September 30, 2008
Is Your Age An Advantage or Disadvantage?
Posted by Alice Seba
I’m a firm believer that, in most cases, age is just a number. I started my online business at a “mature” (he he he) 30 years old, so I never felt any of the discrimination I sometimes felt working in my mid-20s. People already thought I was too young for my job and add to that, I looked much younger than I actually was. I also don’t know how that discrimination might translate to an online business environment since, in most cases, people can’t really see you face to face.
My question. Do you feel your age works to your advantage or disadvantage for your business?
For the record, I’m 36…so don’t be shy to share your age too. 
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Well I’m 27 but I look really young (people think my oldest daughter is my little sister).But whenI go to small business seminars or discuss my professional desires people always tell me your young go for it and that they wish they would have started younger. These are mostly older people in their 40’s they say it’s harder for them now .
I`m 28, so still young, I suppose.
I think it doesn`t matter what age you are when you start your business . . . though the older you are, the more experience you have to bring to the table. I happen to have run about a dozen different businesses before really focusing on writing and each one taught me something whether it succeeded or not. So it just seems to me that the more of THAT you have under your belt, the better.
Certainly online I don’t think it matters at all. I interact with women everyday online and have no idea how old they are.
Unfortunately, offline it can be a problem. As a voiceover, I have found some producers treat you differently once they know your age. They pigeonhole you into a certain style or category, even if your voice is adaptable to a number of styles. I’m sure business women (and men) in other fields experience the same preconceived ideas and discrimination too.
I learned very early on at Internet and marketing seminars not to judge anyone by there age - the 17 year old sitting next to you can just as easily be an online millionaire as the 60 year old.
I’m also 36, and I really don’t think it’s a disadvantage to me online. Offline when I was younger I found that looking young could be a disadvantage, as I looked even younger than I was.
But anyone working online for long and looking at the success stories should quickly realize how wide the age range is for success.
Don’t ask, don’t tell, no discrimination LOL
I don’t think it’s nearly as bad as offline…..if anything, I think the younger ones get more respect.