AI can compress timelines, automate workflows, and lower the cost of almost everything. However, it cannot tell you what problem people need solving.
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2026 has been labeled the year of the “10x founder,” thanks to AI tools compressing the time it takes to build, test, and scale companies. Amid the tech buzz, countless people are asking how to start a business. However, it’s important to note that while innovations may change the how of entrepreneurship, the why remains the same: to succeed, a business must solve a problem. I know this firsthand—because solving a problem, not starting a company, is exactly what led me to become an entrepreneur.
Start with the Problem, Not the Business Plan
A lot of people start a business because they want to become their own boss—and I understand the appeal, especially in a moment when so many people feel their stability has been pulled out from under them. But I think starting a business with the purpose of creating a job for yourself is the most challenging way to go about entrepreneurship. The reality is, as an entrepreneur, you don’t really have a job. You have a responsibility to a company, and that means you have many jobs.
I never aspired to own a business. I was supposed to become a lawyer, work hard, and make partner—that was the yellow brick road I’d set out for myself. Leaving the firm to start a company was never part of the plan. So what changed? I identified a consumer problem—one I found incredibly interesting—and I became determined to solve it.
Identifying a Problem Stars with Curiosity
When I first joined my law firm, and they asked what areas I did and didn’t want to work in, I was adamant: “I’ll do anything but healthcare.” And yet, that’s exactly where I ended up — pulled into the healthcare branch of the firm as it began heating up. So much for “anything but healthcare.” But not having the legacy of industry experience turned out to be a blessing, as I was able to look at the problems presented with fresh eyes.
Throughout my research, I heard a lot of “bad patient” stories from healthcare providers. Why didn’t they follow care instructions? Why didn’t they book the follow-up appointment? They couldn’t all be bad patients. So what was going wrong? I realized there was no clear process for patients to follow—it was a classic consumer pathway issue. The industry was not understanding the patient journey, and there was no infrastructure to help, intercept, or support the patient along the way. That was the problem I set out to solve when I started my healthcare navigation business.
The curiosity to unpack the why of a problem—to ask questions and look for the structural reason behind it—is something I return to again and again, in entrepreneurship and leadership alike. In fact, I’d argue that curiosity of that kind is the most important tool any entrepreneur can have. The business doesn’t start with seed funding or a business plan or commitments from angel investors. It starts with a problem that needs fixing, and the rest follows from there.
How to Start a Business in 2026? It’s Not That Different from 1999
The tools available to founders in 2026 are extraordinary. AI can compress timelines, automate workflows, and lower the cost of almost everything. However, it cannot tell you what problem people need solving—and that’s the key question at the heart of how to start a business, a testament to the human side of entrepreneurship that will never get lost. Find a problem that needs fixing—and then ask yourself, “Am I the right person to fix this problem?” If it’s a problem you find so compelling you can’t walk away from it, the answer is probably yes.
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