BLOG

Can anyone start a business?

Posted: Tue 20th Jan 2026

4 min read

We’ve witnessed an entrepreneurial revolution over the last 15 years.

Dragons’ Den started broadcasting founders into our living rooms and social media inspired a new generation.

There’s more support for entrepreneurs than ever and our recent StartUp Ambition Report found that four in 10 adults want to start up in 2026.

But is entrepreneurship right for everyone? And, can anyone start a business?

Promoting entrepreneurship

Simon Squibb gained eight million followers on TikTok and five million on Instagram telling people to follow their dreams and start up.

He believes anyone can be an entrepreneur, telling Enterprise Nation:

“For me entrepreneurship is people having the ability to decide how they earn a living and own their time and allocate their time into things that give them the upside – they own equity where they work.”

Simon’s one of a number of “mega influencers” promoting entrepreneurship. That’s good for the economy and individual empowerment; starting a business can be life-changing.

However, promoting entrepreneurship – and the idea that anyone can do it – on social media can be a double-edged sword.

Talking openly about the challenges

Answering the question of whether anyone can be an entrepreneur, founders we spoke to said there isn't enough coverage of the day-to-day struggle.

Reflecting on his first year running a business, Humble Roots founder Macloud Moyo says there’s a gap between expectation and reality:

“The romanticised version we see on LinkedIn or Instagram rarely shows the months of uncertainty, the financial pressure or the toll it takes on family time.
“You need a genuine tolerance for discomfort and the ability to keep going when nobody's clapping. That's not a skill everyone has or wants to develop and that's completely fine.”

Overselling entrepreneurship

Party Without Plastic founder Lorraine Allman also argues that we need more visibility of the sweat equity needed to be successful.

“I don’t believe starting and running a business is right for everyone and I feel we do a disservice by pretending it’s just a matter of ‘wanting it enough’.
“Yes, the tools and support are better than ever, but the day-to-day reality is still a lot of uncertainty, responsibility and relentless problem solving.”

If entrepreneurship is being oversold, we risk pushing people who might be happier in a salaried job towards a more risky, less satisfying option.

My experience of entrepreneurship echoes Macloud and Lorraine’s. It provides higher highs and lower lows than a normal job. Riding that roller coaster is strenuous – and at times it’s impacted my physical and mental health.

But it’s also an incredible experience. You learn more, get to express your passion and you can unlock wealth.

Finding a balance

Spending the last decade writing about small businesses and starting companies leads me to believe anyone can be an entrepreneur; it’s been incredible to witness people from such a diverse range of backgrounds and situations be successful.

That includes people who found more traditional educational and career routes closed to them. Like Simon, who was told he was “stupid” in school and was homeless for a period, before building a business worth tens of millions of pounds.

That’s not to say there’s equity in entrepreneurship. We all start with different advantages and talents – and there’s still a huge amount of work to be done to create a level playing field.

So, yes, everyone can be an entrepreneur, but we need to work hard to make sure they go in with their eyes open and get the support they need.

Supporting small business owners

Rebellious Co founder Ash Phillips sums it up well:

“I truly believe that anyone should be able to start, regardless of their circumstances, and have their risk of failure lowered as much as humanly possible.”

In my mind, entrepreneurship isn’t right for everyone. And we need to do a better job of communicating the realities of running a business, and supporting people facing those challenges.

But, anyone can start a business.