Drawing upon the self-determination theory, we develop a two-stage multi-path mediation model in which psychological autonomy mediates the relationship between active engagement in entrepreneurship and well-being partially through its effect on psychological competence and relatedness. We test this model on a representative sample of 1837 working individuals (251 early-stage entrepreneurs) from Sweden. We find active engagement in entrepreneurial work tasks to be strongly associated with well-being relative to non-entrepreneurial work. Thus, we highlight the importance of individual self-organization—with autonomy at its core—which makes entrepreneurial work more beneficial in terms of basic psychological needs compared to other work alternatives. •We examine variations in well-being and basic psychological needs between entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurial employees.•We draw on a unique and representative data sample, originates from the 2011 Swedish Global Entrepreneurship Monitor.•Our analysis clearly shows that well-being is strongly and positively associated with entrepreneurial task engagements.•Our theorizing demonstrates the positive contribution of entrepreneurship to basic psychological needs and well-being.