U.S. Business Applications Top 3 Million in First Half of 2026, Up 16.5% From Prior Year

Americans filed more than 3 million applications to start businesses in the first six months of 2026, up 16.5% from the same period a year earlier, according to US Census Bureau data reported by Business Insider. Business Insider spoke with four founders who described how they built their companies after earlier ventures or personal frustrations.

Bobbi Brown left her namesake beauty brand in 2016 and founded Jones Road Beauty in 2020.

She said the company expanded its Miracle Balm line after receiving feedback from customers in stores, by email, and through direct messages. "I don't want to be like other makeup brands. I never did," Brown told Business Insider.

David Barnett launched PopSockets from his garage in Boulder, Colorado, in 2014 after gluing shirt buttons to the back of his phone. The company has sold more than 300 million phone grips in 200 countries. Barnett said entrepreneurs should focus on small daily problems rather than ambitious visions.

"Don't think you're Elon Musk," he told Business Insider. " Ben Goodwin launched an earlier probiotic soda in his twenties that failed before starting Olipop in 2018. The brand reached $1 million in sales in 2019 by marketing itself as regular soda rather than a health product.

He described the first failure as useful preparation that made the second effort more disciplined. Jacqueline Prehogan cofounded Open Farm in 2014 with her husband after struggling to find ethically sourced pet food. She said the company built its operations around a clear mission from the start.