operators in the country.

In 1996, VimpelCom became the first Russian company to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. And when in 2001 the number of subscribers exceeded one million, Dmitry Zimin left the position of CEO and began to engage in charity work.