Age discrimination is leading to increased numbers of older people going in to business for themselves, one expert believes.
Ian Stobie, marketing and research officer for Prime, said: "As you get older, it seems more and more stupid to spend your life doing things that aren't what you want to do."
He said that this, combined with the fact that age discrimination legislation had had "zero impact", meant that nearly 20 per cent of new businesses were being set up by people over 50.
Mr Stobie said that although a new SME may take two or three years to become profitable, people aged 50 would still have around another ten years running their business after that point.
Prime is a non-profit making organisation that aims to help entrepreneurs aged 50 or over.
A recent survey carried out by Yell.com found that 53 per cent people who had set up a business when aged over 50 would tell their peers to "give it ago".
