The pandemic has triggered a wave of entrepreneurship—at least in thought. Among Americans, two in five plan on starting a business in 2022, according to a Digital.com survey. And new business applications soared to 5.4 million in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, exceeding the previous record in 2020 of 4.4 million. The increase is 53 percent above the number of businesses created during the same period in 2019. For some new business owners, the journey to being self-employed began when their employers cut positions during the onset of the pandemic. “I started my business venture in March 2021 and officially launched in July 2021,” Shanay Walker, founder of luxe candle brand Obsidian: The Signature BLK, told The Epoch Times. “It has been one of the most rewarding journeys of my life.” Walker decided to shift after losing a position in Human Resources she had at her previous employer. Rather than …