Artificial intelligence is displacing workers at a rising rate, but that is also giving rise to another trend. More and more entrepreneurs are starting their own businesses after having been laid off. In 2024, 67% more entrepreneurs launched a venture after layoffs, and that number could keep growing as AI becomes even more entrenched.
As someone who has experienced job loss in my career, whether from radio reporter work back in the early 2000s or startup marketing positions later on, I know that the path forward doesn’t always have to mean starting another job search. I, like thousands of other professionals, decided it was time to strike out on my own and turn displacement into my own business. You can do it too, and here are business models that offer low startup costs with proven demand.