by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors
One in five Shopify merchants over 55 launched their business in the past year, according to company data.
With multi-trillion-dollar spending power and an increasing interest in shopping online, this is a demographic to watch. And, it’s one that’s being served best by entrepreneurs within it.
Banking on experience
Older founders have a unique advantage: a combination of financial stability, free time, and decades of hard-earned wisdom. Together, it makes for a bulletproof resume.
“Sometimes we underestimate the value of the tremendous toolbox of skills that we have amassed,” says Angel Cornelius, who launched her hair care brand Maison 276 at the age of 57.
Cornelius launched her business to address an underserved segment: women celebrating their grays who don’t want to apologize for aging.
“This particular problem, I decided to take on myself in my kitchen,” says Cornelius. As her friends discovered her homegrown formulas, she started selling them while still working full-time.
Eventually, Maison 276 struck a chord. Cornelius was approached for press opportunities and found a community that—just like her—was ready to celebrate aging naturally.
Cornelius then moved her business to a dedicated online storefront and brought on as president her millennial son, Keith Cornelius Jr. She sidestepped retirement to run Maison 276 full-time.
The overlooked majority
Cornelius’s son Keith, a former JP Morgan analyst, saw the opportunity clearly: Older generations don’t demand representation like millennials and Gen Z—but enthusiastically embrace it when they find it.
This insight revealed an untapped market seeking brands that speak directly to them, especially on social media. Cornelius launched Maison 276, as she puts it, at the start of a social movement. And the evolving digital confidence of the demographic means that movement is growing. “Middle-aged women are the most powerful consumer group in the world,” she says. “That’s not a niche.”
In her sector, the opportunity is even more apparent. “The beauty industry is very youth-focused,” she says. “Even when they try to sell products to middle-aged women, they use women who look like our daughters.”
Cornelius takes center stage as the face of her brand, something that’s helped her build a community around her business. She’s one of them. And icons like Martha Stewart are leveraging not only their star power but their common ground with the consumer, too.
Authenticity sells
While older entrepreneurs best understand this demographic, younger founders are taking notice. And older creators—dubbed “grandfluencers”—are the gateway.
Fragrance brand Dossier and skin care company Ilia are two brands actively targeting older consumers, partnering with TikTok’s J-Dog and “silver hair model” Regina Burton, respectively.
There are older influencers in every category, from food to comedy to men’s fashion. Skin care brand OneSkin ran a promoted post with 79-year-old Instagram fitness creator Joan MacDonald. The messaging feels authentic. “This isn’t about looking younger,” the caption says, in part. “It’s about helping my skin stay as strong as the rest of me.”
Activewear brand Beyond Yoga has also perfected the strategy, pairing its products with aspirational content that appeals to an older customer. The brand pulled it off by partnering with Gym Tan, a 65-year-old jet-setting lifestyle influencer.
This story was produced by Shopify and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
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Source: Black Enterprise
