One in 3 U.S. adults (33%) plan to start a new business or side hustle in 2026—a 94% jump from last year—as more people view entrepreneurship as their best path to financial stability and wealth.
These insights come from a new survey commissioned by Intuit QuickBooks of more than 3,000 U.S. adults and 1,500 respondents each in Canada, the U.K., and Australia. The survey was conducted to understand international entrepreneurship trends for 2026.
The data reveals that Americans feel an urgent pull toward business ownership, yet many are held back by financial fears, funding gaps, and low confidence in core business finances. Meanwhile, a growing, informal entrepreneurship economy—powered by side hustles and AI tools—is reshaping how new businesses begin.
The role of AI in lowering barriers to action
As more people look for faster and more affordable ways to start a business, AI is emerging as a key tool for new entrepreneurs in all four countries, but especially in the United States. In the U.S., 65% of aspiring business owners say they're likely to use AI to help launch their ventures in 2026. More than 3 in 10 (31%) say they're very likely to use AI, at least 5 percentage points higher than the other countries surveyed. For many, AI feels like a shortcut through the parts of entrepreneurship that once felt too slow, too expensive, or too complicated. Only 16% say they're unlikely to leverage any AI tools.
Aspiring founders plan to use AI for a wide range of early startup tasks, including brainstorming business ideas or conducting market research (29%), creating websites or product listings (19%), and developing names, logos, and branding assets (14%). These steps can feel daunting for anyone who's short on time or unsure where to begin, which many are.
About a quarter (24%) of aspiring entrepreneurs say lack of time is the biggest barrier to business ownership, and 22% cite lack of business acumen. AI helps close that gap. It gives new entrepreneurs a virtual partner they can turn to for guidance or hands-on support, and it can complete work in minutes that might take them days or weeks on their own. The combination of speed, lower cost, and on-demand expertise can make the path from idea to action feel far more achievable.
Millennials stand out as the most AI-forward generation
About 40% of millennials say they’re very likely to use AI to launch their business, and 75% say they’ll use AI in some capacity. That’s a higher adoption rate than both Gen Z (59%) and Gen X (61%). Millennials’ willingness to embrace new tools, paired with their strong sense of urgency, positions them as a driving force behind AI-enabled entrepreneurship.
Intuit QuickBooks
In a landscape where money is tight and confidence is mixed, AI represents something rare for aspiring founders. It’s a tool that reduces friction, speeds up early decisions, and makes entrepreneurship feel more achievable.
Sample and methodology
In December 2025, Intuit QuickBooks commissioned an online survey of 3,000 U.S. adults age 18 and over, along with 1,500 adults each in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. The survey focused on entrepreneurship trends and predictions for 2026, including respondents’ intent to start a business or side hustle, financial confidence, funding expectations, use of AI tools, and perceived barriers to starting a business.
To ensure the findings are as representative as possible, survey results have been re-weighted using post-stratification. Percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole number, so values shown in charts and graphics may not add up to 100%. Responses to multiple-choice survey questions are shown as a percentage of the number of respondents, not the total number of responses, so they will always sum to more than 100%. Responses were collected using Pollfish audience pools and partner networks, with double opt-ins and random device engagement sampling to ensure accurate targeting and high-quality results. Respondents received remuneration.
This story was produced by Intuit QuickBooks and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
