Apparently, We Missed a Boat?

By Tricia Scott.

There’s a story we’ve been sold about business.

That if you haven’t “made it” by your thirties…
If you didn’t launch something brilliant straight out of university…
If you’re only just finding your feet now (at a time when heels feel like a criminal offence)…

Then somehow, you’ve missed the boat.

I don't even like boats, (seriously, I have zero sea legs and spent the majority of my last boat trip the colour of khakis).

What I do know, from years of mentoring women and building this community, is that many people start businesses later than we’re led to believe. Much later. I regularly see women stepping into entrepreneurship in their 40s, 50s, and beyond.

Depending on where you look, a growing number of new entrepreneurs are over 45, and around one in five new businesses are started by people in their late 50s.

I started this business at 40

Not because I suddenly became more capable. But because something shifted.

My perspective changed.
What mattered became clearer.
And I stopped wanting to spend my time building things that didn’t feel meaningful or true for me.

Did I have that clarity at 20? Hell no. I was too busy trying to negotiate my way out of my PVC trousers after a night of dancing and sleeping in sunglasses to stave off the hangover when I had to get up in two hours and go to work.

I digress...

By this stage, we know ourselves better.
We know what drains us.
We know what we’re no longer willing to tolerate (like savage stilettos, underwire bra’s and PVC trousers)

That isn’t a disadvantage. It’s an edge.

And I see the same thing every single day inside this community.

Women who’ve lived.
Worked.
Raised families.
Started again (and again).

So if you’ve ever thought:
“I should’ve started earlier…”
“I’m behind where I should be…”
“Everyone else seems further along…”

Please hear this: You are not late. You are starting from experience.

Try replacing the doubt with this question: What if it’s my turn?

That is a very different and very powerful place to build from.

And maybe it isn’t “someday”.

Maybe it’s now.

I believe in you (always).

👉🏼If you want to receive a Biz Love Letter directly to your inbox every week in 2026, I email our Hello CEO mailing list every Monday. To join, head to The Homepage and sign up! 

 Tricia Scott is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Female CEO — a global platform, magazine, and community dedicated to helping women build confident, aligned, powerful businesses.

A startup mentor and multi-company director, she’s spent the past decade helping women move from overwhelmed and isolated to empowered and intentional.

Most days, she’s juggling her MacBook, her next big idea, and a very necessary caffeine supply. Connect with her at thefemaleceo.com.