At 44, I had an unexpected thought.

"Is this all there is?"

I had the title, the salary, and the respect.

I’d spent years building it all. From the outside it looked like I had momentum, but on the inside I felt finished.

I was done being available all the time for something that didn't fully reward me for the commitment.

It took me three years to move from thinking about it to actually doing something about it. I left at 47. People put so much importance on age when they think about making a change; they tell themselves they're too late, that they missed their window.

What if the years you think disqualify you are actually the ones that have prepared you for the next step?

The big myth

I've heard it a hundred times.

"I'm too old to start over." You've thought it and so have many others, yet is it really true?

Vera Wang entered fashion at 40.

Ray Kroc founded McDonald's at 52.

Julia Child published her first cookbook at 50.

There are many examples of people building something new after 40, and these are just the famous ones. MIT studied thousands of founders and discovered something most people get wrong. The average age of a successful high-growth startup founder isn't 25, it's 45.

Let’s break the myth that you’re behind, because in fact, you're right on time.

Youth is overrated

It’s true that at 27 you have energy and time, but at 47, you have judgment.

You know what doesn't work, which risks are worth taking, and you've already made the expensive mistakes. A 27-year-old is still figuring out who they are. At 47, you already know.

Being over 40 brings value that no amount of hustle can replicate:

Pattern recognition. After surviving three recessions and five company reorganizations, you know what works and what doesn't.

Real trust. You now have a network that will back you, who knows your value because they've watched you deliver for over 20 years.

Emotional steadiness. You don't spiral when a deal falls through, because you've seen worse. This is what keeps you calm and able to perform when others freeze.

When you finally realize this, the turning point won’t be far away.

A new direction

One of my clients was a former CFO with over 24 years of corporate experience.

He had lived and worked in four countries, and built his career from the ground up. When it came time to launch his own business, he hit a wall. First, he threw money at the problem. He hired someone to create a flashy website, run ads, and generate leads.

Six months later, he was still sitting at zero.

That's when he came to me, confused, a little disheartened, but not broken.

→ We went deep into who his ideal client was.

→ We researched and built a targeted list of companies.

→ We created a laser-focused outreach strategy aimed at key decision-makers.

Two weeks later, he had six appointments. Six months after that, he closed a $15K monthly retainer client. The turning point comes when you're ready to ask for help and do the work that moves you to the next level.

Is the thought that it might be too late holding you back? Let me know.

Melina

Curious to learn more? Visit my website here.

113 Cherry St. #92768, Seattle, WA 98104
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