There is a lot of social media content out there about Gen Z founders. Australian skin care brand tbh skincare went viral for creating fun, culturally relevant videos featuring its Gen Z founder. And period care company August has positioned Co-Founder Nadya Okamoto as the face of the brand.

Such founders have created positive, inclusive brands, and their stories are inspiring yet relatable. They are honest about the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, but they also make it look aspirational. It’s no wonder that more and more members of Gen Z are considering entrepreneurship.

Seventy-eight percent of Gen Z respondents in a 2023 Zen Business survey said being an entrepreneur was the most accessible job and one in three Gen Zers said in a 2023 Instagram survey that the best way to get ahead financially was through “some form of self-employment.”

Entrepreneurship sounds incredibly empowering and rewarding, but it’s also highly challenging, unstable and frustrating. So, why do so many of us want to be our own boss? Two trends stand out.

At the heart of culture

There’s a familiar conversation on social media right now surrounding the lifestyle of entrepreneurs, which is often framed as flexible, fun and lucrative. This positive angle is often particularly evident in the content of founder-influencers, or founders who create content about their entrepreneurship journeys.

On top of that, there’s a cultural obsession with entrepreneurs that didn’t previously exist. Entrepreneurs are much sexier and glorified than they ever have been. Entrepreneurs grace the covers of magazines, have huge social media followings and do interviews for The Cut.

The social media conversation around entrepreneurship, coupled with the rise of the celebrity entrepreneur, contributes to a glorification and cultural obsession with entrepreneurship that has motivated Gen Z’s dreams of running businesses.

While some founders are honest about their experiences, others gloss over the challenging parts of entrepreneurship, instead choosing to show only the fun side: exciting events, awards shows, fancy outfits and glamorous trips. While entrepreneurship can be fun, it’s also tough, and every founder isn’t always painting the most accurate picture of their experiences on social media. Nonetheless, their stories are highly visible. 

More accessible than ever

The Gen Z dream of entrepreneurship is now more accessible than ever. We currently have a multitude of tech platforms and resources—everything from Shopify to QuickBooks to Canva—for pretty much anyone with a laptop to build a business at any time. Means of production are much easier to attain than they were 50, or even 10 years ago.

The increase of accessible tools has led to an increasingly saturated market. With a low barrier to entry in many industries, it’s easier than ever to get started in your own business.

As a result, it’s no surprise that competition has become greater, as it has, for instance, in the skin care and makeup spaces. With countless brands selling similar products at similar price points, the need for differentiation through unique branding becomes increasingly necessary.

Outside of price, brand becomes the main factor in the consumer decision of which product to purchase. 

The cultural obsession with entrepreneurship—coupled with the accessibility of platforms to start and run businesses—are factors that drive Gen Z to create their own jobs and pursue entrepreneurship, even in increasingly saturated markets. Building a compelling, unique brand is no easy task, but it is within the reach of Gen Z in a world where entrepreneurship is both glorified and accessible.