These are all businesses and markets that I love. The competition is weak. The market is growing. The costs and risks are low. The odds are good. You can analyze the market and make accurate decisions on where there is opportunity to thrive. You can win.

Start small. Start low skilled and low risk if you don’t have any capital or experience. As the opportunities grow and you get momentum your business can evolve. If you have capital and are willing to invest the time and money you can find very profitable niche services. The more specialized you can get the better the margins and the better the chances of success.

These are not commodities. You can always add more value and avoid competing on price and racing to the bottom. There will always be customers willing to pay a premium for better and faster services. The biggest gap in most of these industries is speed. Service providers are overloaded so they are booked out 1-2 weeks. They have more business than they can handle. If you can deliver a consistent service tomorrow you can charge 50%-100% more.

If you have a tech background or can apply basic tech you have a huge competitive advantage in these spaces. The companies that currently dominate don’t have the tech to get you quick quotes. They don’t have the tech to manage employees or schedules or billing.

Interested in getting started? Here is my take on an analytical approach to starting a low risk business. Don’t forget a market analysis. Have a job? Get started while working. Here are some low cost tools you can use to get started.

This list will be growing and changing and evolving. Check out the businesses I hate here.

Home services:

Vehicle Services

Mobile oil change

Mobile tire sales/service

Mobile glass repair

Mobile mechanic

Mobile dent repair (paintless)

Mobile decal and wrap services

Locksmith

Event/Seasonal services:

Off premise bartending

Catering

Specialty food trucks (keep it simple and very fast)

Event DJ

Event management

Photography

Videography (wedding or corporate)

Photo booth rental

Porta Potty rental

Tents/Party rental

On demand cleanup crews

On demand junk removal / hauling

Casino tables and dealer rentals for events

Entertainment:

Hunting guides

Hiking tours

Biking tours

Event management

Party rentals

Personal care:

Mobile haircuts

Mobile makeup

Mobile hair styling

Mobile massage

Mobile Pedicure / Nails

Training / Coaching / Consulting

Hunting dog training

Domestic pet training

Special needs pet training

High end athletic coaching / training

Remote athletic coaching

College acceptance consultation

Credit repair consulting

Personal style consulting

Trades/construction:

Electrical

Plumbing

Carpenter

General Contractor

Heating and air HVAC

Civil engineering

Structural engineering

Architecture

Asphalt / Concrete

Door/Window installation

Painting

Bridge Painting

Masonry

Carpet/Flooring installation/refinishing

Ceramic Tile installation

Fence installation

Auger Boring

Surveying

Septic tank install and service

Insulation installing (spray and standard)

Elevator installation and service

Asbestos removal

Welding

Warehouse storage rack installation

Roofing

Siding

Epoxy flooring / counter tops

Fire sprinkler system installer / detector installation

Excavation

Equipment operation

Pipe fitting

Business Services

Videography

Drone Pilot

Customer service

Bookkeeping

Mobile Headshots

Cleaning

Bartending/Catering

Mobile fencing for festivals or construction sites

Porta potty rentals

Dumpster rental services

Junk removal

Training video creation

Liquidation services

Furniture building (dorm, office, hospital, hotel, etc)

Slushy machine servicing

Parking lot power cleaning

Real estate transactions:

Retail / Hospitality

Simple and efficient food trucks

Mobile retail pop ups

Mobile brick and mortar (any brick and mortar business, except mobile)

Linen washing

Beer line cleaning / keg tap services

Deep cleaning restaurants

Niche carpentry:

Building gun safes into walls

Closet build out

Home bar building

Egress window framing/installation

Home office build out

Wine cellar building

Sauna Building

Steam shower installation

Hidden safes and secret entry construction

Cubical building

Patio building

Fence building

Dock building

Fireplace building

Cistern / water gatherer installation

Home sound room or studio build

Home stairlift installation

Urban farming systems

Custom beekeeping builds

Murphy bed building/installation (NYC)

Have your own concept you are interested in exploring? Email me and I’ll feature an analysis on my podcast.

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