America Not Hiring in 2026: Back to Golden Age of Solopreneurs?

 For hiring, 2025 was a brutal year to search for a job. The Wall Street Journal reports that 2026 could be worse:

"At a gathering of CEOs in Midtown Manhattan this month organized by the Yale School of Management, 66% of leaders surveyed said they planned to either fire workers or maintain the size of their existing teams next year. Only a third indicated they planned to hire."

The WSJ adds that pullback from adding manpower could be temporary. But given shareholders' demand for cost-efficiency and the continual improvements in AI, chronic unemployment could become standard.

However, there is a solution. An old-fashioned one. That's becoming a solopreneur, that is setting up your own business without partners or employees. The model dates back to ancient times. The golden age of the solo business owner in America had been from the late 1800s to about the mid 1920s. 

There had been a wave of immigrants, discrimination against them and few jobs. They drove pushcarts with fresh produce, operated boarding houses and more. 

Another later wave of immigration from Europe, East and West, brought back that model in the 1930s to when Post-WWII economic boom took off. My family from Italy opened grocery shops specializing in the ingredients for Italian cooking. Another branch of my family from Poland rented to boarders. At age 11 in the 1950s, I sold Wallace Brown greeting cards and religious icons. In 1987, after a merger-generated corporate layoff I returned to being a solopreneur.

Currently I am advising those out of work and nearing the end of hope to look for a gap in what people need/want. Then figure out how to fill it. That's the platform for founding a solo business venture. When I was selling Wallace Brown merchandise many didn't have cars. I saved them the bus trip to the store. 

Already in America there are almost 29 million solopreneurs. Among them:

20% earn six figures.

75% are profitable the first year.

Most are self-funded, with the price of entry usually less than $5000.

The enterprise can be as simple as running errands for the elderly. Establish word-of-mouth for that. Or the venture can be a bit more complex such as being certified in pet grooming, then investing in a mobile van to deliver that service.

In addition, nothing in the solopreneur model prevents building the enterprise into something much larger with partners and contract workers. Yes, big dreams are possible.

Success is a mental game. Failure comes from being done in by the “committee” in your head.

Together, we reprogram your thinking. Then we change your story.

Intuitive Coaching. Special expertise with transitions, reskilling and aging. Psychic/tarot readings, upon request. Complimentary consultation with Jane Genova (Text 203-468-8579, janegenova374@gmail.com). Yes, test out the chemistry. Zero risk.

Don’t give up before the miracle.