The American dream: Self-employment and being your own boss

A lot has happened over the course of the last two years in the USA; a global pandemic, climate change, and a new president. It comes as no surprise that these changes influence society and the dreams and aspirations of US-American citizens. 

The recent business study conducted by IONOS SE, explores how these shifts have influenced Americans and their views on self-employment and founding their own businesses.

A summary of results:

• Horror jobs or job horror? 35% of Americans are not happy with their current jobs.
• Money isn’t everything, but it is the most important aspect of a dream job, according to the participants of the study.
• No partners: Americans prefer to start their companies on their own.
• Innovation outside of the city? Almost a third of respondents would welcome more financial support for start-ups in rural areas.
• A green future: 90% of Americans say they value sustainability when setting up their own business.
• The pandemic and technology: Potential founders’ appreciation for digital business plans continues to rise.

Positive outcomes from a global pandemic

Remote work, pay cuts, and job insecurity; this is the drastic reality of the job market during the COVID-19 pandemic. But even through these hard times, people have hopes and dreams, and you’d be surprised that most involve self-employment! Almost 80% of participants claimed they could see themselves starting their own business, with nearly half stating that their desire to become a founder has increased during the pandemic. As a comparison, the desire for permanent employment only rose by about 12% during the same time.

And that’s not the only change that the pandemic has encouraged. Around 32% of the participants claim that their attitude towards an online presence has changed: they view it as more important when starting a company. 

Sustainable businesses and economic success

Climate change will likely be the biggest challenge of our lifetimes and it seems that Americans are paying attention: More than 90% of the participants stated that sustainability would be important to them if they were starting a business. Respondents between 30 and 39 years of age seem to be most passionate about the topic. Around 95% of them claim that sustainability is “fairly important”, “important” or even “very important” to them when setting up a company.

Interestingly, it seems like the main driving factor behind this eagerness to work in a climate- friendly way isn’t social responsibility. With only 32.5% of interviewees choosing it as an answer for why they’d like their business to be sustainable. The main reasons? Better competitiveness (32.9%) and a more positive image for customers (48%).

Find more information in the new ebook

As well as data on Americans’ opinions on their work and self-employment in general, the e-book also includes detailed information about the biggest obstacles when founding a business, changes brought on by the current pandemic, participants’ thoughts on locations for start-ups and much more. Download the study for free.