How to become an entrepreneur: The 2026 roadmap to starting your own business

If you’re wondering how to become an entrepreneur, it starts with recognizing profitable opportunities, leaning into what you’re great at, and turning your skills into a money-making idea. 

From testing your idea to setting up your business, we break it all down.

Learn the basics of successful entrepreneurship, what you need to start your business venture, and how to build a business that fits your goals.

Key takeaways

• Entrepreneurship starts with the right mindset, a clear problem to solve, and a business idea that matches your skills.

• You don’t need a big budget to start. Low-risk models like Print on Demand make it easy to start with minimal upfront costs.

• A business plan, a strong brand, and smart marketing are key to building trust and attracting your target customers.

• Successful entrepreneurs keep learning, stay adaptable, and grow their business to match changing market demands and trends.

What is entrepreneurship?

Entrepreneurship is the process of creating a business that offers value. This can mean solving a problem, meeting an underserved market, or introducing something new that helps people in their daily lives. 

An entrepreneur looks for opportunities and builds a business to serve customers and grow over time.

The most common types of entrepreneurship include:

• Small business entrepreneurship. Running smaller, owner-operated businesses such as local shops, services, or online stores. These businesses focus on steady, long-term growth rather than rapid expansion.

• Scalable startup entrepreneurship. Creating a new idea or product with the goal of growing fast. These entrepreneurs often look for investors and aim to build companies that can expand quickly.

• Large-company or intrapreneurship. Innovating inside an existing large company. These entrepreneurs develop new products or services using the company’s resources to serve a bigger organization.

• Social entrepreneurship. Building a business that aims to solve social or environmental problems while staying financially sustainable.

Besides choosing the type of entrepreneurship that fits you, it’s also important to think about how you want your new business to grow:

• Self-employed business. You work for yourself and earn money based on your own time and effort. You do most of the work, so the business grows only as much as you can handle. This model offers flexibility but has limited long-term growth.

• Scalable business. The business can grow faster because it uses tools, systems, automation, or a team to serve more customers at once. It can keep running even when you’re not working directly. This model often has higher long-term potential but may require more planning and setup.

The key is choosing the business model that matches your skills, business goals, and the lifestyle you want to build.

9 Steps to becoming an entrepreneur

With the basics in mind, you’re ready to move on to the practical part. This section breaks down the key steps and practical ways to become an entrepreneur in 2026.

Step 1: Develop the right mindset

Having the right mindset helps you take action, solve problems, and grow your business with confidence. Many aspiring entrepreneurs succeed not because they know everything, but because they learn, adapt, and stay focused on their goals. 

To become your own boss and grow as an entrepreneur, you need to:

• Stay curious. Ask questions, explore new ideas, and look for better ways to serve your customers. Curiosity helps you spot business opportunities others miss.

• Be willing to learn. No one starts out knowing everything. Successful entrepreneurs test ideas, make mistakes, and learn fast. 

• Stay focused. Set clear goals and follow through, even when things get tough.

• Think long-term. Overnight success looks great online, but real growth takes time. Stay patient and keep moving forward, one step at a time.

• Practice good business ethics. In business, your reputation makes or breaks your success. Treat customers and partners with honesty and respect to build trust that lasts.

• Stay flexible. Markets change, and plans sometimes need to shift. Flexibility helps you adjust and continue moving forward.

Step 2: Identify a problem or opportunity

Most businesses exist because someone noticed a challenge, a frustration, or a need that wasn’t being met. When you can solve a real problem for real people, you create value that customers pay for.

You can find business ideas by:

• Looking at problems you face in daily life.

• Listening to common complaints from friends, family, or coworkers.

• Studying online communities to see what people struggle with.

• Noticing tasks people find boring, confusing, or time-consuming.

• Exploring trends in your target market and seeing what’s missing.

• Looking for underserved demand in your community or online.

• Thinking about skills you already have that could help others.

Many great ideas started with simple everyday frustrations. Dropbox was created because people kept losing files or couldn’t access them across different devices.

The next time something frustrates you, don’t just get annoyed – take note. It might be the start of your next business idea.

Step 3: Choose your business idea and niche

All successful businesses start with an idea, but not all ideas can grow into a real brand. Consider these factors when narrowing your business ideas:

• Demand. Are people already looking for this product or service?

• Competition. How many other businesses are doing the same thing? Can you offer something better or different?

• Cost. How much money will you need to get started and run the company?

• Personal interest. Do you enjoy this type of work? Interest helps you stay motivated.

• Scalability. Can the business grow over time, or will it depend primarily on your personal time and effort?

If you want to learn how to become an entrepreneur with no money, options like freelance work, consulting, or subscription-based services are great places to start. 

Those wanting to sell products with low barriers to entry can try Print on Demand (POD). You create designs, upload them to your online store, and wait for orders to come in. 

Your POD partner, like Printful, handles production and shipping. There are no upfront costs, so it’s a low-risk and flexible way to test different ideas and learn entrepreneurship at your own pace.

Explore: Learn how Printful works.

Step 4: Create a simple business plan

A solid business plan gives you a clear direction and outlines how your company will make money. It helps you understand your market and avoid common mistakes – making it useful even for small businesses or side hustles.

Here’s what to include in your business plan:

• Business goals and vision. Write down what you want to achieve in 1-3 years. Make sure your goals are measurable, like hitting 100 monthly orders or getting 1,000 new customers.

• Target audience. Gather customer insights through market research and create a detailed customer profile to understand who you’re selling to.

• Value proposition. Explain what makes your product or service better or different from competitors.

• Revenue streams. Decide how your company will generate capital – per transaction, through recurring payments, from services, or by project.

• Marketing plan. Choose the channels you want to use and plan a posting or content schedule.

• Cost structure and funding needs. Estimate how much money you need to launch and run your company.

Use one-page business plan templates or simple tools like Notion or Canva to organize your ideas and update them as your business grows.

Pro tip: Planning to sell t-shirts? Check out our guide on how to develop a winning t-shirt business plan to help you build a solid strategy from the start.

Step 5: Validate your idea

Have your business idea ready? Test it before investing too much time or money. 

Start small by creating a minimum viable product (MVP) or offering a basic version of your service. Share it with early users, collect real feedback, and improve the idea based on what you learn.

For example, launch a single design on three products (a custom t-shirt, hoodie, and tote) using Printful. List them on a simple online store or marketplace storefront to check if people are interested before creating more designs. 

Want to test out your products before selling? Order samples of your designs to check quality and take product photos.

Step 6: Set up your business legally

Start by choosing and registering a business name and securing a matching domain (your store’s online address) for your brand’s home base.

Next, decide on a business structure. A sole proprietorship is the simplest option, but many entrepreneurs opt for a limited liability company (LLC) to protect personal assets. Your choice affects your taxes and how your company is recognized by law, so take time to compare the pros and cons.

Depending on your location, you may need licenses or permits to run your own company. Some permits can even help lower your operating costs. For example, with a seller’s permit, your company qualifies to submit a resale certificate to Printful or other suppliers so you’re not charged sales tax.

Once that’s covered, organize your finances with a business bank account. Keeping your business income separate makes bookkeeping easier and helps position your company for external investments, small business grants, or angel investors in the future.

Read: Always check local regulations or consult a certified public accountant to ensure your company stays compliant. Learn more about the legal requirements for starting a business in the US. 

Step 7: Build your brand and online presence

Your brand is how people recognize, remember, and trust your business. Four in five shoppers only buy from brands they trust, so make sure to give yours the attention it deserves.

Here’s a handy checklist to help small business owners build a strong online presence:

• Create a clear, memorable brand identity. Design a logo and use consistent colors, style, and messaging across your website, social media, and marketing materials.

• Build a website. Share high-quality photos, mockups, and graphics to make your brand look professional and trustworthy.

• Write a short brand story. Explain who you are, what you do, and why it matters. A simple story helps customers connect with your business.

• Establish credibility early. Share testimonials, reviews, case studies, or early results to show that your business is reliable.

• Create a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy. Adding relevant keywords to your website and product listings helps people find your store through search engines. Check out our eCommerce SEO guide for more tips and best practices.

Pro tip: Printful integrates with popular eCommerce platforms and marketplaces like Amazon and Shopify. Launching products on any of these platforms only takes a few clicks when you use Printful for fulfillment.

Step 8: Market your business

Now that your brand is ready to represent your business, focus on attracting buyers or clients. Identify your target audience and research where they spend their time. Knowing this helps you choose the right platforms, content, and marketing style for your business.

There are many ways to get noticed by your target audience besides using SEO on your store, such as:

• Content marketing. Share helpful guides, tips, or stories that answer customer questions and build trust.

• Email marketing. Send updates, offers, or product launches directly to your subscribers.

• Paid ads. Use Google Ads or social media ads to reach more people fast.

• Influencer collaborations. Partner with creators who already have an audience that matches your target market.

As you test different strategies, use analytics tools like Google Analytics to track what works. Most social media and eCommerce platforms also provide built-in analytics that show which posts, products, or campaigns bring in traffic and customers. 

This makes it easier to refine your marketing and focus on what delivers results.

Step 9: Keep learning and scaling

Entrepreneurship is an ongoing process, so keep improving your skills as your business grows.

Besides doing regular market research, build your own network of mentors, peers, or online communities who can share ideas and give feedback. Learning from others’ experiences can save you time, money, and stress.

As you gain more customers, start automating tasks or delegating work so you can focus on higher-value activities. At the same time, look for new revenue streams or product lines to expand your business. 

The market moves quickly, so being open to change helps your company stay relevant and sets up your entrepreneurial journey for long-term success.

Conclusion

Becoming an entrepreneur isn’t about having the perfect idea, a big budget, or years of experience. It starts with the right entrepreneurial mindset, a real problem to solve, and eagerness to learn as you go.

It doesn’t matter if you’re offering services or launching your first print-on-demand store with Printful. Follow the steps in this guide and build a new business that fits your skills, goals, and lifestyle.

Start simple, stay curious, and keep improving.