There’s this website called Sweaty Startup which I chanced upon recently, and in this page he listed out the businesses he loves, businesses which are low tech and low competition, yet market is growing and costs are low to start. Great odds for winning.
Some examples he listed that I like:
- Pool / hot tub services
- Home office build out
- Smart home installation
- Solar panel installation
- Off premise bartending
- Speciality food trucks
- Slushy machine servicing (what?)
There’s a whole lot of utility services like plumbing, carpentry etc that he put in there too. These services are often overbooked, and any improvement in service and digitalisation will give you an edge.
I love the idea! Even though I breathe tech day in and day out for work, doing something that’s more hands-on, low tech and high touch was always something I daydreamed about. Being able to use my hands, get out and about, always felt like a nice counterbalance compared to all that screentime I have writing code and pushing pixels.
If I would go into a low tech, low competition business, what might it be? Some ideas that I play around with:
- Kintsugi repair of prized and precious pottery - I love this ancient Japanese art of repairing ceramics and pottery using gold. So much that I even went to Kyoto to apprentice for a month. Even though my practice of it kind of fell into oblivion since then, I still think about it. Perhaps one day this can be a low tech and low competition business to start here!
- Selling ice cream - I always loved ice cream and even though I’m now on keto, I still do love it, albeit the keto versions. I love the joy that ice cream represents, and its almost universal image as a happy memory to most people.
- Food truck - maybe I can combine this with the ice cream idea. Speciality food trucks will be fun - being able to move around and serve delicious treats to people feels like something that’s freeing yet fulfilling.
Of course, I’d never considered the business implications and challenges (especially with COVID right now). But one can dream right?
It all starts from daydreams…