23. You're Not Behind. You're Right On Time

Do you ever feel like you’ve missed your moment… like everyone else is already ahead, already building, already figuring it out?

In this episode of The Bold Biz Podcast, Jenny dives deep into one of the most persistent and quietly limiting beliefs that keeps women stuck, the feeling of being too late, too behind, or too far removed from where they “should” be.

This is not just a mindset episode. This is perspective, data, and a little bit of tough love.

Jenny shares why this belief is not only untrue, but why midlife might actually be your biggest advantage when it comes to building something meaningful and profitable. From real-world data about women entrepreneurs to deeply personal reflections on starting before feeling ready, this episode will challenge the story you may have been telling yourself for years.

💡 In this episode, we talk about:

• Why the feeling of being “too late” is so common, and why it’s misleading
• The data showing women 40+ are the fastest growing entrepreneurial group
• Why your life experience is your biggest advantage, not your limitation
• The discomfort of being a beginner again, and why that’s part of the process
• The difference between motion and real action, and why it matters
• Why confidence only comes after you start, not before
• How small, imperfect steps today can completely change your future

This episode is both a wake-up call and an invitation.

Because the truth is, you are not behind.
You are standing at the exact moment where everything can begin. 💖

⭐ LINKS & RESOURCES:

• The Bold (AI) Shortcut FREE Webinar: (May 3rd, 7 pm GMT+1) https://www.theboldbiz.com/shortcut

• Download Free Guide, The Idea Filter
https://www.theboldbiz.com/idea

• Download Free Guide, Done Starting Over
https://www.theboldbiz.com/doneoptin

My favorite all-round, beginner-friendly marketing tool: Systeme.io (affiliate link)

• Visit The Bold Biz Website
https://www.theboldbiz.com/

• Join the FREE Bold Biz Collective (Skool Community)
https://www.skool.com/the-bold-biz-collective-5477/about

Transcript

Main Intro

SPEAKER_00 0:06

Picture yourself at 75, sitting somewhere you love. Maybe a porch, maybe a beach, maybe just your favorite chair with a really good cup of coffee. And you're looking back at this exact moment in your life, and you're smiling. Not because everything went perfectly, but because you were brave enough to start. That woman exists, and she's counting on you to show up today. Welcome to the Bold Biz Podcast. I'm Jenny Lavalius, and this podcast is for women over 40 who are ready to build something of their own without the hustle, the burnout, or the pressure to be perfect. If you've ever thought it's too

Waiting for Readiness

SPEAKER_00 0:50

late for me or that everyone else seems to have it all figured out, you're gonna feel right at home here. Let's dive in. Okay, so if that intro just hit a nerve, good. That's exactly why we're here today. This episode is a little personal, a little tough love, and honestly, it's been sitting in my chest for a while, bursting to come out. Because I keep meeting women, brilliant, experienced, capable women, who are sitting on the sidelines of their own lives, waiting for some feeling of readiness that's never gonna show up the way they expect it to. And I'm done watching that happen without saying something about it. This episode is a sequel of sorts to my very first episode, It's Not Too Late to Start, which has been my most listened to episode since day one. And I think about why that is a lot. I think it's because that fear, that feeling of being too late or too old, or too far behind, it doesn't go away on its own. It just sort of sits there, quietly convincing you to wait a little longer. So today we're going back to that topic and we're diving a little bit deeper. Because I want you to walk away from this episode knowing, really knowing,

The Feeling We Need To Talk About

SPEAKER_00 2:10

not just intellectually, but in your gut, that you are not behind. You are right on time. So let me ask you something. When you scroll through social media, what do you see? You probably see women building these gorgeous online businesses, talking about passive income, posting their laptop on the beach photos, being all cool and confident about AI and digital products and email funnels. And maybe part of you thinks, good for them. But another part of you, the quieter part, whispers, I could never do that. I missed it. That ship has sailed. I know that feeling well because I've had that feeling too. And I'm here to tell you it's lying to you. Here's what's actually happening out there right now. Women, 45 to 60, are the fastest growing entrepreneurship demographic in the US and the UK. This is not a small side trend. This is a structural shift. Post-pandemic, millions of women did what researchers are calling a life audit. They looked at their corporate roles, their exhausting commutes, their lack of autonomy, and they said there has to be something else. And then they started building it. The numbers are truly remarkable to me. Right now there are an estimated 100 million women globally who are actively considering a career pivot or building some kind of side income. The serviceable market of English-speaking women aged 40 to 65 with internet access and the desire to build a digital side business, that's around 20 million women. These are not women who are ahead of you. Many of them are right where you are, sitting with an idea, feeling the fear, and wondering if it's too late. It's not too late. In fact, if you ask me, and you kind of did just by listening to this podcast, the timing has never been better. Let me tell you something that took me a long time to really absorb. Your age is not your obstacle. Your age is your edge. Think

Why Midlife Is Actually Your Unfair Advantage

SPEAKER_00 4:27

about what you've accumulated over 40 or 50 years of living. You've project managed families, careers, crises, celebrations, you've navigated relationships, loss, reinvention. You know how to problem solve under pressure. You know what matters and what doesn't. That is not nothing. That is everything. Seth Godin, who is one of the most respected marketing minds in the world, talks about this idea of being a person that others trust. A person with a genuine point of view. He says that the rarest thing in business is someone who has actually lived something and is willing to share it. And that is you. That is exactly you. There's also this thing happening in the creator economy right now that I find genuinely exciting. Audiences are actively looking for voices that are not 28-year-olds selling hustle. They're tired of the highlight reel. They want authenticity. They want lived experience. They want someone who's been through things and can speak to it honestly. Midlife creators are growing faster than average on YouTube, on podcasts, in newsletters, precisely because the saturation is lowest and the trust is highest. You are not late to the game, you're walking in just as the market is tilting in your favor. Okay, so here is where the tough love comes in. And I say this with so much love because I have been this woman, and I still catch myself being her sometimes. She has the idea. She might even have my idea filter PDF sitting in her downloads folder. She's been thinking about starting for six months, maybe two years, maybe longer. She takes courses, she reads the books, she watches the YouTube tutorials, she's doing everything except the thing. James Clear, who wrote Atomic Habits, which honestly should be required reading for anyone building a business, talks about the difference between motion and action. Motion is planning, preparing, strategizing. It feels productive, right? But action is the thing that actually produces a result. And most of us, when we're scared, default to motion because it feels like we're making progress without the risk of failure.

The Thing Nobody Talks About: Being a Beginner Again

SPEAKER_00 7:00

But here's the thing. Readiness doesn't come from thinking, it comes from doing. The confidence you're waiting to feel before you start, it only shows up after you start. Every post you publish, every video you upload, every email you send, those become the evidence that you belong here, and you can't collect that evidence from the sidelines. I saw a statistic recently that stopped me in my tracks. A study of over a thousand women business owners found that 37% of them said self-doubt was actively preventing them from growing their businesses. Not starting, growing. These are women who are already in it. And still the self-doubt shows up. So if you're waiting for the self-doubt to go away before you begin, I have to gently tell you, this is not how it works. You start, and then you collect the evidence, and then the doubt gets quieter. Not gone, but quieter. I want to talk about something that gets glossed over a lot in business content. And that is the real human cost of you not starting. I know that sounds dramatic, but hear me out. Whatever it is you want to share, teach, offer, create, there is someone out there right now who needs that thing. There is a woman who is two steps behind you, searching for someone who has been where she is and figured it out. And if you don't show up, she might not find the help she's looking for. I've been in contact with a woman recently who is 68, and she only started building her side business a couple of years ago. Sixty-eight. And she's doing it. She has an audience, and people are showing up for her. Because her experience, her specific journey, speaks to people in a way that no one else can replicate. Marie Forlio, who built a multi-billion dollar business helping people find their purpose, says, everything is figure outable. And I know that sounds almost annoyingly simple, but the more time I spend in this space, the more I believe it. You don't need to know everything. You need to know one step more than the person you're helping. That's it. You're not trying to be the world's leading expert. You're trying to be the person who reaches back and takes someone's hand. I want to acknowledge something because I think it's weird not to. The world feels very unstable right now in a way that many of us haven't experienced in our lifetimes. And I get why that makes starting something feel scary. Why take the risk when everything else feels so

Real Women Who Started Anyway

SPEAKER_00 10:00

uncertain? But I'd like to offer you a different frame. Because here's what I keep coming back to. Job security, which was never a guarantee, is even less of one now. The pension gap is real, especially for women. The desire for a side income is not just aspirational anymore. It's genuinely urgent for a lot of women. And the beautiful thing, the thing that makes right now different from any time in history, is that the tools to build something of your own have never been more accessible. Platforms like system.io, School, Stand Store, etc., they've lowered the cost of entry to nearly zero. You can start earning in weeks, not years. And then there's AI, which we will absolutely be diving into much deeper in a coming episode and in my upcoming free webinar. But the short version is this. The number one objection women used to have about starting an online business was I'm not tech heavy enough. AI has collapsed that barrier. Women who couldn't edit video, write copy, or set up automations, now they can. The playing field has tilted in your favor. Right now, today. And I meant it. Stop scrolling and start building. Not for hours, not perfectly, not with a fully formed plan, just one tiny step. Watch a 10-minute tutorial and then open the platform and click around. Record a 60-second voice memo about your idea and listen back to it. Write three sentences about who you want to help and why. Just pick one of those things. The step does not have to be big, it just has to exist. I'm doing this with you, by the way. In three weeks, I'm hosting my first ever live webinar. I have never done this before, and I'm genuinely a little bit terrified. But I also know that there's no amount of preparation that's gonna make me feel ready. The only way I'm gonna get good

The Woman Who Keeps Waiting to Feel Ready

SPEAKER_00 12:18

at this is by doing it. Probably being imperfect at it and then doing it again. And I want you to see that. I want you to watch me be imperfect and keep going, because that is exactly what I'm asking you to do. If you want to join me for my webinar on May 3rd, the link is in the show notes. It's free and it's gonna be practical. And I promise I will show up for you even if my hands are shaking a little. And if you're still searching for the right idea to start with, my free idea filter PDF guide is also linked below. It'll help you cut through the noise and land on something that actually fits your life. You have one life. Your 75-year-old self is watching. She's proud of you already for listening to this. Now give her something even better to smile about and take one step today. I'll see you next week. Bye for now. Thank you so much for spending this time with me today. If this episode resonated, I'd love for you to follow the podcast, share it with a friend who might need it, or leave a review. It really helps more women find the show. Stay bold, ladies.