Aging is Reshaping Every Market and Here's How Smart Leaders are Responding with Sarah Cheney

0:01John Lee Dumas:Light that spark fire nation JLD here and welcome to entrepreneurs on fire brought to you by high level the all in one sales and marketing platform. Today we'll be breaking down how aging is reshaping every market. Here's how smart leaders are responding to drop these value bombs. I brought Sarah Cheney and EO fire studios. Sarah leads aging forward as executive director drawing on nearly 30 years building national aging initiatives scaling voluntary caregiving driving innovative community based solutions that deliver lasting social impact. And today we'll talk about why aging matters to everyone, the aging forward origin story, letting go to grow and oh so much more.

0:39John Lee Dumas:And a big thank you for sponsoring today's episode goes to Sarah and our sponsors. Fire Nation, stop putting off launching your website or business. Hostinger makes it incredibly simple and affordable to get online with everything you need to succeed all in one place. Visit hostinger.com slash on fire. Use code on fire for 20 % off your next chapter starts today. Stop duct taping your business together. High level runs your website, your funnels, email automation, scheduling, payments, and memberships all in one place. And when you sign up at high level fire.com, you get a 30 day free trial. Plus my exclusive bonus stack that includes weekly office hours with me and much more visit high level fire.com high level fire.com.

1:26John Lee Dumas:Sarah say what's up the fire nation and share something that you believe about becoming successful that most people disagree with so I think a lot of people think that success is about speed I've come to believe the opposite I think that success is really about endurance you know we live in a culture that celebrates rapid growth we hear 10 times growth move fast break records And yes, momentum matters, but I think we've over-glorified speed and undervalued the ability to stay in the game. And I didn't really fully appreciate this until I'd spent years working alongside people in their 70s, 80s, and 90s.

2:12And when you listen to their stories, living through economic downturns, personal loss, and reinvention later in life, you start to see a different definition of success. These are people who've been knocked down more than once, but they're still standing, they're still growing, and they're still contributing. And it taught me the lesson that resilience isn't something that you download or hit that easy button for after a bad quarter. It's something that you build season by season, decision by season. entrepreneurs know this and I think when a launch flops or growth stalls the easy reaction is to chase that next new shiny thing but leaders who last do something different they learn they adapt and they keep going it's the people who win over the long run that aren't always the fastest but they're the ones who stay in the game.

3:16So if I had to sum it up, I'd say that success isn't about how fast you rise. It's about how long you keep building, learning, and showing up. At least that's what I think I'm interested in with success.

3:32John Lee Dumas:Well, Fire Nation, we're talking about how aging is reshaping not just a market, every market. And this is how smart leaders are responding. So let's talk about why aging matters to everyone, Sarah, because we often treat aging like it's a quote unquote senior issue. But why does our aging population matter to entire communities and local businesses, not just older adults themselves? One big misconception about aging is that it's somehow a specialized issue that only affects older adults, but in reality, it touches every part of our society. Right now, we're in the middle of a major demographic shift.

4:14Nearly one in five Americans is already over the age of 65, and that number is growing rapidly. And within a few years, older adults will actually outnumber children under 18 for the very first time in history. So aging isn't just about older adults. It affects our workforces, health care systems, housing, local economies. It's even how businesses design products. And you can see this in the business world already. More and more people are launching companies in their 50s, 60s, even in their 70s. They're not slowing down. They're starting new chapters. At the same time, companies are realizing that they need experienced workers to stay engaged in the workforce longer.

5:04And when older adults stay connected and involved in their communities, everyone benefits. Local businesses gain loyal customers, families experience less stress, organizations benefit from the skills and wisdom that people continue to contribute. So when we talk about aging, we're really talking about stronger communities, not just individual needs. Because the truth is, if we're lucky, we are all aging. It's a universal human trajectory. It's not about someone else. It's about all of us. And it's already reshaping our economy, our culture, and our communities. And it's important to recognize that aging isn't about decline or slowing down.

5:52It's about how talent, experience, and innovation continue across longer lives.

5:58John Lee Dumas:I want to talk about the aging origin story. So take us back to the beginning. How did Aging Forward start? So Aging Forward is a national nonprofit alliance that helps communities create programs that empower older adults to stay connected, engaged, and thriving. And our story actually begins more than 50 years ago with what was at the time a pretty radical idea. In 1972, our founder recognized something that most people hadn't yet seen, and that's that older adults didn't just need services. They needed and they wanted purpose, belonging, and meaningful ways to stay involved in their communities.

6:40The model that was created was designed by, with, and for older adults, and it centered relationships. And this model worked. Almost immediately, other communities started calling and asking how they could do something similar. And that's the moment when I think a lot of founders might say that, hey, this is so great, let's franchise it. But our founder made a very different choice. Instead of building a large central organization, he shared the model and equipped local leaders to shape it for their own communities. So what emerged wasn't a national chain, it was a network. Locally led, locally governed and connected by shared values and a shared mission.

7:29And that's still how Aging Forward operates today. We don't scale by getting bigger at the national office. We scale by strengthening the network and supporting local leaders. And I think that there's a lesson in this for entrepreneurs. I think sometimes the smartest way to scale something meaningful is to stop trying to own it. One leader can build a program, but a network of leaders can build a movement. That's our goal. We've seen that when leadership is distributed, growth multiplies.

8:05John Lee Dumas:Let's talk about letting go to grow because you've talked about the lesson of just releasing control and even like building bridges as well. So what did you have to unlearn as a founder in order to scale impact through collaboration? One of the hardest leadership lessons for me was realizing that building a network requires a very different approach than building something from scratch. And a lot of leaders have that same early instinct, I think, where they want to stay very hands-on, jumping in to solve problems and staying involved in every detail. And that does work when you're starting something.

8:47But as things grow, it quickly becomes a bottleneck. In fact, we've realized something that's pretty important, and that's that every decision, when it runs through you, you don't have scale, but you have that bottleneck. And as the Aging Forward Alliance grew, it became clear that real scale doesn't come from controlling more. It comes from creating the conditions where other people can succeed. So instead of trying to run every program ourselves, we shifted our role. We focus on connecting people, sharing ideas, and equipping local leaders to lead in their own communities. And when you do that, growth stops being linear and starts multiplying.

9:38And you can see this across our network. When one organization develops a great idea and keeps it to themselves, the idea stays local. But when that idea is shared and other leaders adapt it, suddenly one idea becomes many. Let me give you an example. One of our affiliates in St. Louis spent several years developing a technology tutoring program to help older adults navigate digital tools. After refining the model, they shared it at one of our national gatherings. An affiliate in Northern Virginia immediately saw the potential. She adopted the program for her community and even expanded it into an intergenerational partnership with a local university.

10:25What took years to develop in one place was adapted and launched in another community in just a few short months. That's the power of distributed leadership. Because when leadership spreads, impact multiplies.

10:41John Lee Dumas:And Fire Nation, we're going to be talking about designing win-win partnerships, why aging is not a niche, and scaling with the right partners when we get back from thanking our sponsors. Fire Nation, I know you've been sitting on an amazing idea. Well, it's time to move from one day I'll launch this project to taking action. Seriously, the barrier is way lower than you think. And that's where Hostinger comes in. Hostinger is your all-in-one home base to get online, domain, website, hosting, business email, even email marketing all in one place. No tech headaches, no juggling five different tools at the same time.

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12:38John Lee Dumas:Stop piecing tools together. Start building momentum. Visit highlevelfire.com. and start building your something today. So we're back, and I want to talk about designing win-win partnerships. I mean, that's the key, that's the goal, that is the focus. Because partnerships, they can be powerful, or they can be super messy. So how do you intentionally design collaborations that creates a mutual benefit instead of competition or even confusion? I think I've learned the hard way that partnerships don't fail because the idea was flawed. They failed because the organizations weren't aligned on the future that they were trying to build.

13:21And I think often partnership conversations begin with resources. Who has the funding? Who has the reach? Who can expand visibility? This is how you end up with some short-term deals. But if you aren't grounded in a shared vision, then these partnerships don't last. So we start our conversations with a different question. Do we believe in the same future? And this approach has really changed everything for us. When alignment is strong, partnerships stop being transactional and start being collaborative. And our job is to make sure that both sides are winning in a way that lasts. Let me give you an example.

14:06One of our partners is OneSkin, a skincare company. Now, when most people hear skin care, they assume the conversation is going to be about anti-aging. But what caught our attention was that one skin had a different message. Their focus is on healthy longevity, helping people live well in their skin across longer lives. And that aligns perfectly with the work that we're doing at Aging Forward. We're not trying to fight aging. We're focused on helping people thrive across longer lives. So even though we come from very different sectors, we're aligned around the same future that we want to see. And that's really the key, I think, to strong partnerships.

14:55When values and vision align, collaboration becomes easier and the impact grows for everyone involved. And I think this also reflects on something bigger. and that's that longer lives aren't the program, the problem at all, sorry. They are the opportunity.

15:13John Lee Dumas:I love to use the example of OneSkin. I actually heard about OneSkin on a podcast. They were sponsoring and I've been using them now for a very long time. Just a great product. And it's kind of cool to hear your experience with them because I mean, for me, we need to understand Fire Nation that aging, it's not a niche. I mean, many businesses still treat aging like it's a niche market. So why do you think, Sarah, that that mindset's outdated? And what opportunities are companies missing by thinking so small? Well, we do live in a culture that's fascinated with youth. Look at most advertising and product design and even the innovation that's out there.

15:56It's all aimed at younger consumers. But that focus has created one of the biggest blind spots in business today. I think many companies still treat aging like that niche market, but it's not. As I mentioned previously, it's one of the largest demographic shifts, and it's also one of the largest economic opportunities. Nearly every industry, from housing and health care to retail, financial services, workforce development, it's all being influenced by an older population that's living longer, staying active, and continuing to contribute. When businesses think of aging as a small specialized category, they miss that larger opportunity because older adults aren't a segment.

16:44They're consumers, they're employees, they're caregivers, they're volunteers, they're decision makers, they're even entrepreneurs. So forward-thinking companies are beginning to recognize that designing for our aging population actually improves things for everyone. It drives better accessibility, stronger relationships, and more sustainable long-time growth. So the real shift, I think, is moving from seeing aging as that special niche market to seeing it as a lens for innovation. And the organizations that understand this shift won't just serve an aging population, they'll be better positioned for the future of every market.

17:27John Lee Dumas:Let's talk about scaling with the right partners, because growth is not just about getting bigger. It's about getting aligned. So how do you, Sarah, identify the right partners to scale sustainably without diluting the mission? So often, I think there's pressure in leadership to pursue every opportunity for expansion. But we've seen that when organizations grow too quickly without strong alignment, it can dilute that mission and weaken the trust. So our approach is to be very intentional. We focus first on shared values, shared expectations, and a clear understanding of how each partner contributes to the larger vision.

18:11And when that alignment is strong, collaboration then becomes easier and innovation spreads quickly. I can give you an example again with one of our affiliates. One of our groups in Arkansas realized that their organization had the capacity to grow, but they didn't want to dilute their mission. And after working through some strategy sessions with the network, they started thinking of other communities and other organizations that share their values about aging and connection. And they found a town about 30 miles away. They launched a new program there within just a few short months, and it quickly engaged hundreds of participants.

18:56So we don't think about growth simply by size or by reach. We think about it by the strength of the relationships and the level of trust that exists. And that helps the sustainability and the impact that we're all trying to create together.

19:14John Lee Dumas:Sarah, we talked about a lot of things today. Scaling with the right partners, as you just mentioned. Aging, how it's not a niche. Win-win partnerships. Of everything we chatted about, what would you say is the one thing you would want our listeners to walk away with from our conversation? The one thing I would say is to design for longevity, not just growth. You know, in business, we're rewarded for speed, faster launches, faster expansion, faster results. But the organizations that truly endure think differently. They think about relationships, about trust, and about the full life cycle of the people that they serve.

19:54In many ways, older adults have been my teachers in this. Longevity doesn't happen by accident. It's built intentionally through thoughtful partnerships, inclusive design, and decisions that still make sense years down the road. So if you're building a business, a product, or a community, ask yourself, will this still serve people well 10 years from now or even 50 years from now? Because while growth gets attention, it's longevity that builds a legacy.

20:27John Lee Dumas:Sarah, if Fire Nation wants to connect with you, wants to learn more about what you and your company have going on, what is your call to action for our listeners today? I would say if something in this conversation resonates with you, please let's continue the conversation. You can learn more about us on our website at aging-forward.org. So again, if you're thinking about how your business or your community might be part of building a future where aging is about staying engaged and staying connected, we would love to talk because we think that the future of aging isn't something that one organization builds alone.

21:09It's something that we build together.

21:12John Lee Dumas:Fire Nation, you're the average of the five people you spend the most time with. You've been hanging out with SC and JLD today. So keep up the heat. For links to everything we talked about, just visit eofire.com, type Sarah in the search bar. That's S-A-R-A-H. And the show notes page will pop right up. And Sarah, thank you for sharing your truth, your knowledge, your value with Fire Nation today. For that, we salute you and we'll catch you on the flip side. Thanks for having me. Hey, Fire Nation, a huge thank you to our sponsors and Sarah for sponsoring today's episode. And Fire Nation, are you an entrepreneur on fire who's looking to share your amazing message with the world?

21:50John Lee Dumas:If yes, we are now accepting applications for EO Fire. To learn more about becoming a guest, visit eofire.com slash guests and I'll catch you there or on the flip side. Fire Nation, stop putting off launching your website or business. Hostinger makes it incredibly simple and affordable to get online with everything you need to succeed all in one place. Visit hostinger.com slash onfire. Use code onfire for 20 % off. Your next chapter starts today. Stop duct taping your business together. High Level runs your website, your funnels, email, automation, scheduling, payments, and memberships all in one place.

22:28John Lee Dumas:And when you sign up at highlevelfire.com, you get a 30-day free trial plus my exclusive bonus stack that includes weekly office hours with me and much more. Visit highlevelfire.com. Highlevelfire.com.