If You're Still Thinking About It, It's Not Too Late

A few weeks ago, I was catching up with one of my oldest friends from high school. He’s been in the insurance business since graduating from college on the corporate side, and started asking questions about what I do. I explained it by saying, “If you ever decide to start your own independent agency, I’m your girl.”

His response stopped me in my tracks.

“Ten years ago, I would’ve done that in a heartbeat. But now? I’m just too old to start something new.”

He’s 51.

I was honestly shocked that someone so smart, so knowledgeable, someone who’s already built a strong reputation in this business , truly believed his time had passed.

That is a myth.

There’s this idea that if you don’t start a business when you're "young," you’ve somehow missed your window. But here’s the truth: starting over in your 40s, 50s, or even 60s, doesn’t mean you’re behind. It means you’re prepared.

You’ve got relationship capital, life experience, and hard-earned clarity. You know what matters. You’ve learned from success and failure. And now, you’re in the perfect position to build something smarter, something aligned with the life you actually want.

Starting over isn't starting from scratch.

For a lot of us, our 20s and 30s were about climbing ladders, building families, surviving long hours, and proving ourselves. But in your 40s and 50s? You’re often an empty nester. You’ve reared your kids. You’ve got the freedom (and often the finances) to make a bold move. This might even be your second, third, or even fourth act. That doesn’t mean it’s “too late.” It means you’re experienced enough to do it right.

My own mom is a perfect example. After years of being a stay-at-home parent and helping run our family business, she followed her dream and went to law school - in her 40s! At the time, I didn’t really realize how much courage that took. Now? I see it as one of the most fearless things I’ve ever witnessed.

In Episode 270 of the IA Forward podcast episode, Shane and I talked about how many successful agency owners actually started in midlife. Colonel Sanders founded KFC in his 60s. Ray Kroc didn’t take McDonald’s to scale until he was in his 50s. The later-in-life successes don’t always make headlines, but they’re everywhere.

If you’re still thinking about it, if the idea of starting something new won’t leave you alone, that means something. It means there’s still a spark. And it’s not too late.

If you’ve already built an exclusive agency or had a long-standing career in the industry, you don’t need a crash course. You need the freedom to do it your way.

That’s exactly what we built at Integra Partner Network. You keep your independence. You own your book. And you don’t have to do it alone.

One Last Thought...There’s a quote I shared at the end of the Episode 270 from Satchel Paige (the oldest rookie in Major League Baseball history, who debuted at age 42): “How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?”

Let me ask you…If you didn’t know your age, would you still be hesitating? Or would you already be building again? Let’s talk. Because if you’re still thinking about it, i’s not too late.

Be fearless!

~Tonya