Did you know boring businesses can be a great source of recurring revenue? We’ve selected 17 boring businesses that could bring in serious cash. At the risk of sounding cliche, you’ll be amazed by how much number five makes!
In this post, we’ll discuss an array of boring business ideas and explain how to start or buy them. We’ll also provide some general tips on what to look for when investing in boring businesses. By the time you finish reading, you’ll know which boring business is right for you, and how to make it profitable.
What are boring businesses?
The term “boring business” has become popular because of Codie Sanchez, the owner of business education service Contrarian Thinking. A major part of her wealth-building strategy is buying boring businesses.
A boring business is defined by four characteristics:
- Stale: There is little to no disruptive innovation opportunity in the business model, which means you can implement best practices and let the business run with minimal participation.
- Old: An old business is at least five years old. Generally, the older the small business is, the more likely it is to remain successful.
- Weak: Companies in industries with less competition or lots of dissatisfied customers tend to find it easier to stand out from the pack by simply improving customer service.
- Simple: You want a small business model that is easy to understand, doesn’t require research and development costs, and has clear opportunities to improve service or technology to improve profit margins. Simply implementing software like Service Titan can make a huge difference.
You might hear this boring business framework called SOWS for short.
Recurring Revenue Is the Key
You’re looking for companies that have steady demand, slight revenue growth, and make enough money to create a return on investment. These businesses don’t normally use cutting-edge technologies, but implementing tech can increase productivity and reduce costs.
Take a minute to think about great businesses that are a bit behind modern life. Could you improve it?
17 Best Boring Businesses to Buy
The industries in this list aren’t the sexiest, but they offer essential services and make a steady income with recurring revenue. Steady income means there aren’t huge fluctuations in cash flow; recurring revenue is achieved by having customers return regularly.
Many have low startup costs and can serve as passive income streams.
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#1. Laundromats
• Average Annual Revenue: $330,000
• Average Profit Margins: 22.20%
• Startup Cost: $350,000
• Time to Revenue: 9 months
• Annual Market Growth Rate: 0.2%
• Market Size: $6.6 Billion
• Best For: Customer service pros with high attention to detail
Sixteen percent of American households do their laundry at laundromats. Laundromats play a vital role in a community, but many don’t keep up with regular maintenance or add services aimed at fulfilling the needs of their customers.
These small businesses provide a steady income because Americans do an average of eight loads of laundry per week, and laundromats charge $2 to $4 per load.
Want to find success in this field? Find out how Dave Menz has turned this boring business into financial stability with over $1.8M in revenue and 50% margins.
Want even more information about laundromats? Check out Dave’s “Acquire Your First Laundromat” program. You’ll get access to over 66 videos and eight downloads. It’s free when you join UpFlip Academy.
#2. Car Washes
• Average Annual Revenue: $272,000
• Average Profit Margins: 16.10%
• Startup Cost: $267,500
• Time to Revenue: 8 months
• Annual Market Growth Rate: 2.1%
• Market Size: $17.3 Billion
• Best For: Car enthusiasts and detail-oriented entrepreneurs
A car wash is another boring business with heavy cash flow.
With a quick online search, you can find lots of car washes for sale. Sometimes, you can find them for as low as the cost of the land. From there, you can increase cash flow with simple fixes like adding automation, cashless payments, or even leasing extra space to other businesses.
You’ll also be able to use the land to secure capital through small business loans and grow your business empire faster.
Want to know more about this boring business? Check out our interview with John D’Eri, who started a car wash to provide people with autism jobs. It’s making nearly $6M per year with over 20% profit margins.
#3. Vending Machine Businesses
• Average Annual Revenue: $484,000
• Average Profit Margins: 4.6%
• Startup Cost: $2,250
• Time to Revenue: 6 weeks
• Annual Market Growth Rate: 0.2%
• Market Size: $8.6 Billion
• Best For: Organized entrepreneurs who like driving, people who want a semi-passive business
Automated vending has a small growth rate and average profit margins. But it’s one of those business opportunities that combines low startup costs with good cash flow, and it gets more profitable as you add more machines to a route.
Just ask vending machine business owner Adam Hill, who makes $700K per year working just two days per week.
Did you enjoy the video? Check out our vending machine business program to learn how to make a great living working just two days per week.
#4. ATMs
• Average Annual Revenue: $30,000
• Average Profit Margins: 30%
• Startup Cost: $10K
• Time to Revenue: 3 months
• Annual Market Growth Rate: 4%
• Market Size: $36.97 Billion
• Best For: Organized entrepreneurs who like driving, people who want a semi-passive business
Another boring business you can start is placing ATMs in commercial spaces. Many businesses need ATMs but don’t want to manage them. You’ll make $2 to $5 per transaction, and potentially even more in high-demand areas, like Vegas casinos.
You can manage the services or turn the revenue into 100% passive income by using services like ATM Together, which help (or completely) set up your business.
There are even specialized ATMs like Bitcoin ATMs or Coinstar machines.
#5. Franchises
• Average Annual Revenue: $1,067,660
• Average Profit Margins: Varies by industries
• Startup Cost: $275,000
• Time to Revenue: 18 months
• Annual Market Growth Rate: Varies by industry
• Market Size: $860 Billion
• Best For: People who want to skip the trial-and-error phase of small businesses
Companies offer franchising opportunities that make it easy to start making money as a business owner.
Over 10% of companies are franchises, and franchises account for 3% of GDP. The McDonald’s down the street, for instance, is likely a franchise, meaning it’s owned and run by an independent franchisee with the company’s permission.
Franchises are boring businesses because the business model’s success has already been proven…and you can use existing intellectual property and processes in day-to-day operations to make a great living.
If you’re ready to buy a small business, check out our blog on the best franchises to own.
Want to know what it’s like to own a franchise? Find out from Brandon Vaughn, who started Wise Coatings and makes more than $500K per month today.
Hear more from Brandon in our free program about how to start a business.
#6. Rental Properties
• Average Annual Revenue: $94,000,000
• Average Profit Margins: 22.30%
• Startup Cost: $10K
• Time to Revenue: 9 months
• Annual Market Growth Rate: 1.3%
• Market Size: $249.4 Billion
• Best For: Real estate professionals and people who want recurring revenue from appreciating assets.
Real estate ownership is the number one driver of wealth for most American households. In fact, second homes contribute to wealth creation in 4% to 6% of the population. That makes rental properties a great way to earn more money and develop a steady stream of recurring revenue.
Two particularly successful rental property management strategies include opening Airbnb rentals and buying and leasing quadplexes.
Find out how to turn real estate rentals into a $3M per year business below:
#7. Handyman Services
• Average Annual Revenue: $635,000
• Average Profit Margins: 5.4%
• Startup Cost: $3.5K
• Time to Revenue: 2 months
• Annual Market Growth Rate: 0.7%
• Market Size: $264.7 Billion
• Best For: Construction and repair pros, creative problem solvers, outgoing and hands-on entrepreneurs
Providing home maintenance can be a very consistent way to earn money because you’re providing an essential service. It’s also one of the few small businesses in the construction industry that doesn’t require a contractor’s license.
Learn how to start a home maintenance service company from a handyman making $250K per year with just two trucks.
#8. Office Supplies
• Average Annual Revenue: $1,940,000
• Average Profit Margins: 0.9%
• Startup Cost: $5K
• Time to Revenue: 3 months
• Annual Market Growth Rate: -2.3%
• Best For: Organized entrepreneurs who like driving, people who want a semi-passive business
The office supply industry can be risky to invest money in because there is declining demand for many of the products they offer. But there are plenty of ways to get customers, especially if you run an online business.
You can make a steady stream from eCommerce if you offer business supplies with a dropshipping business model. If you have a physical location, you can include services-based offerings, like graphic design, printing, and shipping.
#9. Bookkeeping
• Average Annual Revenue: $215,000
• Average Profit Margins: 14.2%
• Startup Cost: $3,000
• Time to Revenue: 13 months
• Annual Market Growth Rate: 3.6%
• Market Size: $70 Billion
• Best For: CPAs, finance experts, entrepreneurs with strong math skills
One of the most boring businesses you can conceive of is an accounting or bookkeeping business.
There’s a high demand for these services because 33 million small businesses and 124 million U.S. households need tax advice and other services. You can increase your success by specializing in niche areas, like eCommerce accounting.
Of course, accountants and bookkeepers require specialized education.
#10. Storage Units
• Average Annual Revenue: $136,000
• Average Profit Margins: 35.9%
• Startup Cost: $300,000
• Time to Revenue: 18 months
• Annual Market Growth Rate: 1.7%
• Market Size: $23.1 Billion
• Best For: Commercial landowners, remote workers, and people who like having spare time during their day job
When you invest in storage space, most of the cost will be the purchase of the building and any upgrades you do. Many businesses in this industry can be turned into almost entirely passive income sources by adding keypads, automated locks, and online booking.
#11. Landscaping Companies
• Average Annual Revenue: $232,000
• Average Profit Margins: 8.7%
• Startup Cost: $30,000
• Time to Revenue: 9 months
• Annual Market Growth Rate: 3.1%
• Market Size: $153.4 Billion
• Best For: Gardeners, landscape designers, people who love hands-on, outdoor work
There’s constant demand in this growing market, and there’s also great opportunity.
Most landscaping companies lose 8% to 10% of their customers each year, and their biggest challenge is when people aren’t happy with their services. That makes the industry ripe for businesses that focus on offering clients great customer service. If you can automate the business processes, your revenue could increase even more.
Trevor Kokenge started Plan-IT Vision with $300 and is making over $29K per month. He does lawn mowing, tree trimming, and other routine tasks, plus construction work for property owners.
#12. Cleaning Companies
• Average Annual Revenue: $53,000
• Average Profit Margins: 6.6%
• Startup Cost: $3,500
• Time to Revenue: 6 weeks
• Annual Market Growth Rate: 2.4%
• Market Size: $18.8 Billion
• Best For: Friendly professionals with an attention to detail
This boring business idea is in high demand. You can clean homes on a one-time or routine basis, and people pay good money for it.
Before you invest in a cleaning business, review our resources for cleaning businesses that we created with Chris Mondragon. He’s a featured speaker at housecleaning conventions and runs a multi-million-dollar house- and Airbnb-cleaning service.
We even have a cleaning business program that promises to help you earn $10K and comes with a 90-day refund policy.
#13. Parking Lot Management
• Average Annual Revenue: $1,500,000
• Average Profit Margins: 10%
• Startup Cost: $125,000
• Time to Revenue: 6 months
• Annual Market Growth Rate: 1.5%
• Market Size: $9.4 Billion
• Best For: Landowners in high-traffic areas
Owning parking lots is perfect for people who want to run an automated business or sit outside all day at work.
Many businesses in this industry have lots of land in high-demand areas, like downtown in major cities. They charge by the hour and make money accepting cash and credit cards, so no one is required to be on site.
Parking lot owners often have relationships with the local government so law enforcement tickets people who don’t pay to use their parking spaces.
#14. Dry Cleaning
• Average Annual Revenue: $333,000
• Average Profit Margins: 6.8%
• Startup Cost: $200,000
• Time to Revenue: 4.5 months
• Annual Market Growth Rate: 1.7%
• Market Size: $8.3 Billion
• Best For: Customer service pros with high attention to detail
Dry cleaning can be decent money, but the industry is in decline with the rise of work-from-home jobs. That just means you have opportunities to buy businesses at a discount.
Many of the dry cleaners for sale online are asking for less than two times the annual cash flow. If you buy them using seller financing with 20% of the money down, you could buy a dry cleaner for as little as $20K now and pay it off over time.
For more on seller financing, check out our guide to buying businesses with little to no money.
You may have difficulty getting loans from traditional lenders when considering this investment because of the industry decline.
#15. Pre-Made Meals
• Average Annual Revenue: $25,000
• Average Profit Margins: 5.1%
• Startup Cost: $15,000
• Time to Revenue: 9 months
• Annual Market Growth Rate: 2.4%
• Market Size: $8.7 Billion
• Best For: People who love cooking
Providing customers with pre-proportioned meals is boring because it consists of primarily repetitive tasks and has a low profit margin.
A small business in this industry makes money by cooking food in bulk and breaking it into individual meals. Its clients are mostly busy professionals who want to eat healthier and don’t have time to do their own meal prep.
People can pay by the meal and may get a discount if they return the reusable packaging.
#16. Electrical Systems Repair Business
• Average Annual Revenue: $978,000
• Average Profit Margins: 6.2%
• Startup Cost: $27,500
• Time to Revenue: 9 months
• Annual Market Growth Rate: 1.5%
• Market Size: $233.4 Billion
• Best For: Journeymen electricians
Starting an electrical services business isn’t a sexy job, but the business has tremendous profit potential. Business operations consist of installing and repairing essential services like transformers, lighting, electrical panels, and air conditioning units.
Find out how Joel Walsman started Jefferson Electric. He makes millions annually installing solar systems on residential and commercial properties.
You might also consider other local businesses like pest control services, plumbing services, and HVAC services.
#17. Waste Management
• Average Annual Revenue: $17,000,000
• Average Profit Margins: 7%
• Startup Cost: $150,000
• Time to Revenue: 11 months
• Annual Market Growth Rate: 1%
• Market Size: $25.1 Billion
• Best For: Customer service pros with high attention to detail
Waste management companies remove junk from sites and take it to the dump. Society’s reliance on them is here to stay.
When you buy a waste removal business, you’ll want one with employees already if you’d like it to be a passive income source. Otherwise, you’ll have to work in the business until the hiring systems, insurance, and payroll are in place.
Learn how Kyle Landwehr started his junk hauling business and turned it into a $3M per year business.
Next, let’s look at how to buy a business with little money and convert it into a steady stream of revenue.
How to Buy a Boring Business
You can buy many small businesses with less capital than it takes to start a new business, but you’ll need to go through a defined process before you invest. We suggest the following process for buying businesses:
- Work with business brokers.
- Identify your goals.
- Find the right business for sale.
- Value the business.
- Negotiate the deal.
- Close the deal and transition into ownership.
You’ll specifically want to master securing seller financing to achieve the most success when pursuing boring businesses for sale. Again, you can learn about the process in our blog about how to buy a business without money.
Getting a loan is also an option. Find out if you qualify for up to a $50,000 loan with Borrow Nation.
Now let’s look at a list of property management businesses that can help you make a great living.
Property Management Businesses
Real estate and property management businesses are boring businesses that lots of people look to for investment opportunities. Whether you’re just getting started in the real estate investment world or have years in the space, you can make a great living.
You’ll earn cash flow, at least, but you may also earn additional funds from appreciation of assets when you sell them. Check out the list of real estate businesses I love:
- Airbnb rentals
- Apartment buildings
- Farmland
- Mailbox centers
- Mobile home parks
- Property management and repair companies
- Quadplexes
- Rental arbitrage
- RV parks
- Storage space rentals
- Tiny home rentals
The best thing about these boring businesses is you can manage your entire investment portfolio from a single platform and website, which makes it easier to manage multiple businesses as the demand grows.
‘Mirror, mirror on the wall, what’s the most boring business of them all?’
The Boring Company is the most boring business in all the world. Seriously!
Maybe not the take on “boring” you expected, but Elon Musk started The Boring Company because he was tired of dealing with traffic.
The Boring Company uses boring machines called Prufrocks to bore tunnels at a rate of one mile per week, but they aim to eventually bore seven times faster than that. The tunnels are used to transport passengers around the Las Vegas Convention Center and to Resorts World in Tesla vehicles. There are other tunnels in the works.
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Start Your Own Business
The world is full of opportunities with lots of demand and not a lot of competition. It’s up to you to find the boring businesses that work for your portfolio.
What boring businesses do you find the most appealing for your investment strategy?
