If you're an entrepreneur currently running a business, then you've probably dealt with a shifting economy thanks to the pandemic and the economic recession. The market landscape is changing in 2021 and 2022, and this list of trends can help you stay ahead of the curve. Here are the six most significant entrepreneurial trends moving into the next two years.

Business from home

Working from home has become the norm for many employees, and as businesses continue to operate remotely, tools like virtual mailboxes have soared in popularity. Companies like iPostal1 provide secure and full-service mailbox services to clients who have yet to return to the office. The virtual mailbox uploads a scan of your mail to an online portal, as well as shredding or forwarding any items according to your wishes.

This remote work trend impacts more than the digital realm or the Internet of Things (IoT). It also extends to purchases of physical goods. Experts predict a tidal wave of revenge shopping to occur soon as supply chains continue to stabilize, meaning it will be more important than ever to protect deliveries from thieves.

Web apps that don't require coding skills

Many businesses use low-code or no-code web apps to establish business websites or mobile interfaces without advanced technical knowledge. With these apps, you don't need to know any programming languages, and many of them come fully loaded with suggestions to help your pages achieve the best search engine optimization (SEO).

Using these apps, you can build websites, blogs, marketplaces, and even some types of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications.

Automation

Investing in automation strategies can cut down on time and labor costs while helping you increase sales. Use automation techniques to monitor your sales funnel to ensure you take advantage of all leads within your grasp.

Automation also includes using chatbots when communicating with customers, so your human customer service associates can focus on more complex customer issues. Employing automation, you can also collect a wide array of data to help you make decisions about advertising and marketing or otherwise reach your target audience more efficiently.

 

Unconventional financing

Unconventional financing refers to raising capital through non-traditional sources, and this trend will continue well into the future. Crowdfunding, non-traditional investors, and blockchain technology continue to develop and expand to meet the ever-changing needs of today's digitally-inclined entrepreneurs.

Sustainability

Sustainable business practices are an ongoing concern for many industries, but the pandemic has increased the emphasis on this value. Each company will need to retool themselves to stay profitable or sustainable while still serving a meaningful purpose to the market.

Maintaining sustainability might mean rethinking operations in general or considering the environmental impact of your business or how your products are applied.

Sustainability applies to both economical and environmental factors in the eco-conscious market of 2021.

Local over global

Since the pandemic disrupted various supply chains and impacted many industries, there was a massive shift of thinking locally over globally. In practice, this switch meant more local manufacturing and selling hyper-locally, which insulated some entrepreneurs from costly delays due to supply chain delays and product scarcity.

Final thoughts

Entrepreneurship trends provide valuable insights into what businesses can expect in the upcoming year. Sustainability, unconventional financing, and automation are just a few things on this list that won't be going anywhere heading into 2022.