American work culture often puts entrepreneurship on a pedestal. For many, building a successful company so they can be their own boss is the ultimate career achievement. Blame “Shark Tank.”
Well, not quite. The fixation on ownership and creating something makes sense given the immigrant fabric of our nation and the general ethos that sacrifice and hard work will determine your future. Of course, the nostalgia for the American Dream doesn’t account for the systemic barriers that exist.
The work-for-yourself idealization only seems to have intensified during the pandemic. Splashy content on social media features former cogs in the corporate machine who ditched the grind for their passion projects. Self-proclaimed business gurus scream about how you too can opt out of working for the man. It’s no surprise that 45% of members of Generation Z report being very or extremely likely to start their own business one day, according to a 2021 Gen Z Segmentation Study from Ernst & Young LLP.
