This content was created by Girlboss, in partnership with Shopify.
The appeal of entrepreneurship isn’t just about being your own boss. In today’s job market, building something of your own might just be the best way to future-proof your career. Entrepreneurship is no longer Plan B. It’s Plan A.
More people are choosing to build a business instead of climbing the corporate ladder. Entrepreneurship is surging in 2026, and the number of Shopify merchants making their first sale has increased 7x since 2018.
The idea of a “stable” job still exists, but for many people, it doesn’t reflect their actual experience anymore. In a recent survey from Shopify and The Harris Poll, which polled business owners across five markets—the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia, and Spain—respondents were more likely to say entrepreneurship feels more financially secure than a traditional job. Not equally secure, more secure. And even in today’s economy, most say they’d do it all over again.
So if you’ve been toying with the idea of starting something on the side, it might be the smartest—and most lucrative—career move you make. Here’s why (as told by real entrepreneurs who’ve been there):
The “safe” career path isn’t as secure as it used to be
Marina Larroudé spent 20 years in fashion. Her husband, Ricardo, spent two decades in finance. Then the pandemic hit, and they were both laid off.
With two kids at home and bills to pay, they launched Larroudé, a footwear brand, from their dining room table with a simple goal: taking control of their own future.
“There’s a fake illusion that a big corporation is going to take care of you,” says Ricardo. “You might as well do things you really care about, and try to own your own destiny.”
Your side hustle could be your main hustle
Elyse Burns did everything right: got into law school, passed the bar, had a clear path into a stable, high-paying career. But behind the scenes, her sticker side hustle was taking off.
By her second year of law school, she was using those earnings to pay her tuition—without taking on the debt most of her peers were facing.
“I knew big law was going to be soul-sucking (everyone talks about that), and I was making enough money that I thought I could match a lawyer’s salary with my business,” says Elyse.
Instead of becoming a lawyer, she chose to bet on herself. A decade later, she has built a thriving creative business with an 18-person team, a brick-and-mortar store, over 100,000 orders, and nearly one million followers across Instagram and TikTok.
Elyse’s story is proof that you don’t have to rush into entrepreneurship.
“You don’t need to drop everything and start when you have the idea,” she says. “Ideas are kind of the easiest part. It’s really the follow-through, the execution, the logistics. Iron that out while you’re still able to support yourself, and meet the commitments you need to meet. At the point where you decide, ‘I could be doing more if I had more time,’ that’s when you quit.”
Building for yourself also means building for others
Five years later, Larroudé has grown into an international brand with 700 employees, celebrity recognition (Taylor Swift wore their shoes!), and nine figures in revenue—all without a dollar of outside funding.
For Ricardo, the reward isn’t financial stability—it’s the impact the business has had on others.
“That’s what we’re here for. Making clients happy. Making the people here happy. We’ve had employees treated for cancer through our medical plans. Kids who had heart surgery. Babies born out of Larroudé. It feels like you’re doing something good in the universe,” he says.
Adds Marina: “This business is like our third child… It’s just a natural path for us, creating prosperity for other people beyond ourselves. That’s what it’s all for.”
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