While it is technically impossible to accidentally start a company, it is quite possible to accindentally find oneself in a position where starting a company seems like the best realistic option, which I imagine is what the title was hinting at.
Like my girlfriend, within a relatively short time frame she lost her job, got turned town at the last minute for this other job she had been promised and then met a guy who also was thinking about starting a company and who not only shared the same professional interests she did, but had a complementing skill set. All of these where unplanned circumstances which all accumulated in her starting a company.
I know what you mean. Someone could invent something for themselves, then make a few more for friends and family that want it, and so one until they have realized a business. Then you might consciously decide to incorporate or otherwise take it to the next level.
Still, I don't like how the author made it seem like the people in the article won the lottery or something. They made the decision to make the best of their situation, instead of just stumbling into something new.
Like my girlfriend, within a relatively short time frame she lost her job, got turned town at the last minute for this other job she had been promised and then met a guy who also was thinking about starting a company and who not only shared the same professional interests she did, but had a complementing skill set. All of these where unplanned circumstances which all accumulated in her starting a company.