The outlook for entrepreneurship? Pretty damn good

"I could have been an asshole, but I started a business instead.”

I know what the headlines say. I read them too. Markets being weird. Layoffs. CEO scandals. Wars. AI taking over with its Skynet tentacles. At my house, everyone is suddenly an economist or an AI expert. It’s annoying.

It’s easy to fall into the dark places when you swaddle yourself in bad news. After a while, it starts messing with your head.

I’ve been around long enough to recognize the pattern. It goes like this: When things feel bleak, markets crash (taking our sunny dispositions along for the ride), entrepreneurs see something glimmering between the headlines and the panic. They see opportunities. It's how they're wired.

Good shit happens when cultures and markets are unpredictable. And there’s data to prove it.

More than half a million new business applications were filed in January alone. Half a million people looked at this so-called shaky economy and thought, “Yeah. I’m in.”

While the country was unraveling during the Great Depression, Walt Disney incorporated his studio. Hewlett and Packard started tinkering in a garage. Not because conditions were perfect, they were far from it. These companies started because conditions were imperfect and allowed it.

Fast forward to right now. More than half a million new business applications were filed in January alone. Half a million people looked at this so-called shaky economy and thought, “Yeah. I’m in.” Formation numbers over the past few years have been historically high. Millions of businesses launched. That’s… rad. Entrepreneurs seizing the day yet again.

What I’ve learned from interviewing founders for years: Entrepreneurs see differently. They're just wired weird. Where most people see instability, they see an opportunity to build something. Where most see layoffs, entrepreneurs see new communities. Where most see rising costs, entrepreneurs see broken systems begging to be rebuilt.

A while ago I interviewed Adam Goering, CEO of Revive Media, for The Get Bizee Podcast. Cool dude. Great sunglasses. He said something on the podcast that made me laugh because it was so honest.

“I could have been an asshole, but I started a business instead.” I mean, the guy left Amazon on a Friday and started a business the following Monday. You can complain about the machine or you can build your own. He built his own.

Look, I’m not naïve. It’s hard out there. But it has always been hard. The difference now is that the tools are cheaper, distribution is instant, and customers are reachable without a gatekeeper. You can launch from a laptop or a phone. You can test in real time. It's never been easier to start a business. But it's also never been more challenging.

That’s entrepreneurship. Technology may change, but that entrepreneurial fire keeps burning.