Work for Yourself@50+


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Presentation at the National Association of Community College Entrepreneurship

by AARP Foundation
NACCE

AARP Foundation sponsored the National Association of Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE) conference in Fort Worth, Texas, in October. This year’s conference theme was the “Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Revolution.”

Joelle Hughley, the Work for Yourself@50+ program coordinator, delivered a presentation on Tuesday with Marge Johnsson, leader of the WFY50+ program at Northeastern Illinois University, to share key learnings from more than two years of WFY50+ in the field. Learning objectives included:

 

  1. Identify ways to stack the deck for startup success for senior entrepreneurship. Although 80 percent of new businesses fail, 75 percent of new ventures started by seniors are not only still in business at the end of year one, but also reach $1 million in sales by year three.
  2. Understand the unique obstacles seniors face in launching new business ventures.
  3. Determine which educational programs can be implemented to inspire and support senior entrepreneurship in your community.

More than 20 representatives from community colleges across the country attended the session.

Additionally, Aliza Sir, social entrepreneur in residence at AARP Foundation, gave a presentation during the conference’s Texas Innovation Summit on how local ecosystems play a role in unlocking entrepreneurship potential among vulnerable older adults.


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