If you saw our post on Monday, you know that new business applications are surging again. The shutdown delayed U.S. Census Bureau data showed that applications for new business EINs jumped 7% from October to November, and are ๐๐ฝ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ฌ% ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ-๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ-๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ.
Thatโs big momentum heading into 2026! But beneath the surface, this spike might be telling a more complex story.
While some of these filings represent real new ventures, others may reflect restructurings, side hustles, or contingency plans – a hedge against an increasingly uncertain economic and employment backdrop.
๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐น ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ saw the largest spike in applications – just like we saw during the early pandemic. Back then, economic chaos pushed many to create new income streams. Today, it may be fear of AI disruptions, persistent layoffs, or tariff pressures thatโs nudging workers and would-be entrepreneurs toward self-reliance.
And thanks to new tools, starting a business has never been easier. Online filing platforms, influencer-led LLC tutorials, and AI-powered marketing make the process fast, cheap, and accessible. A small ecommerce business can be up and running in a month.
๐ก ๐พ๐ง๐ค๐จ๐จ๐ก๐๐จ๐ฉ๐จ ๐๐๐ ๐: ๐๐ค๐ฉ ๐
๐ช๐จ๐ฉ ๐ ๐๐ช๐ง๐๐, ๐๐ช๐ฉ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ก
At Crosslists, weโre tracking two major data shifts:
๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐: Yes, the volume is up. But itโs not just startups. It’s individuals future-proofing their income, turning skills into services, or testing product ideas while still employed.
๐๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐: Even more telling are the shifts in ownership, expansion moves, and go-to-market pivots we’re seeing in our Business Trigger data. These are real-time signals that something is happening inside a business, and often, they precede demand.
If you sell services, software, supplies, or support to small businesses – especially early-stage or solo-led companies – nowโs the moment to fine-tune your targeting.
โ ๐๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐
Do you see this trend as a sign of confidence – or caution?
๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ญ๐ข๐ด๐ต ๐๐ฉ๐ถ๐ณ๐ด๐ฅ๐ข๐บ ๐๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ง 2025, ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ต ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ค๐ฌ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ข ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ธ ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ ๐๐ฆ๐ก๐ต๐๐ณ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ถ๐ข๐ณ๐บ 8๐ต๐ฉ!
Postal innovation and collaboration across the industry are highlighted through organizations like the Mailers Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC): https://postalpro.usps.com/mtac