Everyone talks about raising millions. Nobody talks about the founders making $200k/year from businesses they started with a credit card and a weekend.
Here's what actually works in 2026.
1. WordPress Maintenance for Local B2B
Someone needs to update those 47 security patches on your dentist's website. Might as well be you.
What it costs: Domain, hosting, basic toolkit. Maybe $200.
What it makes: $99-239/month per client on retainer. Land 10 clients and you're at $15k/year minimum. Scale to 30 and you're looking at six figures.
Why it works: Every business has a WordPress site. Most are running on plugins from 2019. They'll pay monthly to make the problem go away.
The catch: You need to actually know WordPress. But if you've ever customized a Divi theme or fixed a broken contact form, you're already qualified.
2. Niche Newsletter (Actually Niche)
Stop trying to be Morning Brew. Be the person who covers sustainable aviation fuel regulations or 1990s gaming hardware.
What it costs: Ghost or Substack. Free tier works fine until you hit scale.
What it makes: 500 subscribers at 38% open rates can drive sponsorships, affiliate revenue, or paid tiers. $2-5k/month once you hit 2,000+ subscribers.
Why it works: Broad appeals to everyone. Niche appeals to someone specific who'll actually open your emails.
The catch: Takes 6-12 months to build audience. You need genuine expertise or obsession with the topic.
3. Cleaning Services (Yeah, Really)
Unsexy. Profitable. Scalable.
What it costs: Supplies and a DBA filing. Under $500 to start.
What it makes: $25-50/hour for residential, more for commercial. Hit $60k your first year working solo, $150k+ when you hire your first employee.
Why it works: Recurring revenue. Low churn. People will pay premium for reliability.
The catch: Physical work until you can hire. But that's what separates you from the SEO course sellers.
4. Technical Content Writing for SaaS
Every B2B SaaS company needs someone who can explain API authentication without sounding like a robot wrote it.
What it costs: Portfolio site. Maybe $100.
What it makes: $300-800 per article. Land 2-3 retainer clients and you're at $5-8k/month.
Why it works: Companies will pay $50k+ for a technical writer on salary. They'll pay $3k/month for the same output on contract.
The catch: You need writing skills plus enough technical knowledge to not embarrass yourself. Former developers with decent prose have a goldmine here.
5. Dropshipping (But Not Aliexpress Garbage)
Skip the "winning products" nonsense. Find actual manufacturers who'll work with you on custom products for specific niches.
What it costs: $500-2k for site, initial ad spend, and samples.
What it makes: Wildly variable. But structured right, $20-100k/year is realistic.
Why it works: When everyone zigs toward cheap Chinese junk, zag toward quality items for specific communities.
The catch: Customer service headaches. Returns. Shipping delays. This isn't passive income, it's a real business.
6. Local SEO Consulting
Plumbers and lawyers don't know why they're not ranking. You can figure it out in 20 minutes with free tools.
What it costs: Basically nothing. SEO tools have free tiers. Your knowledge is the product.
What it makes: $500-2k/month per client. Five clients is $30k/year minimum.
Why it works: Local businesses know they need to show up on Google. They don't know how to make it happen.
The catch: Results take time. You're selling patience to people who want overnight success.
7. Print on Demand with Actual Design Skills
Etsy is full of AI-generated trash. If you can actually design, you'll stand out.
What it costs: $200-500 for design tools and initial marketing.
What it makes: Margins are tight but volume makes up for it. $1-2k/month is achievable within 6 months if your designs don't suck.
Why it works: People still buy t-shirts, mugs, and posters. They just want them to not look like every other Midjourney output.
The catch: Design skills matter. Canva templates won't cut it.
The Pattern Nobody Mentions
Notice what these have in common? They're all service or direct-to-consumer plays. No enterprise sales cycles. No waiting for procurement to approve your contract.
You can start this weekend. You can have your first customer by next weekend. You can be profitable by month three.
The unsexy truth about bootstrapping is that it works precisely because nobody wants to do it. Everyone wants to pitch Sequoia. Almost nobody wants to cold email 50 local businesses offering WordPress maintenance.
That gap is your opportunity.
Actually Starting
Pick one. Not three. Definitely not all seven.
Give it 90 days of actual effort. Not posting about it on LinkedIn. Not buying courses about it. Actual outreach, actual work, actual customer conversations.
If it's not working after 90 days, you learned something valuable. If it is working, you just bought yourself freedom from the venture capital hamster wheel.
The best time to start was five years ago. The second best time is this weekend.
