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Comment by extrememacaroni | Hacker News Reader

Depending on how far you take your business while young, you may find it difficult to go back to regular employment, especially in places where people expect you to be reliable and dedicated.

I'm not sure young people can take financial risks, unless they're already rich. If they're not rich, I'd sooner advise people to work for long enough to have a safety net of cash, as well as cash to invest in their idea first. A bonus you get while working is that you meet people who can potentially help you in your business later on. Seeing what's involved in a real business will also help you make more realistic estimates of what you'll need in your own.

The average age of the successful startup/business founder is way older than what the media lets people know by showing only the youngest entrepreneurs i.e. the outliers who are noteworthy. Those people happen to have industry experience and money that can be "risked".

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> I'm not sure young people can take financial risks, unless they're already rich.

It's a lot easier to take a financial risk when you have no dependents and no mortgage.

I quit my job to start a business in my late 20s, when I was single and had no kids. I will say that another reply's statement is very true: "If I think back to the person I was in my mid-20s, I would not have had the dedication, confidence, people skills, or even the technical know-how to pull off anything approaching a successful business."

In my case, I just wanted to be in charge of my own destiny for awhile, with the freedom to screw up. (And I did screw up.) Although I wish I did things differently, the experience itself was worthwhile. Our modern upbringings are so structured that "starting our own business" really just turns into an outlet for avoiding authority for awhile.

During my 20s, I was in graduate school and I had no money. Now I'm in my 30s making good developer money, and while I have a mortgage I also have enough saved to pay it for a long time.

I also have no dependents, which is obviously the big difference maker.

> I also have no dependents, which is obviously the big difference maker.

Yep. Just try to build significant savings with a wife and 3 kids. I'll probably never have more than a couple of months' pay sitting in savings. I realize if I lived alone I could easily live on 1/3 of my current salary. Ah well, life choices and all that...

> The average age of the successful startup/business founder is way older than what the media lets people know by showing only the youngest entrepreneurs i.e. the outliers who are noteworthy.

Interesting point. If I think back to the person I was in my mid-20s, I would not have had the dedication, confidence, people skills, or even the technical know-how to pull off anything approaching a successful business (I still may not for all I know, but I'm trying). However, I've met a few brilliant people in that age range who seemed to excel in all of those attributes I just listed :) -- but they're definitely extreme outliers, as you say.

Hah, I worry about this. I started my business at 25. I've never had a job. I'm not sure how employable I would be if I ever needed one. I rarely work the same number of hours each day, and I don't keep a set schedule.

As such, a safety net is a bit priority. Enough so I could start another business if mine ever gets problems.

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