The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our lives in many ways. For most, our working lives have seen the most changes. In a recent study looking into entrepreneurship in America, IONOS discovered that more than 44% of Americans want to go self-employed as a result of the pandemic.
Curious to know more about the impacts of the pandemic on entrepreneurship, we spoke to Caroline Castrillon, a successful career coach that has helped many of her clients ditch their corporate jobs for self-employment.
How would you say career perspectives and entrepreneurship have changed since the pandemic?
Clearly, remote and hybrid work has become more prevalent. That trend doesn’t show signs of slowing down. More workers are looking for freedom, flexibility, and fulfillment. Moreover, they aren’t willing to compromise.
In addition, people’s values and priorities have changed. Spending time with family and feeling satisfied with their work has come to the forefront.
What effect do you think the pandemic has had on working lives?
Because of the pandemic, more people are reevaluating their values and priorities than ever before. As a result, they are more willing to make compromises with their work. For example, they perhaps accept a lower salary if they have greater benefits that offset that sacrifice, such as more time off or a flexible schedule.
The study above found that since the pandemic women are especially dissatisfied with their jobs. Does this match your experience when coaching women?
Yes, I believe this trend is amplified at the moment. Women have had to bear the brunt of the pandemic over the last few years in terms of childcare, homeschooling, and caring for loved ones.
Those circumstances, combined with working full-time (with many women I work with being the primary breadwinners in the household), have caused women to experience burnout and their perspectives to shift.
They want more from their jobs and careers. This includes flexibility, advancement options, and just the opportunity to learn and grow professionally.
The pandemic has highlighted how essential sustainability is. In fact, 90% of the study’s participants stated that it plays an important role for them when starting their businesses. Would you advise going green to be a priority for startups 2022?
There is no question that the pandemic increased global awareness of environmental issues. It’s also sparked a renewed commitment to finding solutions. As a result, we see a rise in demand for sustainable goods and businesses supplying those goods and services.
This surge in consumer demand for sustainable goods opens the door to new markets. This especially happened in the fashion, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, and food industries. It also presents opportunities for self-employment, as well as for companies to build trust, enhance their brand reputation, and improve their bottom line in the process.
To read more about the US study and Caroline Castrillon, you can go here: “New Insight into Entrepreneurship in America”.
