Jennifer Garner, 54, says there’s an advantage to becoming an entrepreneur later in life

Jennifer Garner, 54, said entering the business world later successful her profession has made it easier to admit what she doesn't know.

Speaking connected Tuesday's section of "Forbes Talks," the character said 1 point she enjoys astir entrepreneurship is getting to beryllium a beginner again.

"I'm learning. This is each caller to me. I'd ne'er taken an econ class, a business class. I didn't cognize really to publication a spreadsheet. They still really overwhelm me, but I judge arsenic heck emotion the process of being the student successful the room, always," Garner said.

Garner joined integrated children's nutrient institution Once Upon a Farm successful 2017, 2 years aft its founding, and is now described by the institution arsenic a cofounder.

There's besides an upside to becoming an entrepreneur later successful life, she said.

"I'm truthful grateful to beryllium a grown-up successful that room and not a kid because I deliberation that I'd request to beryllium myself. I'd request to say, 'This is really we should do this, aliases this is really this should run.' And I'm blissfully not motivated by needing to beryllium successful charge," Garner said.

Garner said getting older hasn't dulled her desire to prosecute what she wants aliases return connected caller challenges.

After years of profession success, it tin beryllium easy to expect caller opportunities to travel naturally, but Garner said she still values having thing to strive for.

"It's awesome to still consciousness hungry," she said. "I'm still really hungry."

Garner said she's learned to attraction connected the activity and tries not to cheque the company's day-to-day banal price.

Instead, she said she's "wholly focused" connected doing the occupation and trusts that "if we do that, the banal will follow." Keeping tabs connected the stock, she said, would impact her overmuch for illustration reference tabloid sum astir herself.

"I would not do good nether that benignant of unit aliases scrutiny," she said.

Other celebrities person likewise spoken astir starting complete arsenic beginners successful a caller industry.

When Ina Garten bought the Barefoot Contessa shop successful 1978 pinch nary food-business experience, her husband, Jeffrey, encouraged her to clasp the learning curve.

"Honestly, the first period I was location I thought, 'This is the stupidest point I've ever done successful my life,'" Garten said successful a 2020 interview. "I'd ne'er been successful the nutrient business; I didn't cognize really to do anything. But Jeffrey said, 'If you could do it successful the first week, you'd beryllium saturated successful the 2nd week."'

In 2024, Gwyneth Paltrow said she was truthful unfamiliar pinch business motto erstwhile she first started Goop that she would Google acronyms nether the array during meetings.

"I decided I was going to beryllium really brave astir asking questions and that there's a quality betwixt intelligence and conscionable not having learned thing yet," Paltrow said.