Gen Z are now opening more businesses than Baby Boomers, according to new research by CommBank.
The business environment might be as harsh as ever right now, but it doesn’t seem to be dissuading the newest generation from entering the workforce.
But in these choppy economic waters, where a quarter of small businesses run the risk of insolvency, what’s driving them to start a business? Why not a stable desk job?
To find out what’s inspiring the next generation of entrepreneurs, Inside Small Business spoke to six of them. From hustle culture to passion projects to identity-driven enterprises, here’s what they had to say – and how their motivations might differ from the generations before them.
The rise of hustle culture
Gen Z’s entrance into the workforce coincided with the rise of hustle culture – the belief that relentless hard work, constant upskilling, and monetising your passions is the key to success. It’s a mindset popularised through social media and business podcasts, where energetic young hosts talk at 2x speed about side hustles, passive income, and large, impressive sums of money.
Bella Moro, founder of the dog shampoo brand MyCavoodle, is perhaps an example of this relentless ambition in action. Moro, a Gen Z entrepreneur, told ISB that she has always been ambitious.
“I always knew I wanted my own business, even at a young age,” she said. “I got a job really early and I was always quite motivated by money.”
Moro climbed the corporate ladder quickly, but found herself craving more autonomy.
“I realised I was always going to be capped to a certain number – my decisions would always be second to someone else’s,” she explained.
At the time, she was consuming a steady stream of business podcasts, like Small Business Big Marketing with Tim Reid. These shows, often seen as part of the hustle culture movement, inspired her to back herself and launch a brand of her own.
“My mindset has been sculpted and shaped basically around those kinds of podcasts,” she joked.
Moro started her brand at 24, and has built it to a million-dollar business in just three years. But she’s not the only business owner who started young – and very hungry. Over in North Sydney, James Baldock was just 18 when he decided to build a scalable tutoring business, Animo Tutoring.
“I was interested in building something that had a community around it and could run somewhat self-sufficiently,” he said.
Baldock is also the co-founder of Historia, a digital platform for preserving family stories and voices – a passion project sparked by personal experience. And, as if that wasn’t enough, the 24 year old balances both businesses while studying law.
Luckily, he’s able to live off the funds from his tutoring business, and reinvests Historia’s profit back into the business.
Passion over paychecks
Baldock’s business profile taps into another pattern among the Gen Z entrepreneurs interviewed: Most said passion was just as large a motivator as money when it came to starting a business.
“The most important thing for me has always been, and will always be, that my clients and the people that work for me are feeling good and are happy,” said Jack Gustafson, founder of Easy Stride, a disability support business.
Though Gustafson always recognised the financial benefits of business ownership – and now lives off the business full time – he thinks of it as more of a passion project than an enterprise. While he has plans to grow the venture to a stage where he can step back, his ultimate goal isn’t to kick his feet up, but to continue personally supporting his clients.
Paris Zarmairian, founder of Slice of Pie Supports, is similarly mission-driven. After being diagnosed with disabilities and having to advocate for herself, she saw a gap in support.
“The crux of why this business even exists is because I know what it’s like to be disabled,” she said. “It’s impossible to expect every single person to be an expert in their own disabilities.”
Now, Zarmairian helps others apply for the NDIS, navigate burnout, and access the right support – while also advocating nationally for the disabled community.
In this economy, you probably have to be passionate. No matter what the podcasters might promise, it can’t be easy starting a business right now.
Michael Black, founder of Success Tutoring, puts it plainly: “Entrepreneurship isn’t a vibe, it’s war,” he said. “You need thick skin, long-term focus, and a willingness to do the boring stuff no one sees.”
Black has built his tutoring business up into one of Australia’s top franchises. But, like Zarmairian and Gustafson, he says his core motivation is impact.
“My motivation came from wanting to build something bigger than tutoring sessions – I wanted to motivate, inspire and uplift students.”
Business, but make it personal
Beyond hustle and passion, one theme came up again and again: identity.
Many Gen Z founders told ISB that their business was inseparable from their personal story.
For Ginan Tabbouch, founder of GTAB Parfum, it was her experience growing up Arab-Brazilian in Western Sydney that shaped her mission.
Tabbouch faced domestic violence, racism, and drug abuse in her youth – and has channelled that into a wellness-focused fragrance business rooted in healing.
“I want to bring products that heal and tell stories,” she said. “What I went through… that really was the motivation and the drive. I’d rather bed-rot than just be a money-making machine.”
Jack Gustafson also thinks his generation places more emphasis on identity when doing business.
“[Gen Z] makes more of an attempt to create a deeper relationship with people, rather than just going, ‘we don’t care who you are, just get it done’,” he said. “We actually do care who you are. We take into consideration the way someone might like to be spoken to or about… things like pronouns, for instance.”
Paris Zarmairian believes this personal, expressive approach is even shifting the idea of what it means to be ‘professional’. For instance, she prioritises self-expression and ‘warmth’ in her workwear, rather than neutrality or traditional ideas of business dress.
“The current idea of what it means to be professional is to dress a certain way, go into an office, restrict your language,” said Zarmairian. “The idea is that you’re not letting bias get in the way or anything. But Gen Z has really redefined what it means to be professional.”
So… why are young people starting businesses?
Predictably, there’s no one reason. While Gen Z is entering a workforce shaped by hustle culture, they’re also starting businesses to heal, express themselves, and help others.
In a volatile economy, that kind of clarity and conviction may be exactly what’s needed.
