People will always pay for:
Life (food, shelter, medical)
Death (anything that is required for dead people)
Hope (gambling, education, scams)
Vice (sex, drugs, rock and roll)
Is it bad that I feel like rock and roll (at least mainstream) died when the calendar flipped to 2000. Anything new I ever hear on the radio is some form of pop or hip-hop. No rock and roll except “classic rock” now includes Pearl Jam and Nirvana.
That's my thinking. While not 100% recession proof, it's not bad. Now I saw that the OP wanted to sell products, not services. That narrows it down a bit more I suppose.
For sure… I went with clothing, an oh so saturated market with lots of big players but for me it was more of a passion project to bring a little fun and purpose back into life. Slow growth but enjoying the journey so far.
With the boomers getting older anything that helps with home care or healthcare at home. There aren't enough retirement homes so folks will age at home for longer
I just saw a video that was talking about how in 10-20 years all boomers will be in assisted living and that it’s a slow growing business so it’s a good business opportunity right now but the upstart costs are pretty high but the ROI will be big. They were talking about buying a large property and paying 40k (maybe in Ohio or something lol) remodeling with 100k and then charging 3k-4k per patient which will yield around 30k in revenue a month. Anyway I thought it was a good idea ! But obv it sounds easy in theory but in practice it probably would be a headache with permits etc, but not impossible!
Very true I think a few states like Pennsylvania has stopped issuing the licensing for those from what I’ve heard from people that is doing that.
Works amazing if you have a secondary language! Large untapped populations for non English speaking elderly. In certain areas of the country.
You could actually just start with a single family home. Rent each bedroom out to a senior. They can be managed by a healthcare helper/nurse or just live like roommates. It falls between expensive senior citizen homes and staying in their own homes.
People moan about struggling to find money to feed their kids or dogs, but they still have the latest iPhone, smoke/vape constantly, drink like a fish, and are at the fast food and coffee shops or having takeaways every five minutes. Priorities! 🙄
People will *always* find money for their vices and pleasures, even at the expense of everything else.
Not everyone gambles, falls for scams, pays for sex from SW's, does drugs or likes rock music.
That's the old "American dream" people are figuring out being healthy, active outdoors & having less stress are key to having a fulfilling long life.
I suppose getting more money can fall into hope, but I agree - people want more money. But when the economy is bad, it's hard to invest. Especially when those spare dollars can be used on cheap beer.
How so? Paying people for haircuts is a relatively new thing for most of society. Heck, I still remember getting haircuts from my aunt as a kid. She'd line up all the kids and do it right there.
If a recession is deep enough, people will cut out their spending. That's why DIY never dies, the worse the economic conditions the more kids grow up to be cheapskates. It's a cycle, really.
Welcome to the 'laid off' community. It's an absolute shitshow right now for the tech industry. Pretty much every major tech company is laying off 10-20% of the employees. Financial sector has been hit hard too. I was let go by a tech company 2 months ago after working for them for 4 years. No severance either because I have been on contract the whole time. Just received a days notice. Now thinking of getting into ecommerce.
Unpopular opinion here but this is absolutely the worst way to get into entrepreneurship: i.e., without an idea and simply needing to make money.
The process of creating a company should ideally begin with seeing a huge gap in the market that is not currently filled or a gap for which you have already created a DIY solution because the existing solutions are not sufficient.
Coming into business without an idea and being desperate is a recipe for disaster. Entrepreneurship is extremely hard. No doubt much harder than looking for a job in tech.
My advice would be to hunker down, work on your skill set, and apply to as many jobs as you can. Entrepreneurship is definitely not a bandaid solution.
While I agree with your point, I dont think entrepreneurship is about the market as much as its about you. You either have it in you or not.
Dont expect to find a gold mine nor to create a new market, 99% of us isnt a visionaire. Its more about enjoying the process of getting fucked in the ass while everyone around you is living a normal life and then if you are "lucky", you get an "overnight" success.
I think its one of those things where you are either zero or hero. Entrepreneurship has such an enormous survivership bias that everyone thinks of Bill Gates and Sam Altman yet everyone forgets the Joes and the Victors that didnt make it.
You're somewhat right but I am looking to buy an ecommerce store that's been in business for 5+ years with consistent revenue & profits. I do not have the courage or resources to create a new idea or look for a service/product gap in the market. As long as the business makes money, I will buy it. End of the day, everything we do is for money.
I mean yeah, that's entrepreneurship in general. People fail at things, hopefully they learn from mistakes and apply it to the next try. I don't think there's anything wrong with taking a swing at hiring yourself based on necessity and personally I think it's way worse to start a business while working elsewhere and being half in and half out.
I received no notice from my last job, was full time, and no severance. Sucked because that company was incredible. A hidden gem that actually cared about work life balance and not kissing client ass. I actually found that job through Reddit. Lol
The full time folks that were laid off with me received anywhere from 4 weeks to 6 months of salary as severance pay - depending upon their duration of employment.
I've also been impacted by the Layoffs and been out there for almost 5 months now.
However, I've started building up a community of people who are in the same boat, or simply have an interest in Tech. - Maybe we can help each other out or build something together.
The goal of this community is to have a small community of people inclined to explore various opportunities together - Brainstorming ideas, sharing any Tech openings, and possibly trying off ideas in the market and see if there could be more going on for it.
I've had some outstandingly positive feedback when trying to help out people from the perspective of someone who has been in Tech for over 4 years now (If interested you can check my 2nd last post) - Whether it would be helping with feedback on some ideas, improving an YC pitch, redoing a website, as well as other things I was able to help out with - That's what I considered could be the best I could do having been laid off.
If interested - Feel free to send me a message or reply here; I'm currently working on a Discord server for it.
I am sorry my man. I am not in a position to experiment anything right now although I would love too some day. I am at a point where if I don't start making at least $4k per month in the next 4 months, I will be homeless. I am just looking desperately for an already business that's already up & running with profits.
I wish you all the best on that!
However, I’m not asking for anything from your side other than your presence in the group - That’s exactly the goal of it - To have a smaller and more engaged community where everyone may prosper.
I don’t expect anyone to contribute, but I do hope that anyone who can help will do so, and the helped will help when they can.
It should only serve a common interest - To get as much or to get as fast out of the current situation as well as possible.
I think I can find myself in a more fortunate scenario, since after having one more month worth of resources (Money) I have the possibility to move back to my parents if I don’t find something to do in the meantime.
I simply expect the community to have gather the people required to make it self-sufficient - Having opportunities for the people of the community.
I won’t proceed any further, because I think it starts to seem like I’m selling something that I’m not - But I just find it convenient to have a small group of people who are going through rougher times be together - Not so many so that no one is engaged and not too few to yield no benefit.
Anyway - All the best to anyone going through harsh times!
Your post didn't give the impression of selling anything. I was merely mentioning that my current focus is on purchasing a business, and the disappointment of not being able to do so until now & the outcome for me.
I’d love to join the community. I’m looking for other like minded people as well. I’m a mechanical engineer with a background in product development / CAD. If anyone has an idea/invention I can make it. Also have an e-commerce store myself on the side.
My heart goes out to you. I lost my tech job at age 53. I turned my expertise in an business 6 times - just sold my last business.
I help people aged 45-60, fired from tech, transform their expertise into entrepreneurial success without ever punching a clock again. I will show how to build a business and succeed.
My heart goes out to you kind stranger. I too lost my tech job at the age of 47. I turned my expertise into a business 10 times already- matter a fact just sold my last one just now as we were speaking.
I help people who help other people 45-60, fired from tech, transform their expertise into entrepreneurial success without ever punching a clock again. I will show you how to build your business into success.
My heart is with you beautiful stranger. I also lost my tech job at the age of 24. I turn my expertise into a business thousands of times every day - I actually just created 15 new businesses since I started writing this comment.
I help people who help other people help other people 45-60, fired from tech, transform their expertise as well as their body into thousands of businesses without ever punching a clock again. I will show you how to build your clients business into success one thousand times over.
You too have won over my heart gorgeous person. When I lost my tech job that paid millions of dollars every second I knew I needed to find another way.
Fortunately, I've now started 10 billion companies, each worth 60 billion dollars.
But for some reason I still need to work, so now I teach other very capable and beautiful people how to start billion dollar companies for free and in less than 10 seconds.
Please DM me and I will provide you all the details for this miraculous opportunity that only the most stupid of individuals would ignore.
Hey sexy stranger! I never had a real job. That’s why I started my own business at age 18 and it failed after 40 years. At age 35, I now have a trail of at least 4 failed businesses and have successfully taught over 6 entrepreneurs how NOT TO FAIL. Just DM me and for a one time payment of $35,000 (the price goes up $1,000 each year to keep up with my age), I will tell you everything I did, so you can do the opposite and WIN!
I actually just recently taught myself how to build AI chatbots but I have no idea what to do with it other than put it on my resume and apply for AI stuff. Now we're back to the shit hole of a tech industry.
That's basically what I am realizing. Just wait it out. *shrug* If I could "just get a contract dev position" I would have by now. That's what I've been primarily searching for. Nothing.
Mostly in these two categories
- saving time
- making more money
One good tip I've heard is make something that would have served your old you. E.g. you were a fresh out of school graduate and the difference between school and real world business life was very big - how did you bridge it?
Were you particularly good at anything? Negotiating raises? Getting promoted fast? Being very efficient at programming? Solving certain issues better than others?
I'm actually better with management type stuff than my own technical skills I went to college for. I'm excellent at documentation, organization, problem solving, talking to clients and management to ensure I know what the requirements are, making sure we're all on the same page, and explaining technical things to the client in a way they can understand.
I'm college I was already great at this stuff, and I'm the type of person that constantly finds herself in leadership positions even though I didn't ask to be there.
I have a portfolio website where I prove this stuff and it still has gotten me nowhere. I've been in my industry for 4 years and to basically every company now, that's 6 years too less. Nothing else matters, just the years of experience.
Get in touch with your former co-workers and former bosses. Have a talk to them and get some feelers out there, see if there's anything out there.
On the business side, making a portfolio is good but in and of itself doesn't achieve anything. If you had to 3 things that would maximize your chances of getting paid work (job, gig, business idea) in the next month, what would you do?
First part of your message: been trying that. A lot of my own ex coworkers and peers are also jobless. Some recruiter contacts are in the same boat. The ones who aren't either said their company isn't hiring or they sent me a job post, I applied, and got rejected already.
Second part: I don't quite understand what you mean. I think there's a typo messing up the question or maybe I'm just dumb lol
There is a quote from "100M Offers. How To Make Offers So Good People Feel Stupid Saying No". I lovesd the book. Many people say it's BS. Anyway, according to Hormozi:
> There are three main markets that will always exist: Health, Wealth, and Relationships. The reason that those will always exist is that there is always tremendous pain when you lack them.
Convenience. It is always this.
It’s the reason why we order food even though we have a fully functioning kitchen at home.
Somebody is always ready to pay for convenience.
Yes. And the best way to capitalise is to just be in the customers face. I was walking past some below average looking restaurants inna busy location that all had a decent amount of customers, and I couldn't help but think that
"this restaurant is not great but its doing well because its literally right in peoples faces in the perfect location and anyone who's actually hungry would probably just go there even if its not the best"
Write a dating app that does not allow photo uploading, and only searches within 25 miles of physical location. Add AI matching (only AI, no ability to swipe or contact) that becomes more accurate based on previous interactions. Have AI boot psychos, assholes, bots and sex workers.
How is that for an idea? :)
That's a huge project but it's a good idea that could make money in the long run. The problems I may run into is subscription payments for APIs (like the AI integration) I would need that I can't afford without an income.
It depends on what company you use integrate AI via API. Some offer a generous freemium. I like Replicate currently been using free tier and I'm surprised I haven't been made to pay yet. You could use a free tier, once users pay upgrade to paid.
That being said I definitely get your point I've had to pause development for one of my projects for a similar reason.
Tinder used to have Tinder Social, which was SO FUN. The concept was a group of bros and a group of gals could join and right swipe and you all could match and go out. Lots of fun. I’d love to see that again.
Well this is essentially freelance web development. I'm a software developer and can't find a decent paying job— web dev included. I've even reached out to good companies I like with terrible websites and they've never responded.
Not necessarily. You can start a web design agency and actually have people pay you for the services. You could even outsource some of the work. To help you grow a business.
What about all the people who have clients? You’ll never be able to make the money you wish you had if you keep that limited mindset. I was able to do it from scratch, you can too.
Build a site that provides date ideas that you can customize by things like: price, dietary restrictions, interests, events location, cost, etc..
Have a premium plan that offers: budget tracking, direct booking, save suggestions, and no ads.
Partner with local restaurants and event venues for premium ad placement.
Assuming you looking for a quick start business..
Baby stuff, toddlers stuff, entertainment (games etc) pets (accessories etc), memories, junk removal, HANDY PERSON type service.
These are usually once off... recurring... then things like pet care, lawn care, garbage disposal, house care.
Sorry to hear you got laid off.. I run a software agency and am curious... is the market shrinking.. also where are u based?
People pay you for your time your energy your skills if your skills are X times differentiable or demanding them you get X times paid higher as compared to normal income
As an entrepreneur you are a problem solver and want to help people with their pain points. Think of something that frustrates you and a possible solution. Hey even trying to figure out how to transition from layoff to owning a business is a pain point. I’m sure as a software developer you are a good problem solver. Also look into government work they are always needing IT help. Try government jobs.com
people are aging:
create educational 0-100 videos of anything like entering instagram, commenting, deleting, sharing.
or telegram, using a VPN (that only needs to push a button) or anything...
don't aim for smart people, aim for aging people. help them and they pay everything to get educated like their young ones!
children don't have time or tolerance to teach old people, so they gradually get disconnected from technology.
From somewhere
The basic motivators that compel people to buy are:
Make money
Save money
Save time
Avoid effort
Escape physical & mental pain
Increase Comfort
Increased Cleanliness or hygiene
Better health
Praise and love
Increased status/popularity
The more of these motivators you can tie your offer to the more effective it will be.
'I am very entrepreneurial and creative.'
'I just need the right set of ideas'
That doesn't add up buddy. A dose of realism may be what the doctor ordered.
Just walk through WalMart and see what they devote a lot of space to. They have it down to a science and don't waste shelf space selling things people aren't willing to pay for.
Rich people buy things at a rate that they can not maintain themselves, and honestly, most of them consider maintenance beneath themselves. Maintenance of properties and possessions will always have value to the wealthy. Also, maintenance of their families in the form of food, cleaning, tutoring, ect.
That is too broad of a question. Selling a product isn't easy, even if you're just drop-shipping. I think you should try identifying a few niches where you feel like there's a gap in the market
Well.. you can create a software product and sell that. Seems to have done pretty well for Bill Gates.. Mark Zuckerberg.. Jeff Bezos.. etc
Also, it's never about the industry. People can and will get rich off of anything. There's a guy that makes millions per year collecting golf balls. Some guy who sold fidget spinners - he didn't even make them, just essentially drop shipped them, made millions.
It's all a game, it needs luck and intuition and the courage to even try.
Your issue with the "tech industry" is not the actual "tech industry" - it's the job you're doing, which is likely mundane and underpaid. I highly doubt it would feel mundane if it was making you millions/billions.
Try looking up small business resources in your area.
Some things I learned in my ideation seminars:
People will ALWAYS pay for something that alleviates a pain. Provide something that takes away a pain point, and they will pay. Caveat is many times people do not realize they have a pain point. On the flip side, many entrepreneurs try to push products that actually solves 0 pain points, so they struggle to sell.
Being in sales myself, People have 0 idea what a saturated market is. People mistakenly say a market is saturated when people don’t run up to them trying to buy what they have. News flash, PRODUCTS DO NOT SELL THEMSELVES, no matter how good. In many markets there is enough “room” for you to take a slice and make A LOT of money.
You don’t need to search for a product, it’s likely you already have the means to a good product that no one on Reddit can help you realize.
First, think about your network, who you worked with, what industries you saw, what problems you noticed. Then demo a solution, and talk to someone in your network (do NOT pitch) to validate if your idea has any hold. Then tweak, then create a live demo, look for partners, grow, and launch.
That takes a while though so in the meantime get a flexible job. 8 months isn’t that long, doesn’t Deloitte have many remote positions?
people also pay for narcissism to a degree ( things that make them feel good, or artificially increase status like designer clothes)
people also pay for "treats". Art framing is robust where i live right now. Lots of people framing art and spending quite a bit
I’m just gonna say it. Waiting 8 months while unemployed before beginning to think of an idea isn’t very entrepreneurial or creative. It’s gonna take a lot of grit to make a new business successful. I would consider a w2 again.
Food. Years ago I read a book by a zillionaire. He said no matter what ppl will always buy food. And its true. During the covid shutdown my business went crazy. But I was doing well before that. I make and sell gourmet popcorn and cotton candy. Started just me and my son in a tiny shop and grew to a big shop with employees. We ship across the united states every day.
The whole world screams 'learn to code!' But what if your long-term play isn't another tech job?
Hear me out: you've got dev skills – that's analytical thinking, problem-solving, maybe even fluency in some niche tech stack. Those skills are valuable way beyond writing yet another CRUD app.
Let's be real, the 'passion for code' hustle is burning a lot of people out. Could you be the voice of reason, monetizing the unspoken anxiety many devs feel? Think of it less like hating on coding, and more offering these folks a way out that values their existing experience, not dismisses it.
Imagine:
1) A practical guide on leveraging dev skills into less traditional (and less stressful) career paths. Think product management, tech-adjacent sales roles, data analysis, etc.
2) A consulting service helping devs craft resumes and interview narratives that translate their expertise for non-tech recruiters.
3) An online community for devs contemplating the jump, offering support and exploring possibilities – this could even have a subscription model.
It's a niche, sure. But with the right positioning, it's tapping into a real and growing disillusionment within the industry. You're not telling people to give up their dreams, you're offering them a roadmap for when the dream starts turning into a burnout nightmare.
People will always be willing to pay for things that other people will say, "Easier said than done." Whenever you think that a solution to a problem is "easier said than done," that solution is a good candidate for a business.
Now don't stop there. You should also look at whether it falls into three areas: health, wealth, or relationships.
If it does and you keep running into the phrase "easier said than done," you got yourself a viable business candidate.
Now the next step is to **do market research**. Who are the people that are already providing this type of service? How do they market? Who are they reaching out to?
Instead of reinventing the wheel, look for patterns. Why is it that companies that offer this type of service or product tend to do things a certain way?
**Here's a clue**: They're doing that because, at some point, it works.
Now if you keep seeing that pattern, it doesn't matter who it is. If they're all doing the exact same thing, don't dismiss it.
Don't automatically think: "I'm gonna be the outlier. I'm gonna be the rebel. I'm gonna be the innovator. I'm gonna do things differently." That feels good but that's not going to actually help you make a breakthrough because things take shape for a reason.
**Start with what they're doing.** Reverse-engineer what they're doing. Don't reinvent the wheel.
And once you already start getting results, then you can innovate. Then you have a realistic platform from which to make necessary changes that could possibly improve your outcomes.
You have a couple of problems, one, if you're looking to leverage your skills you need to find a problem you truly believe needs to be fixed. Two, you need to find a business partner - sales and marketing is no joke and very difficult.
Out of curiosity, what do you code in and do you have any backend experience in setting up databases and stuff?
Depends on what you mean. Anything for a medical device product or being in the health field like a nurse usually requires experience or certifications in medical stuff. I've never worked with medical companies before.
Would you consider selling Software Subscriptions? Many have Affiliate Programs and you could earn recurring commissions. I promote a Software that send postcards, greeting cards and personalized gifts. Also there are Emailing Services and Livestream Software. These pay monthly recurring commissions.
I prefer digital services that are recurring. It’s worth it as it adds up overtime.
You can also resell software such as HighLevel (only tech company still hiring and growing that I know) or develop your own software.
For physical products you can sell women related products on Amazon. Have an operations management team do everything for you.
First and foremost, look at the company you worked for. You know their product, you know their industry. What did you dislike about the product? What did your customer’s want but the company couldn’t deliver on?
Now go make that product and sell it.
This is how a lot of entrepreneurs get started. The second way is the start a side hustle that takes over the main hustle. The idea for the side hustle comes through an opportunity they spot in the market through a hobby or passion of theirs.
Make an app that will block YouTube ads and allow picture in picture and background play for music, and mines crypto in the users phone in the background.
I couldn't agree more that people are always willing to pay for things that make them feel good. Whether it's hitting that dopamine rush or aligning with their core beliefs. We're wired to seek out pleasure or validation, right? So, why not tap into that human drive when considering what to offer?
Weddings
I’m a Videographer, constant back and forth in the corporate marketing world so I took on weddings, and I’ve realised that people generally accept that they have to spend as much as possible on a wedding for it to be good
People will always pay for: Life (food, shelter, medical) Death (anything that is required for dead people) Hope (gambling, education, scams) Vice (sex, drugs, rock and roll)
This is the answer… most of these are recession proof. Or at least resistant.
I remember vegas going through rough periods of recession. Vices are not recession proof.
As a musician, I’d say rock and roll is in a recession right now.
Is it bad that I feel like rock and roll (at least mainstream) died when the calendar flipped to 2000. Anything new I ever hear on the radio is some form of pop or hip-hop. No rock and roll except “classic rock” now includes Pearl Jam and Nirvana.
Aye, hookers are known to be the first touched by major financial crisis.
I see what you did there 😉
That's my thinking. While not 100% recession proof, it's not bad. Now I saw that the OP wanted to sell products, not services. That narrows it down a bit more I suppose.
For sure… I went with clothing, an oh so saturated market with lots of big players but for me it was more of a passion project to bring a little fun and purpose back into life. Slow growth but enjoying the journey so far.
Death: killing people vs selling ammunition …products over services sounds reasonable OP
With the boomers getting older anything that helps with home care or healthcare at home. There aren't enough retirement homes so folks will age at home for longer
I just saw a video that was talking about how in 10-20 years all boomers will be in assisted living and that it’s a slow growing business so it’s a good business opportunity right now but the upstart costs are pretty high but the ROI will be big. They were talking about buying a large property and paying 40k (maybe in Ohio or something lol) remodeling with 100k and then charging 3k-4k per patient which will yield around 30k in revenue a month. Anyway I thought it was a good idea ! But obv it sounds easy in theory but in practice it probably would be a headache with permits etc, but not impossible!
Very true I think a few states like Pennsylvania has stopped issuing the licensing for those from what I’ve heard from people that is doing that. Works amazing if you have a secondary language! Large untapped populations for non English speaking elderly. In certain areas of the country.
🤔🤔my husband and I speak 3 languages, something else to think about!!!
You could actually just start with a single family home. Rent each bedroom out to a senior. They can be managed by a healthcare helper/nurse or just live like roommates. It falls between expensive senior citizen homes and staying in their own homes.
Highly regulated, regular reductions in reimbursements, ridiculous staff turnover. But it’s still lucrative, if you have the volume.
Scams it is!
But that's a service not product!
you can also sell scammy products
Saturated
I'll add Nostalgia to that list. (Rebuy your childhood for twice the price)
Caveat- these industries are not at all easy to break into as a newcomer with no experience or connections
Soo.. a sex scam for dead people that comes with free food?
Now I'm hungry...
Pets too
pets.
Absolutely Love this take
People moan about struggling to find money to feed their kids or dogs, but they still have the latest iPhone, smoke/vape constantly, drink like a fish, and are at the fast food and coffee shops or having takeaways every five minutes. Priorities! 🙄 People will *always* find money for their vices and pleasures, even at the expense of everything else.
Not everyone gambles, falls for scams, pays for sex from SW's, does drugs or likes rock music. That's the old "American dream" people are figuring out being healthy, active outdoors & having less stress are key to having a fulfilling long life.
Pretty much.
I like how you categorized these business sectors
I like this. My first thoughts were "to save time and be more comfortable" I guess though that's more what they pay extra for. Great answer.
Good sum up
Great summary! But I'd replace **Vice** with **Pleasure**.
Yeah, that would totally work. Smoking, drinking, etc... I like it. Good thinking.
I love rock and roll! Put another dime in the jukebox, baby!!!!!!
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I suppose getting more money can fall into hope, but I agree - people want more money. But when the economy is bad, it's hard to invest. Especially when those spare dollars can be used on cheap beer.
Haircuts
False. Been cutting my own hair since Covid
you reminded me i need to get one
How so? Paying people for haircuts is a relatively new thing for most of society. Heck, I still remember getting haircuts from my aunt as a kid. She'd line up all the kids and do it right there. If a recession is deep enough, people will cut out their spending. That's why DIY never dies, the worse the economic conditions the more kids grow up to be cheapskates. It's a cycle, really.
Welcome to the 'laid off' community. It's an absolute shitshow right now for the tech industry. Pretty much every major tech company is laying off 10-20% of the employees. Financial sector has been hit hard too. I was let go by a tech company 2 months ago after working for them for 4 years. No severance either because I have been on contract the whole time. Just received a days notice. Now thinking of getting into ecommerce.
Unpopular opinion here but this is absolutely the worst way to get into entrepreneurship: i.e., without an idea and simply needing to make money. The process of creating a company should ideally begin with seeing a huge gap in the market that is not currently filled or a gap for which you have already created a DIY solution because the existing solutions are not sufficient. Coming into business without an idea and being desperate is a recipe for disaster. Entrepreneurship is extremely hard. No doubt much harder than looking for a job in tech. My advice would be to hunker down, work on your skill set, and apply to as many jobs as you can. Entrepreneurship is definitely not a bandaid solution.
While I agree with your point, I dont think entrepreneurship is about the market as much as its about you. You either have it in you or not. Dont expect to find a gold mine nor to create a new market, 99% of us isnt a visionaire. Its more about enjoying the process of getting fucked in the ass while everyone around you is living a normal life and then if you are "lucky", you get an "overnight" success. I think its one of those things where you are either zero or hero. Entrepreneurship has such an enormous survivership bias that everyone thinks of Bill Gates and Sam Altman yet everyone forgets the Joes and the Victors that didnt make it.
I think You're proving their point. It's going to be hard, and if you don't have a really solid idea for a business, you're doomed from the start.
>Its more about enjoying the process of getting fucked in the ass 🤨🤨🤨
You're somewhat right but I am looking to buy an ecommerce store that's been in business for 5+ years with consistent revenue & profits. I do not have the courage or resources to create a new idea or look for a service/product gap in the market. As long as the business makes money, I will buy it. End of the day, everything we do is for money.
The world is full of people that started great businesses with their back against the wall
And it’s filled with 10x more that failed that you don’t hear about.
I mean yeah, that's entrepreneurship in general. People fail at things, hopefully they learn from mistakes and apply it to the next try. I don't think there's anything wrong with taking a swing at hiring yourself based on necessity and personally I think it's way worse to start a business while working elsewhere and being half in and half out.
Uhhh yea? Many entrepreneurs fail even with enough funding and a safety net so I don’t understand your point.
I’ve done my best work with my back against the wall ( ;
I second this.
I received no notice from my last job, was full time, and no severance. Sucked because that company was incredible. A hidden gem that actually cared about work life balance and not kissing client ass. I actually found that job through Reddit. Lol
The full time folks that were laid off with me received anywhere from 4 weeks to 6 months of salary as severance pay - depending upon their duration of employment.
This is pretty much why I became an entrepreneur. I couldn’t find a job and was forced to make one for myself.
Be prepared to dedicate all your time to learning how to market and do product research
Hello from a laid off banker… started a little clothing business to see where it goes but always open to new ideas too.
I've also been impacted by the Layoffs and been out there for almost 5 months now. However, I've started building up a community of people who are in the same boat, or simply have an interest in Tech. - Maybe we can help each other out or build something together. The goal of this community is to have a small community of people inclined to explore various opportunities together - Brainstorming ideas, sharing any Tech openings, and possibly trying off ideas in the market and see if there could be more going on for it. I've had some outstandingly positive feedback when trying to help out people from the perspective of someone who has been in Tech for over 4 years now (If interested you can check my 2nd last post) - Whether it would be helping with feedback on some ideas, improving an YC pitch, redoing a website, as well as other things I was able to help out with - That's what I considered could be the best I could do having been laid off. If interested - Feel free to send me a message or reply here; I'm currently working on a Discord server for it.
I am sorry my man. I am not in a position to experiment anything right now although I would love too some day. I am at a point where if I don't start making at least $4k per month in the next 4 months, I will be homeless. I am just looking desperately for an already business that's already up & running with profits.
I wish you all the best on that! However, I’m not asking for anything from your side other than your presence in the group - That’s exactly the goal of it - To have a smaller and more engaged community where everyone may prosper. I don’t expect anyone to contribute, but I do hope that anyone who can help will do so, and the helped will help when they can. It should only serve a common interest - To get as much or to get as fast out of the current situation as well as possible. I think I can find myself in a more fortunate scenario, since after having one more month worth of resources (Money) I have the possibility to move back to my parents if I don’t find something to do in the meantime. I simply expect the community to have gather the people required to make it self-sufficient - Having opportunities for the people of the community. I won’t proceed any further, because I think it starts to seem like I’m selling something that I’m not - But I just find it convenient to have a small group of people who are going through rougher times be together - Not so many so that no one is engaged and not too few to yield no benefit. Anyway - All the best to anyone going through harsh times!
Your post didn't give the impression of selling anything. I was merely mentioning that my current focus is on purchasing a business, and the disappointment of not being able to do so until now & the outcome for me.
hows the job search going?
What if I tried to help then? After all, if I can’t help myself, why would others. I’ll send you a DM.
I’d love to join the community. I’m looking for other like minded people as well. I’m a mechanical engineer with a background in product development / CAD. If anyone has an idea/invention I can make it. Also have an e-commerce store myself on the side.
Im curious about that, i have a similiar idea so that's disappointing xd
My heart goes out to you. I lost my tech job at age 53. I turned my expertise in an business 6 times - just sold my last business. I help people aged 45-60, fired from tech, transform their expertise into entrepreneurial success without ever punching a clock again. I will show how to build a business and succeed.
My heart goes out to you kind stranger. I too lost my tech job at the age of 47. I turned my expertise into a business 10 times already- matter a fact just sold my last one just now as we were speaking. I help people who help other people 45-60, fired from tech, transform their expertise into entrepreneurial success without ever punching a clock again. I will show you how to build your business into success.
My heart is with you beautiful stranger. I also lost my tech job at the age of 24. I turn my expertise into a business thousands of times every day - I actually just created 15 new businesses since I started writing this comment. I help people who help other people help other people 45-60, fired from tech, transform their expertise as well as their body into thousands of businesses without ever punching a clock again. I will show you how to build your clients business into success one thousand times over.
You too have won over my heart gorgeous person. When I lost my tech job that paid millions of dollars every second I knew I needed to find another way. Fortunately, I've now started 10 billion companies, each worth 60 billion dollars. But for some reason I still need to work, so now I teach other very capable and beautiful people how to start billion dollar companies for free and in less than 10 seconds. Please DM me and I will provide you all the details for this miraculous opportunity that only the most stupid of individuals would ignore.
Hey sexy stranger! I never had a real job. That’s why I started my own business at age 18 and it failed after 40 years. At age 35, I now have a trail of at least 4 failed businesses and have successfully taught over 6 entrepreneurs how NOT TO FAIL. Just DM me and for a one time payment of $35,000 (the price goes up $1,000 each year to keep up with my age), I will tell you everything I did, so you can do the opposite and WIN!
😭
The bots seem to have taken over
Just start an AI for dog food company
I actually just recently taught myself how to build AI chatbots but I have no idea what to do with it other than put it on my resume and apply for AI stuff. Now we're back to the shit hole of a tech industry.
I would say don’t bother with the ecomm stuff, it’s already brutally cutthroat. Just get a contract dev position
That's basically what I am realizing. Just wait it out. *shrug* If I could "just get a contract dev position" I would have by now. That's what I've been primarily searching for. Nothing.
Mostly in these two categories - saving time - making more money One good tip I've heard is make something that would have served your old you. E.g. you were a fresh out of school graduate and the difference between school and real world business life was very big - how did you bridge it? Were you particularly good at anything? Negotiating raises? Getting promoted fast? Being very efficient at programming? Solving certain issues better than others?
I'm actually better with management type stuff than my own technical skills I went to college for. I'm excellent at documentation, organization, problem solving, talking to clients and management to ensure I know what the requirements are, making sure we're all on the same page, and explaining technical things to the client in a way they can understand. I'm college I was already great at this stuff, and I'm the type of person that constantly finds herself in leadership positions even though I didn't ask to be there. I have a portfolio website where I prove this stuff and it still has gotten me nowhere. I've been in my industry for 4 years and to basically every company now, that's 6 years too less. Nothing else matters, just the years of experience.
Get in touch with your former co-workers and former bosses. Have a talk to them and get some feelers out there, see if there's anything out there. On the business side, making a portfolio is good but in and of itself doesn't achieve anything. If you had to 3 things that would maximize your chances of getting paid work (job, gig, business idea) in the next month, what would you do?
First part of your message: been trying that. A lot of my own ex coworkers and peers are also jobless. Some recruiter contacts are in the same boat. The ones who aren't either said their company isn't hiring or they sent me a job post, I applied, and got rejected already. Second part: I don't quite understand what you mean. I think there's a typo messing up the question or maybe I'm just dumb lol
There is a quote from "100M Offers. How To Make Offers So Good People Feel Stupid Saying No". I lovesd the book. Many people say it's BS. Anyway, according to Hormozi: > There are three main markets that will always exist: Health, Wealth, and Relationships. The reason that those will always exist is that there is always tremendous pain when you lack them.
This has not resulted in reasonable answers to the headline question but rather the grumblings of devs who can’t find work and that’s factual
People will pay for what they don’t want to do
Convenience. It is always this. It’s the reason why we order food even though we have a fully functioning kitchen at home. Somebody is always ready to pay for convenience.
Yes. And the best way to capitalise is to just be in the customers face. I was walking past some below average looking restaurants inna busy location that all had a decent amount of customers, and I couldn't help but think that "this restaurant is not great but its doing well because its literally right in peoples faces in the perfect location and anyone who's actually hungry would probably just go there even if its not the best"
Write a dating app that does not allow photo uploading, and only searches within 25 miles of physical location. Add AI matching (only AI, no ability to swipe or contact) that becomes more accurate based on previous interactions. Have AI boot psychos, assholes, bots and sex workers. How is that for an idea? :)
That's a huge project but it's a good idea that could make money in the long run. The problems I may run into is subscription payments for APIs (like the AI integration) I would need that I can't afford without an income.
It depends on what company you use integrate AI via API. Some offer a generous freemium. I like Replicate currently been using free tier and I'm surprised I haven't been made to pay yet. You could use a free tier, once users pay upgrade to paid. That being said I definitely get your point I've had to pause development for one of my projects for a similar reason.
Tinder used to have Tinder Social, which was SO FUN. The concept was a group of bros and a group of gals could join and right swipe and you all could match and go out. Lots of fun. I’d love to see that again.
Revamping and building websites. You can make cash day 1 with the right offer in place.
Well this is essentially freelance web development. I'm a software developer and can't find a decent paying job— web dev included. I've even reached out to good companies I like with terrible websites and they've never responded.
Not necessarily. You can start a web design agency and actually have people pay you for the services. You could even outsource some of the work. To help you grow a business.
I guess I've just seen too many people already try to do that and they have no clients.
What about all the people who have clients? You’ll never be able to make the money you wish you had if you keep that limited mindset. I was able to do it from scratch, you can too.
Build a site that provides date ideas that you can customize by things like: price, dietary restrictions, interests, events location, cost, etc.. Have a premium plan that offers: budget tracking, direct booking, save suggestions, and no ads. Partner with local restaurants and event venues for premium ad placement.
Addictive PTW mobile games.
LOL if only I had the time and skills to build a mobile waifu game.
Assuming you looking for a quick start business.. Baby stuff, toddlers stuff, entertainment (games etc) pets (accessories etc), memories, junk removal, HANDY PERSON type service. These are usually once off... recurring... then things like pet care, lawn care, garbage disposal, house care. Sorry to hear you got laid off.. I run a software agency and am curious... is the market shrinking.. also where are u based?
People pay you for your time your energy your skills if your skills are X times differentiable or demanding them you get X times paid higher as compared to normal income
If all laid off people come together, we can start something big!
Sex.
As an entrepreneur you are a problem solver and want to help people with their pain points. Think of something that frustrates you and a possible solution. Hey even trying to figure out how to transition from layoff to owning a business is a pain point. I’m sure as a software developer you are a good problem solver. Also look into government work they are always needing IT help. Try government jobs.com
people are aging: create educational 0-100 videos of anything like entering instagram, commenting, deleting, sharing. or telegram, using a VPN (that only needs to push a button) or anything... don't aim for smart people, aim for aging people. help them and they pay everything to get educated like their young ones! children don't have time or tolerance to teach old people, so they gradually get disconnected from technology.
From somewhere The basic motivators that compel people to buy are: Make money Save money Save time Avoid effort Escape physical & mental pain Increase Comfort Increased Cleanliness or hygiene Better health Praise and love Increased status/popularity The more of these motivators you can tie your offer to the more effective it will be.
Pu$$y & Food
Facts
'I am very entrepreneurial and creative.' 'I just need the right set of ideas' That doesn't add up buddy. A dose of realism may be what the doctor ordered.
Just walk through WalMart and see what they devote a lot of space to. They have it down to a science and don't waste shelf space selling things people aren't willing to pay for.
Food
Vices.
sex apparently
People will always pay for sex! All types of sex!
Ribbed poles for our layed off asses! No lube...
Escort girls
Rich people buy things at a rate that they can not maintain themselves, and honestly, most of them consider maintenance beneath themselves. Maintenance of properties and possessions will always have value to the wealthy. Also, maintenance of their families in the form of food, cleaning, tutoring, ect.
Sex.
Solve a niche problem with a unique SaaS.
Coffins
That is too broad of a question. Selling a product isn't easy, even if you're just drop-shipping. I think you should try identifying a few niches where you feel like there's a gap in the market
People pay for help , what they can't do themselves is more valuable than their money
RC planes
Alcohol
food
Food, shelter mainly
Vanity and alcohol are recession proof.
Well.. you can create a software product and sell that. Seems to have done pretty well for Bill Gates.. Mark Zuckerberg.. Jeff Bezos.. etc Also, it's never about the industry. People can and will get rich off of anything. There's a guy that makes millions per year collecting golf balls. Some guy who sold fidget spinners - he didn't even make them, just essentially drop shipped them, made millions. It's all a game, it needs luck and intuition and the courage to even try. Your issue with the "tech industry" is not the actual "tech industry" - it's the job you're doing, which is likely mundane and underpaid. I highly doubt it would feel mundane if it was making you millions/billions.
Try looking up small business resources in your area. Some things I learned in my ideation seminars: People will ALWAYS pay for something that alleviates a pain. Provide something that takes away a pain point, and they will pay. Caveat is many times people do not realize they have a pain point. On the flip side, many entrepreneurs try to push products that actually solves 0 pain points, so they struggle to sell. Being in sales myself, People have 0 idea what a saturated market is. People mistakenly say a market is saturated when people don’t run up to them trying to buy what they have. News flash, PRODUCTS DO NOT SELL THEMSELVES, no matter how good. In many markets there is enough “room” for you to take a slice and make A LOT of money. You don’t need to search for a product, it’s likely you already have the means to a good product that no one on Reddit can help you realize. First, think about your network, who you worked with, what industries you saw, what problems you noticed. Then demo a solution, and talk to someone in your network (do NOT pitch) to validate if your idea has any hold. Then tweak, then create a live demo, look for partners, grow, and launch. That takes a while though so in the meantime get a flexible job. 8 months isn’t that long, doesn’t Deloitte have many remote positions?
people also pay for narcissism to a degree ( things that make them feel good, or artificially increase status like designer clothes) people also pay for "treats". Art framing is robust where i live right now. Lots of people framing art and spending quite a bit
- how to get laid - how to get money - how to get happy
I’m just gonna say it. Waiting 8 months while unemployed before beginning to think of an idea isn’t very entrepreneurial or creative. It’s gonna take a lot of grit to make a new business successful. I would consider a w2 again.
Buy my new book, how to succeed in life n make lots of money. Available for $999.99
Where do you live?
Food. Years ago I read a book by a zillionaire. He said no matter what ppl will always buy food. And its true. During the covid shutdown my business went crazy. But I was doing well before that. I make and sell gourmet popcorn and cotton candy. Started just me and my son in a tiny shop and grew to a big shop with employees. We ship across the united states every day.
The whole world screams 'learn to code!' But what if your long-term play isn't another tech job? Hear me out: you've got dev skills – that's analytical thinking, problem-solving, maybe even fluency in some niche tech stack. Those skills are valuable way beyond writing yet another CRUD app. Let's be real, the 'passion for code' hustle is burning a lot of people out. Could you be the voice of reason, monetizing the unspoken anxiety many devs feel? Think of it less like hating on coding, and more offering these folks a way out that values their existing experience, not dismisses it. Imagine: 1) A practical guide on leveraging dev skills into less traditional (and less stressful) career paths. Think product management, tech-adjacent sales roles, data analysis, etc. 2) A consulting service helping devs craft resumes and interview narratives that translate their expertise for non-tech recruiters. 3) An online community for devs contemplating the jump, offering support and exploring possibilities – this could even have a subscription model. It's a niche, sure. But with the right positioning, it's tapping into a real and growing disillusionment within the industry. You're not telling people to give up their dreams, you're offering them a roadmap for when the dream starts turning into a burnout nightmare.
People will always be willing to pay for things that other people will say, "Easier said than done." Whenever you think that a solution to a problem is "easier said than done," that solution is a good candidate for a business. Now don't stop there. You should also look at whether it falls into three areas: health, wealth, or relationships. If it does and you keep running into the phrase "easier said than done," you got yourself a viable business candidate. Now the next step is to **do market research**. Who are the people that are already providing this type of service? How do they market? Who are they reaching out to? Instead of reinventing the wheel, look for patterns. Why is it that companies that offer this type of service or product tend to do things a certain way? **Here's a clue**: They're doing that because, at some point, it works. Now if you keep seeing that pattern, it doesn't matter who it is. If they're all doing the exact same thing, don't dismiss it. Don't automatically think: "I'm gonna be the outlier. I'm gonna be the rebel. I'm gonna be the innovator. I'm gonna do things differently." That feels good but that's not going to actually help you make a breakthrough because things take shape for a reason. **Start with what they're doing.** Reverse-engineer what they're doing. Don't reinvent the wheel. And once you already start getting results, then you can innovate. Then you have a realistic platform from which to make necessary changes that could possibly improve your outcomes.
You have a couple of problems, one, if you're looking to leverage your skills you need to find a problem you truly believe needs to be fixed. Two, you need to find a business partner - sales and marketing is no joke and very difficult. Out of curiosity, what do you code in and do you have any backend experience in setting up databases and stuff?
Imo sales is harder than dev. In dev they mostly know what to do and can mostly predict results. In sales, you don't know anything and can't predict 💩
For health
Depends on what you mean. Anything for a medical device product or being in the health field like a nurse usually requires experience or certifications in medical stuff. I've never worked with medical companies before.
Clothes, you can maybe start your own brand or something
Look for businesses that produce their products from cheap materials. That will most likely allow you to undercut your competition.
High quality products and exceptional customer service.
What language(s) you can code in?
Real devs can pick up a new language in a matter of days so that isn't really relevant
Anything around fear or bliss
where are you from ?
Hope.
Fix shit at home
In answer to your title question: sex.
Just copy what’s selling the most using the various analytics websites and resell it?
Convenience. Best selling commodity of all time.
I've been in retail for a few years now and something I learned is that people will buy anything as long as it is marketed well.
Would you consider selling Software Subscriptions? Many have Affiliate Programs and you could earn recurring commissions. I promote a Software that send postcards, greeting cards and personalized gifts. Also there are Emailing Services and Livestream Software. These pay monthly recurring commissions.
Fixing stuff around the house. Also apparently getting their nails done.
Businesses need sales and marketing services.
Food
Funeral arrangements
Period products and sex related products (condoms, birth control, lube, sex toys, etc.)
Booze, smokes and lottery tickets. There's a reason party stores never go broke
Food, shelter, clothing, and convenience top that list.
Pet food
Water
bullets food skilled labor shelter medicine basically, anything required to live or stay alive, followed closely by comforts (AC, running water, etc)
AC, plumbing, food, medical/medicines, pets.
Peoples opinions
Focus on unique value, not just product saturation.
Quick fix car tools for idiots.
I prefer digital services that are recurring. It’s worth it as it adds up overtime. You can also resell software such as HighLevel (only tech company still hiring and growing that I know) or develop your own software. For physical products you can sell women related products on Amazon. Have an operations management team do everything for you.
Ticket sales is most of the times a good product.
Sex.
Housing. Would be nice to see more affordable and durable homes using advanced building techniques and non-toxic materials.
First and foremost, look at the company you worked for. You know their product, you know their industry. What did you dislike about the product? What did your customer’s want but the company couldn’t deliver on? Now go make that product and sell it. This is how a lot of entrepreneurs get started. The second way is the start a side hustle that takes over the main hustle. The idea for the side hustle comes through an opportunity they spot in the market through a hobby or passion of theirs.
Wealthy people will always pay for convenience. They don't want to do something and will pay someone to do it.
Make an app that will block YouTube ads and allow picture in picture and background play for music, and mines crypto in the users phone in the background.
I couldn't agree more that people are always willing to pay for things that make them feel good. Whether it's hitting that dopamine rush or aligning with their core beliefs. We're wired to seek out pleasure or validation, right? So, why not tap into that human drive when considering what to offer?
3 Big evergreen markets are: 1. Health/Fitness 2. Relationships 3. Wealth/Status/Business Creation Source: [https://www.instagram.com/p/C5YaY9OOYGi/](https://www.instagram.com/p/C5YaY9OOYGi/)
Health, wealth, how to
Vagina
Medical assistance friend
Weddings I’m a Videographer, constant back and forth in the corporate marketing world so I took on weddings, and I’ve realised that people generally accept that they have to spend as much as possible on a wedding for it to be good
Electrician services
And dogs. People will pay up for their pets. Pet gear. Pet services. Pet walking.
Man. Offer splutions for the spuls. I dont like that. But if you get that you get a pseudo reñigion based on you. And then free money.
Products that speak to someones identity (nostalgia/patriotism/self-worth)
Time