Editor’s Note
When Sheryl brought me this topic, I was all in. Starting over DOES take guts. I know because I’m doing it right now at 65. I’ve done it before—at 40, at 50—and here we go again. This time feels different though. More intentional. Almost every woman I know is looking for some version of a pivot. A new project. A second or third act. We’re living longer, more vibrant lives than any generation before us, and a lot of us aren’t interested in quietly winding down. We want to build something. Put the hard-earned lessons to work. This one hit close to home. I think it might for you too.—Susan, Editor-in-Chief
Women over 50 are leading a quiet entrepreneurial revolution and redefining what success looks like.
A year ago, Karen Marginot’s new boss shook the ground out from under her. After months of introspection, she felt the draw of entrepreneurship and walked away from a 25-year career in corporate tech.
“I was 62, exhausted from watching too many brilliant women over 50 disappear from the tech industry,” said Marginot, who founded Mindful Transformations, a leadership company focused on helping women. It wasn’t that they lacked talent—they refused to keep fragmenting themselves to fit a masculine leadership model.
And Marginot isn’t alone. Women over 50 are starting businesses, building what didn’t exist for them. They’re choosing autonomy, meaning, and self-definition—and doing so from experience, not novelty. Recent research shows that women over 50 represent the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs worldwide, launching companies in the most dynamic sectors and outperforming their younger counterparts. In fact, women over 50 now account for about 26 percent of all new entrepreneurs.
This quiet revolution is fueled by the clarity that can come with aging, the refusal to be invisible forever, the realization of what they want, and having the guts to go for it. For many women, 50 is no longer a finish line. Purpose becomes the new currency. Freedom becomes the new goal. And impact—not just income—becomes the measure of success.
“These women aren’t starting from scratch; they’re starting from wisdom,” said Jackie Grice, a business strategist and founder of Launching Deeper. “Their businesses are born from lessons, resilience, and a deep desire to live on purpose.”
Starting Over Takes Guts
What’s driving the surge in 50+ women doing their own thing?
“Job loss, career plateaus, and caregiving transitions often spark the decision to start something new,” said Corinne Goble, CEO of the Association of Women’s Business Centers.
But taking the entrepreneurial plunge isn’t for the faint of heart. Less than 3 percent of venture capital goes to women. Money though, is hardly the only stumbling block.
“They face implicit bias against them by the venture community, which is notoriously pattern-matching for younger male founders,” said Jon Morgan, co-founder of Venture Smarter. “There’s a perception by investors that they’re less flexible in using a new technology or having the grittiness for the entrepreneurial grind.”
He suggested a workaround. “Bypass traditional ventures in the seed stage. Focus on building a good advisory board of industry veterans and get your seed financing from angel investors, family offices, and grant-type programs focused specifically on women-run enterprises.”
Consider building a female power squad where you’re mentored and you mentor via mastermind groups, coaching circles, and women’s networks, locally and online. But while rhythm and self-care matter, those are the logistics, not the point. The real work for female entrepreneurs is building something that finally fits them.
Stories From the Women Rebuilding
You’ll hear from founders how technology can be intimidating and that balancing family or caregiving while running a business can be challenging. But sometimes the greatest issue is internal—self-doubt, feeling like you don’t belong in the room—and challenging it anyway.
Tracy Vontélle Green and Nancey Flowers-Harris, both in their early 50s, believe it’s never too late to build something extraordinary. They broke into eyewear as Black women founders, in an industry dominated by a handful of major players.
In 2020 they started Vontélle, a luxury brand created to provide glasses that offer a better fit for diverse faces. They faced barriers in manufacturing, distribution, and access to capital. “Our resilience and determination keep us moving forward,” said Flowers-Harris, a former senior sales and marketing executive.
They overcame roadblocks through persistence, creativity, building community, and reinvesting every win back into the business. Resourcefulness opened doors. “Age brings wisdom, confidence, and perspective that younger entrepreneurs are still learning,” said Green, who spent decades as a financial executive.
Achievements include a licensing agreement with Nickelodeon, and a limited-edition collection in 900 America’s Best stores. “We’re part of a generation of women proving that success doesn’t have an expiration date,” Green said.
After 21 years as a stay-at-home mom and a difficult divorce that left her with no formal career, Megan Castellón, 54, spent the last three years reinventing herself in the wellness industry. She recently launched Syren Spreads, a spoonable chocolate hazelnut beauty supplement with botanicals that help support skin health.
She entered an industry where she had no prior business experience. “I had to overcome ageism and prove my credibility after decades of being out of the workforce,” Castellón said. For her, it was about starting from personal power. “Life experience and authentic passion can disrupt industries dominated by younger founders and venture-backed startups.”
The Power Shift
Middle-aged women launching businesses isn’t some fad that will fade faster than a whiff of perfume. It’s a correction, a power shift. And it’s not going away.
“We’re not interested in ‘leaning in’ to structures that were never built for us,” Marginot said. “We’re creating entirely new models, and the world desperately needs what we’re building. I’m proud that what I’m building is part of this revolution.”
