The Myth of Overnight Success

After studying more than 500 successful tech companies, Vivek Wadhwa, Director of Research at the Center for Entrepreneurship and Research Commercialization at Duke University, concluded that the common belief that young entrepreneurs can turn ideas into billion-dollar companies overnight is nothing more than a myth. The media promotes the few rare outliers, but the reality is very different: the average age of successful entrepreneurs is 40 years old . “Twice as many successful entrepreneurs are over 50 as under 25. The vast majority—75 percent—have more than six years of industry experience, and half have more than ten years when they create their startup” wrote Wadhwa. Most entrepreneurs are between 55 and 64 years old, and they are twice as likely to build successful startups than those between 20 and 35.

Building something that matters is a marathon, not a sprint , and even the rare exceptions must obey the rules of nature.

Think about this when you work on your dreams and lose your patience or wonder why nothing is working.

Your friend,
Dr. Dragos