Boring, simple, profitable

The best kind of online business

Author

Ian H
September 23, 2024

When I studied entrepreneurship in college, innovation was highly valued. I was encouraged to think big. To come up with “blue ocean” business ideas that had a massive potential market, and no competition.

The entrepreneurship department often held business idea competitions. The most unique and innovative ideas always won. If you entered the competition with, say, an idea for a local lawn care business, you’d be laughed at.

And, that’s okay. Innovation should be encouraged.

But something I came to realize after I graduated is that when you’re looking for that fabled blue ocean idea, you miss the endless ponds and lakes that surround you.

Good opportunities abound when we stop trying to find the opportunity of a lifetime.

Ever since that epiphany, I’ve realized there are millions of good online business ideas that are simple, relatively easy, and extremely profitable. Most of them are pretty “boring” as well.

I’ll give you some examples from my own experience.

  1. I once made a faceless YouTube video about how to sign up for a particular business service. I included my affiliate link in the description. That video earned me $1,500 in affiliate commissions with just 1,500 views. That’s $1 per view. Crazy.

  2. I used to run a website where I reviewed various apps. One review that took me 2 hours to write went on to generate about $20,000 in affiliate and ad revenue.

  3. In this newsletter you’re reading, I charge $500 to publish a full sponsored email for an SEO/marketing-related product or service. I’ve had several clients (who had good ROI, by the way 😉).

I’ve dabbled in many online businesses. Most failed, but I’ve had a few small successes. I’d like to continue building these simple, boring, profitable businesses until I find one (or several) that stick.

And I plan to share my journey and ideas in this newsletter. The most well-received emails are the ones where I share fascinating online business ideas, so there are plenty more of those to come.

I’ll end this email by sharing a few of my favorite boring, simple, profitable online business ideas:

  1. Faceless YouTube channels - specifically software tutorials or reviews, where you only show what’s on your screen. Easy to make, easy to edit, endless niches and video topics, can be highly profitable, and you can remain 100% anonymous.

  2. Rank and rent - build simple, static, 5-page websites in boring local service niches, rent them out to local service providers, and profit. Takes no more than a couple hours to build these sites, and they can start ranking and generating real leads in a matter of months. Some people have portfolios of these sites bringing $50K, $100K, or more per month.

  3. Job boards - build one for a specific area, or a specific niche. Monetize either through paid listings or paid access (for job seekers to see all jobs OR companies to find qualified job seekers). Better yet, help companies recruit talent and earn a percentage of first year’s base salary. Usually a tough business, but it doesn’t have to be (hint: follow the example of Rails Devs).

  4. Directories - either local, or niche-specific (or both, like “contractors in Denver” - shoutout to Tim Stoddart). Charge companies for listings or leads generated.

Do these business ideas get the wheels turning in your head like they do for me? If you have time to work on a side hustle, don’t just think about it endlessly. Actually start. Tonight!

If you have a preference, what topic would you like to see more of from me (including, potentially, a follow-along case study build)?

What topic do you want to see more of?

This could influence future emails - or not, if there are no clear winners lol. And don't worry, I'll still write plenty about niche sites, SEO, Google updates, the usual.

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Thanks for reading!

Ian

P.S. If this is the first you’ve heard from me and you’re wondering how you’re on the list, it’s because you downloaded one of my products on Gumroad. If this ain’t your thing, feel free to unsubscribe. No hard feelings!

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