Olderpreneur Alliance founder Isabella Moore has urged a West Midlands audience to ‘discover your inner entrepreneur… at any age!’

Speaking at an online event in January, Isabella drew on her own entrepreneurial experience as well as the results of her doctoral research into later-life entrepreneurship.

With UK life expectancy at an all-time high, the number of pensioners predicted to rise by 40% over the next 40 years, and a shrinking tax base, Isabella illustrated the very real risk to the financial viability of adequate state pensions – particularly relevant to the 70% of older women of all social classes who have no private retirement income.

But as well as income generation, she also highlighted a range of reported motivations for older entrepreneurs, from flexible working to the desire to fulfil a long-held ambition or idea.

After reviewing the real and perceived barriers that older people face in setting up their own business, Isabella then looked at the unique resources which they bring to the challenge, as well as the help which is available to support them – including The Olderpreneur Alliance’s forthcoming pre-incubation and incubation programmes for later-life entrepreneurship.

Finishing her talk, Isabella told the audience: “Ultimately, the only one who can tell you ‘you can’t do it’ is you… and you don’t have to listen!”

Click here to read more about The Olderpreneur Alliance programmes which support later-life entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship.