Spin Master founder says 20s are best for startups

Canadian entrepreneur Ronnen Harary, co-founder of Spin Master, believes the twenties are the ideal time to launch a business. The children’s entertainment company, which generates over $2 billion in annual revenue, owns popular brands like Paw Patrol and the Rubik’s Cube. Harary discussed his views during a live Q&A with Business Insider’s Sarah Needleman, arguing that waiting until later in life can put aspiring founders at a disadvantage.

Harary says that while Business Insider’s survey of LinkedIn users found the thirties to be the most common decade for launching a venture, he recommends starting earlier. He argues that starting a little bit earlier allows the benefits of experience to compound over time. In your twenties, he notes, “everybody’s rooting for you.” When you are twenty-five, no one sees you as competition, a dynamic that shifts by the time you reach thirty-five.

Harary, who founded Spin Master with his partners at age twenty-three, less than a year after graduating college, said he could not have launched the business in his fifties. He attributes much of his early success to the willingness to make mistakes that comes with having more time to recover. “As a result of being in your 20s, you have so much energy, you have so much drive, determination, and will to get things done,” he said. “When you hit your middle age, it decreases.”

Harary credits his early entry into the industry to the generosity of Alan Hassenfeld, the former CEO of Hasbro. When Harary was twenty-five, he called Hassenfeld seeking advice. The Hasbro executive was reportedly excited to have the young founders enter the market and offered significant business guidance. This support helped solidify Harary’s belief that younger entrepreneurs often receive a more open reception from established figures in the field.

Education and Opportunity

Despite the narrative that dropping out of college is a common path for young founders, Harary insists that higher education played a key role in his success. He was initially waitlisted by the University of Western Ontario. At a young age, he was identified as having learning challenges, including dysgraphia, which made writing by hand difficult. However, he said attending the university was one of the greatest things that happened to him because it allowed him to learn and build relationships.

Harary met his two business partners, Anton Rabie and Ben Varadi, at the school. He noted that without the university environment, the business partnership that would become Spin Master likely would not have formed. “If I didn’t make it to university, the business wouldn’t have started,” he said. This suggests that while the twenties offer a unique window of opportunity for risk-taking, the right environment—whether through university or other networks—can provide the foundation necessary to capitalize on that energy.