Why ‘Just Start a Business’ Is Finally Becoming Advice You Can Actually Act On
Entrepreneurship has come a long way over the past decade. In fact, a record 5.62 million new business applications were lodged in the United States in 2025. Despite global economic uncertainty, this momentum appears to be continuing as small businesses approach 2026 with high levels of confidence.
Recent data highlights a 69% year-over-year increase in LinkedIn members in the US adding “founder” to their profiles, and more than half of small business leaders report feeling optimistic about the year ahead.
Several factors have contributed to the boom in entrepreneurship over the past few years, such as the layoffs and technology changes brought about during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as current changes in the workplace brought about by AI.
Of course, the surge in entrepreneurship isn’t just about people wanting to be their own boss. Changes in what starting a business looks like have also played a significant role in making entrepreneurship more accessible to a broader range of aspiring founders.
How Starting a Business Has Changed
One often-overlooked factor driving the surge in new business formation is how much the process has evolved over the last decade. Ten years ago, entrepreneurs were essentially required to hire expensive service providers to navigate the complex paperwork of incorporation, building a storefront, and taking payments. Those who chose the “DIY” route struggled to find centralized, reliable information. Even the digital options of the time were often slowed down by manual back-end processes from legacy providers.
Today, that model has shifted toward an integrated ecosystem, thanks to tools and services that enable entrepreneurs to launch their ventures more quickly through intuitive, user-friendly interfaces. By automating what used to be manual hurdles, these platforms are helping streamline the formation process and may reduce some traditional barriers to entry.
For example, consider Tailor Brands, an AI “business builder” that, according to the company, handles about 2% of all LLC formations in the United States and ranks among the country’s top three business formation services. The company offers LLC formation and compliance assistance for founders in all 50 states, utilizing an AI-powered assistant that tracks filings and deadlines while providing tailored suggestions on next steps. This rapid, automated approach to paperwork aims to simplify the legal side of starting a business.
By offering a comprehensive suite of tools that manage everything from inventory and website design to global shipping logistics, Shopify allows founders to bypass the need for expensive web developers. Its all-in-one platform is designed to help a business scale from its first sale to a global brand without the technical friction that once stalled growth.
In the past, managing recurring subscriptions or sending professional invoices required manual tracking and constant follow-ups. Stripe automates this entire lifecycle. By removing the administrative burden of getting paid, Stripe provides tools that allow founders to focus on their product rather than chasing down payments or wrestling with accounting spreadsheets.
Job Market Changes Driving Entrepreneurship
While some changes in technology are enabling entrepreneurs, other tech trends are driving more people to pursue entrepreneurship in the first place. The first major uptick in small business formation came in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, when pandemic-related layoffs and work-from-home mandates caused many to reconsider their career paths and look for greater autonomy and stability in their careers.
Even after the pandemic subsided, elevated business formation numbers continued - and with the onset of generative AI, they have actually increased even further. After being directly cited for tens of thousands of layoffs in 2025, some experts expect AI-related layoffs to be nine times higher in 2026. There are also increasing concerns about AI contributing to a decline in new job creation, particularly when it comes to stable entry-level paths.
These layoffs are causing many to rethink their career options. Rather than try to pursue a traditional full-time job, individuals feel they can find greater stability in pursuing their own career path. A growing number of people are starting side hustles and taking on independent work in addition to their current role, creating a type of safety net in case of a layoff.
In fact, it’s estimated that more than one-fourth of American adults have some kind of side hustle, whether in the form of a side job or a small business. From covering basic living expenses to funding a few extra luxuries, the reasons to start a side hustle are often as varied as the side hustles themselves.
It’s also worth noting that the same AI often being blamed for layoffs is potentially helping founders scale their business as a solo operation. OpenAI founder Sam Altman predicted that AI agents will enable the world’s first billionaire solopreneur, with a single person being able to use teams of AI agents to build a massively successful company with nothing more than a laptop.
Productivity gains and automations from AI are certainly enabling more small and one-person companies to launch and scale in ways that wouldn’t have been possible before.
More Than Just a Trend
The convergence of these factors shows that the rise in entrepreneurship is more than just a trend. AI, in particular, is driving a new wave of entrepreneurship as it simultaneously creates new challenges in traditional employment while creating new opportunities and accessibility for founders.
Starting a business is rapidly becoming the new go-to career path and the preferred option for many individuals who wish to take their future into their own hands. With accessibility resources and other technology further enabling side hustles and independent work, it is likely that the number of businesses in the U.S. will only continue to grow.
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This story was originally published April 7, 2026 at 1:25 PM.