Paul Tasner is an American entrepreneur who started his successful business at the age of 66. His story is not steeped in excessive drama; there are no episodes of coming up with a brilliant idea that changed the lives of most people on the planet. The speech does not contain instant success, grandiose failures with the loss of multibillion-dollar sums. Nevertheless, Paul Tesner’s journey, as described in his presentation on TED, could not help but generate genuine interest and admiration. In less than 7 minutes of describing his experience, the speaker was able to refute all possible preconceptions about the limited opportunities and achievements of older people in business. The man’s presentation showed that age should be excluded from entrepreneurial success factors.
An essential prerequisite for successfully starting a business at an older age was having significant experience and a set of knowledge in a highly specialized profile. Paul Tasner begins his monologue by telling us that he had been laid off from a position where he had devoted a great deal of effort and time. He was considered good in his field but was laid off. The need to be involved in professional activities based on his experience was the starting point for starting his own business.
Paul Tasner’s talk touches on the whole issue of starting a business and what ideas and lines of thought would be practical for starting a company. The speaker talks about how his startup was based on his environmental concerns, which subsequently motivated him to open a biodegradable packaging business. Tesner stresses that after five years, his company has been able to reduce the pace of the environment to a certain extent. This fact, he says, is of crucial importance to him, much more than the fact that he was able to secure a stable and prosperous income at retirement age. This man’s example shows that regardless of an entrepreneur’s age, a successful business can be built based on a desire to change the world for the better and contribute to society.
This presentation is a helpful adjunct to the entrepreneurship topic covered in the course. It helps to paint an overall picture of a successful businessman and to review the factors that determine the quality of a business. Viewers of this video understand that any professional activity must be free of age bias. The critical factors for a private corporation to thrive are experience, a knack for professional expertise, and an idea of how the company created can benefit the community. According to this logic, older people are more promising entrepreneurs. Tasner refers to statistics compiled by a British research group, according to which 70 percent of startups owned by older people are successful. That figure is more than double the percentage of influential companies created by young people (Tasner, 2017). According to this data, older people are more promising entrepreneurs.
This presentation made a strong impression on me, as it allowed me to discover several new ideas that will influence my entrepreneurial experience in the future. Describing the journey of creating a company, Paul Tasner emphasized that he did not rely on role models. He soberly evaluated his initial data and prospects and did not strive to create a unique multi-billion dollar project that would change the entire world like Tesla’s company. Adequate assessment of one’s resources is an essential reference point for creating a quality and in-demand product. This idea can be a good lesson for aspiring entrepreneurs, especially young entrepreneurs who tend to be subject to illusions.
Another thought that I found helpful is that a successful business leader must respect his business and clearly understand its importance. “I am doing the most rewarding and meaningful work of my life,” – that is how Paul Tasner referred to his work (2017). The motive of entrepreneurship cannot be only material benefit; otherwise, the businessman will be very limited in thinking, the choice of strategies, and methods of development. The speaker, in contrast, based his business model on knowledge from years of experience as well as concern about environmental pollution. The speaker’s business was based on a global idea of helping nature, which was subsequently concretized and turned into a set of goals, objectives, methods, and strategies. Accordingly, the understanding that the created business is useful to the world becomes an inspiring factor, encouraging the businessman to unconventional solutions and ideas. Only the production that is valued by its owner can be organized qualitatively.
It follows from Tasner’s speech that the achievements of the elderly entrepreneur are no less significant than those of the young executive. This idea is supported by the fact that most people do not need to follow role models at an older age and, therefore, have a greater chance to be original. Middle-aged people tend to evaluate their capabilities more adequately, which also increases their likelihood of business success. Moreover, older entrepreneurs are willing to shift their focus from monetary gain to the benefit their company can bring to society.
Reference
Tasner, P. (2017). How I became entrepreneur at 66[Video]. TED.