What does it really mean to be an entrepreneur in 2026?

I recently appeared on Nevertheless She Persisted, a weekly show dedicated to exploring the lives of women and the issues that matter to them. And I was asked: what actually is entrepreneurship?

And it stopped me for a moment, because there are really two answers to that question.

• There's the logical one, the neat definition you might find in a textbook.

• And then there's the human one, the version shaped by experience, circumstance and, frankly, reality.

As I started reflecting, I realised being an entrepreneur is really about anyone who wants to do things a little differently.

You don't have to be running a start-up from a co-working space with an oat milk flat white in hand.

You can absolutely have an entrepreneurial gene working at the Big Four, in the NHS or inside a huge corporate organisation. The key to it all is mindset.

People are starting businesses for different reasons

That question landed differently for me because I'd just read our StartUp Ambition Report, and it genuinely stopped me in my tracks. The reason people are starting businesses has shifted.

It's no longer about "turning your passion into a project" or chasing some glossy version of founder life.

For many people, it's about making ends meet, bringing stability to their life and taking control in an unpredictable economy. That's a big change.

It also felt like my worlds were colliding. There's a lot of conversation about how young girls benefit from learning things early, like financial confidence, entrepreneurship options and different career pathways.

Fast forward to adulthood and we still have funding figures sitting around 1% for women. Progress? Yes. Enough? Absolutely not. The gap is still there and it's still holding talent back.

When you zoom out globally, it gets even more real.

In some of the most densely populated areas in the world, people have to be entrepreneurial. They're facing conflict, broken infrastructure, no formal qualifications and no clear job ladder to climb. Entrepreneurship is survival.

Some of the best entrepreneurs in the world are hustling because they have to. Hustle culture wasn't invented by the West. It's a real, raw, get-up-and-go mentality built out of necessity, resilience and grit.

So it made me think… what does it actually mean to be an entrepreneur today? Here's my take.

Being an entrepreneur in 2026

1. Thinking outside the box (and not letting AI do all the thinking for you)

This one sounds obvious, but we're getting dangerously comfortable letting AI solve everything for us, even the deep, personal stuff.

It's worth remembering that you earn dopamine through effort. Struggle builds muscle, mental and emotional.

So what are you doing in your day to shake things up? Even if you're working for someone else, what's one small way you could challenge the norm? You might change a process, speak up in a meeting or try something new.

Entrepreneurship starts with curiosity.

2. Are you actually up for risk?

We've spoken a lot recently about young people and how high the stakes feel now, and I genuinely empathise. Decisions that once felt like "character-building" now feel life-defining.

Today, the UK has one of the highest youth unemployment rates – and, honestly, I get it. Risk feels terrifying when rent, food, energy bills and life costs are sky high.

Choosing the "safe" option makes total sense when stability feels fragile, and yet for so many young people, even the safe option doesn't exist anymore.

But entrepreneurship has always been a gamble. The difference now is that the stakes feel heavier.

Where before, you might be taking a punt on a passion project, now you're betting on yourself when the system isn't necessarily set up to catch you if you fall.

That takes courage. Real courage.

And sometimes the biggest risk isn't starting something new, but staying stuck in something that isn't working, just because it feels familiar.

3. Being bold and actively looking for joy

When you take risks, you have to be bold. And sometimes you have to smile through it when you know it's going wrong.

So what's bringing you joy today? A win? A laugh? A decent coffee? A good song on repeat? Joy keeps you going when logic tells you to quit.

I was also asked whether you can still be an entrepreneur if you run a social enterprise or not-for-profit. Yes, of course you can! Impact is innovation.

I loved that question because it made me pause, even though I live in the world of entrepreneurship every day.

It reminded me that entrepreneurship isn't just about profit. A large part of it is solving problems, finding a purpose and creating change.

Conclusion

As the show wrapped up, I couldn't help thinking there's a really exciting wave of entrepreneurs coming through right now. Let's embrace them, support them and learn from them.

If you fancy listening to the full conversation, you can catch it here.