Some Gen Zers are swapping the corporate ladder for entrepreneurship

NBC News

29-05-2025

A growing number of workers in the early innings of their careers are beginning to sour on the idea of the traditional nine-to-five.
Gen Zers, the oldest of whom are turning 28 this year, represent the majority of these workers losing interest in the daily slog of corporate life and seeking deeper meaning in their work.
To that end, these Gen Zers are starting their own businesses. According to LinkedIn data provided to NBC News, about 18% of business founders in 2024 were Generation Z, compared with 14.5% in 2023.
Francesca Albo, 28, and her best friend-turned-business partner Lea Burbidge Izquierdo, 29, swapped their traditional jobs for a life of entrepreneurship.
'I was working in a corporate cubicle, depressed, not feeling very good,' Albo told NBC News, describing how she spent several years stuck with mundane tasks while managing a research team at a biotech lab.
Burbidge Izquierdo, who also felt the weight of corporate burnout in her fintech and marketing career, met Albo at a dog park in October 2021.
The two said they bonded over their shared professional experiences and love of dogs, and they decided to start a business together.
They quit their jobs and launched Puppy Sphere, a wellness space that hosts puppy-filled yoga classes across North America.
'I put every dollar from my corporate job into Puppy Sphere. I actually moved home with my mom, took out a $50,000 loan, and I was in turmoil, but with the delusion that this business would take off,' Albo said.
Puppy Sphere's most popular events are 45-minute yoga sessions led by a certified instructor. They have partnered with Animal Planet, Netflix and pop singer Sabrina Carpenter for classes and pop-ups. The co-owners say the dogs offer serotonin boosts for their clientele, but it also provides the puppies with socialization skills.
Today, Puppy Sphere is a multimillion-dollar business with over 13 locations and more than 200 employees.
Albo and Burbidge Izquierdo are far from alone as young professionals opting out of working for someone else.
About 59% of millennials and Gen Zers reported having a traditional job before starting their own company, according to a 2024 American Express survey.
A survey by CNBC and SurveyMonkey found that some Gen Z workers report wanting more meaningful work, and find their jobs uninspiring. Nearly half said they are just 'coasting' on the job, which was higher than older generations.
Wendy Smith, a senior manager of research science at SurveyMonkey, said the desire for purpose among some Gen Z workers can be seen in various studies.
'We do find that they're motivated ... but what they're craving in the workplace is a little bit different from the other generations. They're really craving connection and creating meaning in their work,' Smith said.
A QuickBooks survey found that more young workers are considering starting a business compared with older generations. Gen Z respondents led the pack at 28%, followed by 26% of millennials, 20% of Gen Xers and 10% of baby boomers.
Ariana Nathani, 28, worked as a project designer at Johnson & Johnson for five years before she quit and turned her attention to her podcast and in-person social events business, Drinks First.
'I basically waited until my company was financially feasible for me to jump ship from my corporate job,' Nathani told NBC News.
Nathani said she credits technological advancements for some of Gen Z's entrepreneurial success.
'I think that has been accelerated with social media and TikTok and AI and all of these tools that help make things that used to feel inaccessible, more accessible,' she added.
Drinks First's events allow young folks in major U.S. cities to meet in person and grow authentic relationships, Nathani said.
'Is making money from a typical nine-to-five the only viable option when you graduate college? I think it's becoming clear to most people that the answer is no,' she said.
Jake Aronskind, 28, left his job as a proprietary stock trader in 2021 to create his own company.
'I ended up quitting to chase my dream, and it was one of the hardest things I had to do, because I actually loved my job, and I love the people there, but my heart wasn't in it because it wasn't 100% mine and it wasn't something that I felt like I was building,' he told NBC News.
Aronskind took his passion for cooking and launched Pepper, an interactive food-centered social app that lets home cooks swap and show off their culinary creations.
'After our first couple months, we ended up scaling to tens of thousands of downloads, got cast on a Gordon Ramsay show, got to a million downloads,' Aronskind shared. 'And then over the last eight to 10 months, we've been scaling a premium subscription … and we'll be breaking through a million in annual recurring revenue the next month.'
'I think the typical corporate nine-to-five does not work for everyone, and a lot of people look to entrepreneurs thinking, 'Wow, that is the way out,'' Puppy Sphere's Albo said.
But the grass isn't always greener on the other side.
Albo reflected on the sacrifices she and her business partner have made to keep their dream alive. 'Lea and I work 24/7. It is so stressful. It is so hard,' Albo said.
'Even though we are truly living the dream business, it is incredibly difficult. … It definitely isn't the easy route out, but it's definitely very fulfilling.'