Author @CoFoundersNik (posted 2026-07-30) says that over the last 7 years he’s…

Brief

CoFoundersNik (2026-07-30) asserts that entrepreneurship is booming: he’s bought/started/sold dozens of businesses and, after interviewing hundreds of recent founders, points to a surge in business applications since 2019. He contrasts ~60% who say they want to own a business with only 10% who do, blaming COVID as catalyst and AI as the current unlock.

Why it matters

Author @CoFoundersNik (posted 2026-07-30) says that over the last 7 years he’s bought, started, and sold dozens of businesses and has talked to “hundreds of entrepreneurs” who launched ventures in the last 6 years (examples: bounce houses, pressure washing, marketing agencies, vending routes, short-term rentals, car washes, laundromats, newsletters, AI automation, roofing, landscaping).

Key details

Key statistics cited: ~60% of Americans say they want to own a business but only 10% actually do; polls have shown ~60% prefer starting a business to working for someone else; self-employment fell from 36% in 1910 to under 10% by 2020; business applications have nearly doubled since 2019.

Central claim on drivers: COVID was the catalyst and AI is the main "unlock"—one person can now handle website, admin, marketing, and software work that used to require a small team; The Economist is cited reporting an entrepreneurship boom driven by subsidies, e‑commerce, and better tech.

In the last 7 years I’ve bought/started and sold dozens of businesses.

60% of you SAY you want to own a business.

Only 10% DO.

But that’s changing because entrepreneurship is BOOMING!

The numbers:
• For decades, polls show ~60% of Americans would rather start a business than work for someone else.
 • Yet self-employment fell from 36% of workers in 1910 to under 10% by 2020.
 • Business applications have nearly doubled since 2019.

I’ve talked to hundreds of entrepreneurs who have launched companies in the last 6 years:

Bounce houses
Pressure washing
Marketing agencies
Vending machine routes
Short term rentals
Car washes
Laundromats
Newsletters
AI Automation
Roofing
Landscaping

Covid was the catalyst but AI is the main unlock.

One person can now handle website, admin, marketing, and software that used to require a small team.

There has literally never been a better time to take the leap and start/buy/co-found a business!

What are you waiting for??

The Economist (@TheEconomist)

America is in the middle of an entrepreneurship boom. Thanks to subsidies, e-commerce and better tech, more workers are going it alone economist.com/business/2026/…

Link

America has become an entrepreneur’s paradise

Etsy-sellers and small-town accountants are enjoying the fruits of AI
economist.com

— https://nitter.net/TheEconomist/status/2082581949130932557#m