The Collapse of Job Certainty

Jan 8

E-N-T-R-E-P-R-E-N-E-U-R-S-H-I-P...Most people have heard the word or perhaps watched Shark Tank. Many think it refers to an individual or a small group of partners who create a new business or startup. But increasingly, companies seek to emulate this mindset through “intrapreneurship", where employees are encouraged to think like entrepreneurs.

Ask your friends and family to validate this but I believe employer loyalty is declining. It's harder to find passionate work, less people like their jobs and AI/tech increasingly are reducing opportunities. Regardless of your age, education, experience where you work or what you do, this is a mindset you want to adopt…and right now!

Adopting an Entrepreneurship Mindset is essential to our society and economy. Every company in the S&P 500 (a stock market index tracking the stock performance of 500 leading companies listed on stock exchanges in the United States) was once a start up. Nearly every working American can attribute their job to a person(s) who saw a problem and had vision. Despite this, entrepreneurship (teaching these principals) is not even in the top 100 most popular college majors nationwide. We need to educate and get leverage!

People are feeling more stressed than ever about their jobs…The Surgeon General released a framework for Mental Health & Well Being in the workplace, citing reports of Quiet Quitting, The Great Resignation and the changing nature of work.

As things change so quickly, many employers have not prioritized the health and well being of their most prized assets, their workers. If working, I suggest you inventory your situation asap and decide if the paycheck is worth the challenges.

Here are 5 signs you may be in a toxic work environment:

Your mental health is suffering
You dread going to work
You feel undervalued and under paid
Your voice is suppressed and there is a ceiling on your advancement
You feel a loss of confidence and self esteem

The Wave Has Shifted

According to the U.S. Small Business Association (SBA), a government funded agency that supports small businesses with advice and loans, small firms (less than 500 employees) account for nearly ⅔ of all net new jobs created. Add the supply chain jobs created by new ventures and the number increases to over 70%.

This trend will continue as technology has provided founders with never before access to research, human capital, available grants, templates for writing business plans and obtaining patents, etc. More shifts:

Artificial Intelligence is rewriting the rules of business.
The Creator Economy is turning personal stories into thriving platforms.
Longevity and wellness are now strategic assets, not side goals.
Purpose-driven capitalism is redefining what “profit” really means..

Looking back, the twentieth-century labor formula promise was linear:

Get educated → get hired → get promoted → retire!

Looking ahead, the twenty-first century is exponential:

Learn → build → adapt → repeat!

Technology flattened the playing field…then erased it. AI writes code, social media influencers shape markets, and global audiences form overnight. Every individual is CEO of themselves and now runs a one-person media company; whether they know it or not.

The challenge is that many people are still wired for an economy that no longer exists. They were taught obedience, not ownership; repetition, not reinvention. Making Waves entrepreneurs see the glitch — and build new systems instead of complaining about or stagnating in the old ones.

The question isn’t whether change will come — it’s whether you’ll use it as a tailwind or a riptide.