Gen Z may be launching businesses at a record pace, but many are struggling with one surprisingly simple thing: asking for help.
According to new LinkedIn research, 73% of Gen Z entrepreneurs say they’re hesitant to reach out for advice, networking, or professional support because they’re worried about bothering people, sounding awkward, or being judged.
Experts say that fear can come with a real cost. Only 11% of Gen Z job applications include an inside connection, even though those applications are nearly seven times more likely to lead to a hire. And it’s not that people don’t want to help. The survey found that 83% of Millennials, Gen Xers, and Boomers would offer advice to a stranger, and Gen Z is just as willing to do the same.
Catherine Fisher, LinkedIn VP and career expert, has some simple advice for overcoming the fear: Stop viewing it as a big ask and start viewing it as a conversation. “It can be as simple as commenting on someone’s work, asking a thoughtful question, or reaching out over something you have in common,” she says.