Jan 24, 2026
Kim Greene never thought she would put on an “entrepreneurial hat,” as she told CNBC Make It, because that meant leaving her beloved career as a policy advisor in Afghanistan for what was initially her husband’s passion project.
But Greene, 51, now leads Svalinn, a Montana-based company that breeds, raises and trains elite protection dogs, which is an interesting occupation for someone who says she wasn’t even a dog person (1).
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After moving to Kenya with her husband many years ago, Greene discovered she was pregnant and became “very hyperaware of [her] own personal safety in that type of environment.” The mom-to-be didn’t want a gun or a bodyguard, and instead decided that a protection dog was the next best option.
As she searched for a dog that could be both her protector and her best friend, the seed for a business idea had been planted, and that idea turned into a company that has been operating for 20 years.
Much has changed since those early days, including moving back to the U.S. in 2013 and a divorce from her husband in 2019. But these days, Svalinn — which charges well-heeled clients $175,000 per dog — turns a respectable profit. In 2024, the business brought in just under $3 million, and revenue for 2025 is projected to beat that.
However, the road to success has been a long and bumpy ride, as Svalinn only became profitable in 2017. Before that, Greene and her family were “broke as a joke for a lot of years” and were “hanging on for dear life for a very long time.”
The move back to the U.S., coupled with the divorce, was a chance to rebrand the company, which she says was like “starting over.” Now, Greene proudly declares “this is my dream life, and it’s wrapped up in my dream job.”
The advantage of midlife entrepreneurship
According to statistical analysis, midlife seems to be a good time for those feeling the entrepreneurial pull to take the leap.
As Business Initiative reports, the average age of a thriving entrepreneur is 42, while peak success rates tend to occur in the 40s and 50s (2). In fact, according to figures published in December 2025, business owners who flourish have typically started their businesses later in life.
“Of high-performing startups in the top 0.1% in terms of growth in the first five years, the average entrepreneur started their company when they were 45 years old,” Search Logistics reports (3).
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The same study also found that a 50-year-old man who creates a new company is nearly three times more likely to be successful than a 25-year-old man. Put simply: the more experience an owner has before starting their business, the more likely that business will succeed.
America is home to 54 million entrepreneurs (4), and almost two-thirds of Americans (61%) say they have an idea for starting a business (5). Meanwhile, an increasing number of aspiring entrepreneurs are pulling the trigger on that dream; in 2024 alone, 5.2 million new business applications were filed with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (6).
However, of the 61% of Americans with a business idea that dream of going out on their own, almost none of them (92%) will actually follow through. The single biggest factor holding them back? A lack of funding, which was cited as the reason that 63% of respondents didn’t move forward with their business idea (5).
The good news is that of those who have started their own businesses, 92% say they have no regrets (7). However, every entrepreneur’s journey is different, and the road to living the dream with your own business can be long and arduous.
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Do your due diligence before taking the leap
Starting your own business requires some serious planning in order to minimize your risk and set yourself up for success. Here are a few things to consider before going through the process of turning your dream business into a reality.
- Stress-test your business idea: ensure there’s a market for your product or service well in advance of quitting your day job and applying for a business licence or permit
- Pursue your business as a side-hustle while you’re still employed: devoting nights and weekends to your passion project while you have the security of a regular job gives you the best of both worlds and allows you to test your business model while the stakes are still relatively low
- Create a business plan: outline your business model, clarify your target customer base and create a sales and marketing plan. Set some goals for your business and use the business plan as a road map to meet said goals
- Don’t go all-in on your own business until you have living expenses and start-up costs saved. Income in the early days of a new business will likely be unstable, which is why it’s important to build a war chest to cover at least 12 months of your regular expenses and a cushion for emergencies. Inadequate cash flow is one of the principal reasons that new businesses fail
- Leverage your old career to ease the transition: try to negotiate part-time, contract or freelance work with the employer that you’re leaving or anyone else who may be interested in your help
- Have your finances in order before you consider quitting your day job. Remember that leaving a stable job likely means that you’ll lose your employer-provided health insurance, among other potential benefits, which means you may have to factor those expenses into your new budget
And remember, launching your dream business isn’t likely to be easy. As Greene shared with CNBC Make It, starting over once the family had relocated to the U.S. “came at a very high price to our lifestyle.”
Article sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.
CNBC Make It (1); Business Initiative (2); Search Logistics (3); Podbase (4); Zapier (5); U.S. Chamber of Commerce (6); HubSpot (7).
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Libby MacDonald is a Senior Staff Reporter at Moneywise. She has extensive experience in business and consumer reporting, having covered topics including insurance, wealth management, housing and equities.
