Millions Apply to Be Their Own Boss As AI Hands Out Business Plans Like Candy
KEY POINTS
- •Americans filed over 3 million business applications in the first half of 2026, up 16.5% from last year as AI lowers entrepreneurship barriers.
- •Bobbi Brown founded Jones Road Beauty in 2020 after years of side ventures; she emphasized simplicity, customer feedback, and ignoring competitors.
- •PopSockets founder David Barnett, Olipop’s Ben Goodwin, and Open Farm’s Jacqueline Prehogan shared lessons on iteration, integrity, slow growth, and staying grounded.
By mid-2026, over 3 million Americans filed business applications, a 16.5% jump since last year. AI got tired of making art and started drafting your brand’s marketing too. Bobbi Brown, who ditched her namesake beauty empire in 2016 for side hustles like supplement scams and fancy department stores, finally landed on Jones Road Beauty in 2020, preaching simple makeup and customer-centric Miracle Balms. Over in Boulder, philosophy teacher turned iPhone grip guru David Barnett launched PopSockets from his garage in 2014, selling over 300 million grips worldwide, while warning wannabe Elon Musks to keep their day jobs. Ben Goodwin, weekends DJ and lifelong soda tinkerer, turned early probiotic soda flops into Olipop’s $1 million victory by appealing to 'Walmart shoppers in Ohio.' Meanwhile, lovebirds Jacqueline Prehogan and Isaac Langleben founded Open Farm in 2014 to ethically feed pets, preaching slow growth and authenticity. Clearly, if you fail fast, listen to your weird customers, and hustle nights and weekends, you too can be the next surprise CEO juggling cold plunges, DMs, and pet food ethics.
Share the Story
(1 of 3)If AI can draft your first business plan, five professors can lose their jobs, and a philosopher can sell phone grips, what’s stopping you from becoming the CEO of your couch?
Who knew troubleshooting your tangled headphones would spawn a 300 million unit empire? Meanwhile I can’t even find my charger.
Apparently, starting a successful company now requires being a philosophy teacher, a DJ, or an ex-beauty mogul who ignored every trend.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 7/17/2026 | Author: Ana Altchek
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