What if everyone had to start a company at 18?

Here’s a thought experiment: every citizen automatically registers a business when they turn 18. It’s a sole proprietorship, seeded with capital taken as a loan from their future pension. If they later dissolve the business, that capital must be repaid through salary deductions.

The idea isn’t to glorify capitalism but to force economic literacy. Schools would teach business management, taxation, and finance so young adults actually understand how value is created and lost. Success would mean building something that lasts; failure would mean paying for your mistakes. Literally.

The goal is to raise a society that sees itself as a cooperative system of self-owned entities, not as dependents asking, “why don't I have more/as much as everyone else?” Pain teaches responsibility; ownership teaches respect for risk.

Would this kind of enforced entrepreneurship create resilience and innovation, or just widespread burnout and inequality? I’d like to hear perspectives from economists on feasibility, incentives, and unintended consequences.