Million Dollar Business Ideas Anyone Can Start Today

Author

Joshua Clear
May 16, 2025

In partnership with

200+ AI Side Hustles to Start Right Now

AI isn't just changing business—it's creating entirely new income opportunities. The Hustle's guide features 200+ ways to make money with AI, from beginner-friendly gigs to advanced ventures. Each comes with realistic income projections and resource requirements. Join 1.5M professionals getting daily insights on emerging tech and business opportunities.

Meet the Hosts & Guest

Sam Parr and Shaan Puri are the dynamic duo behind My First Million, a podcast where they riff on business ideas, dissect trends, and share their playbooks for building million-dollar companies. In this episode, they’re joined by Greg Isenberg, a serial entrepreneur and community-building expert, to brainstorm six business ideas that could make you a millionaire-without needing a trust fund or a Silicon Valley zip code24.

🎙️ EPISODE SNAPSHOT

Ever looked at your kid’s dance recital and thought, “That’s a million-dollar business hiding in plain sight”? Sam, Shaan, and Greg do just that, uncovering six business ideas you can start today-no unicorn DNA required. This episode is a goldmine for anyone who wants to spot overlooked opportunities, break into niche markets, and build a business that prints cash faster than your grandma’s fax machine14.

💡 KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • Million-dollar businesses are everywhere-often hiding in plain sight, like local dance studios or swim lesson franchises. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel; sometimes you just need to notice the wheels everyone else ignores1.

  • Niche markets = big money. Whether it’s “AWS for the Amish” or AG1 for Dogs, finding underserved communities or overlooked needs can lead to massive, defensible businesses14.

  • Distribution is king. The best operators turn simple services (like at-home pet euthanasia or takeout call centers) into scalable, high-margin businesses by nailing distribution and customer experience14.

  • Don’t sleep on old-school tech. Fax machines, call centers, and even physical newsletters are still printing money for the right audiences-especially those underserved by digital-first solutions1.

  • Franchises and recurring revenue models are your friend. They offer predictable income, brand leverage, and easier scaling, as seen with Goldfish Swim School and similar concepts14.

🛠️ TOOLS, WEBSITES, RESOURCES MENTIONED

  • HubSpot CRM: The hosts recommend building your business on the free HubSpot CRM for streamlined operations (and to avoid “small boy spreadsheets”)4.

  • IbyFax.com: The “AWS for the Amish”-a service that bridges the tech gap for Amish entrepreneurs by translating emails to faxes and vice versa1.

  • Goldfish Swim School: A franchise model for children’s swim lessons, cited as a $600M+ revenue juggernaut and a blueprint for scalable local businesses1.

  • Lap of Love: At-home pet euthanasia service, showing how empathy and convenience can disrupt traditional industries3.

  • Owner.com: A platform for restaurant owners to manage online orders and customer relationships, illustrating the power of vertical SaaS3.

  • Stripe Atlas for Trademarks: A hypothetical idea for simplifying the trademark process for founders-think Stripe Atlas, but for IP4.

💼 BUSINESS IDEAS & OPPORTUNITIES

  • Children’s Dance Studio: Local, recurring revenue, and scalable to multiple locations. Think “recital as marketing” and community as moat1.

  • Swim Lessons Franchise: Proven model with high demand and strong brand potential. Each location can gross $2M+ annually1.

  • AWS for the Amish: Provide tech translation services for communities with unique restrictions-huge, untapped market with high loyalty1.

  • AG1 for Dogs: Premium daily supplements for pets, leveraging the “humanization of pets” trend and subscription models4.

  • Luxury Newsletters: Curated, high-end newsletters for niche audiences willing to pay for exclusive insights or status4.

  • Takeout Order Call Center: Outsource phone orders for restaurants, especially those with older clientele or tech-averse customers3.

🧠 LIFE HACKS

  • Be a “business spotter”: Train yourself to see business models everywhere-recitals, franchises, even Amish fax huts. The world is a spreadsheet if you squint hard enough1.

  • Recital as marketing: Turn your product or service into an event that sells itself and brings in new customers organically1.

  • Leverage “English” partners: In communities with tech or cultural barriers, act as the trusted go-between to unlock new markets1.

💰 BEST IDEAS FOR FASTEST CASH

  • Swim Lessons Franchise: High demand, proven playbook, and expansion potential. You can be swimming in cash (pun intended) within a year1.

  • Children’s Dance Studio: Low marketing spend, recurring revenue, and rapid word-of-mouth growth. Not glamorous, but highly profitable1.

  • Takeout Order Call Center: Quick to launch, solves a real pain point, and can scale with minimal tech investment3.

  • Goldfish Swim School: $600M+ in annual revenue, with individual locations pulling in $2M+ each. Proof that “boring” businesses can be gold mines1.

  • Amish population: ~400,000 in the U.S., highly entrepreneurial, and underserved by mainstream tech-ripe for niche services like IbyFax1.

  • Pet industry: The “humanization of pets” is driving explosive growth in premium pet products and services, including supplements and at-home care4.

🔑 ACTIONABLE STRATEGIES

  1. Spot the hidden business: Next time you’re at a kids’ event, count heads, estimate spend, and do the napkin math. If the numbers work, dig deeper1.

  2. Validate with real customers: Before building, talk to your target market (even if it means sending a fax to an Amish woodworker)1.

  3. Leverage existing platforms: Use tools like HubSpot CRM or Owner.com to streamline operations and focus on growth, not admin4.

  4. Find your “English”: If you’re targeting a niche or restricted community, partner with an insider who can bridge the gap and build trust1.

  5. Turn events into marketing: Use recitals, shows, or community gatherings as both revenue drivers and organic growth engines1.

  • No specific books are mentioned in this episode, but Sam and Shaan often reference business classics and recommend resources like their own Ideation Bootcamp for learning how to spot and validate business ideas6.

🚀 GROWTH HACKS & CHEAT CODES

  • Coaches as cheat codes: The hosts mention leveraging coaches and mentors to fast-track learning and avoid rookie mistakes3.

  • Distribution over invention: Focus on getting your product in front of the right audience, even if the product itself isn’t revolutionary1.

  • Recurring revenue stacking: Layer on memberships, events, and upsells to maximize customer lifetime value1.

📝 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

If you think million-dollar businesses are reserved for Silicon Valley whiz kids or crypto cowboys, think again. Sam, Shaan, and Greg break down how everyday opportunities-like teaching kids to swim, running a dance studio, or helping the Amish send faxes-can become cash cows with the right lens and a sprinkle of hustle. The secret sauce? Spotting overlooked markets, obsessing over distribution, and turning “boring” businesses into recurring-revenue machines. Whether you’re a would-be founder or just want to see the world through a more entrepreneurial lens, this episode is a masterclass in finding gold where others see dirt14.

Context on Businesses Mentioned

  • Children’s Dance Studio: Cited as a real-world example of a local business generating $1M+ in annual revenue with minimal marketing, thanks to community engagement and recurring events1.

  • Goldfish Swim School: Used to illustrate the power of franchising and recurring revenue in “hidden in plain sight” businesses1.

  • IbyFax.com (“AWS for the Amish”): Highlighted as a niche tech service that solves a unique problem for a large, underserved market1.

  • AG1 for Dogs, Luxury Newsletters, Takeout Call Center: Presented as concrete, actionable ideas that leverage current trends and consumer behaviors4.

Common Theme of the Podcast

The recurring theme? Million-dollar business ideas are everywhere-if you train your brain to spot them. The hosts champion the idea that you don’t need to be a tech genius or a visionary; you just need to notice what everyone else ignores, validate demand, and execute relentlessly24.

🌎 External Factors

Economic:

  • The rise of “boring” but resilient local service businesses (like dance studios and swim schools) is fueled by stable, recurring consumer demand-parents will always pay for their kids’ enrichment, even in uncertain times.

  • The entrepreneurial Amish community, with 400,000+ members, is a surprisingly robust micro-economy, underserved by mainstream tech but highly engaged in commerce.

Regulatory:

  • Amish and Mennonite religious rules restrict direct use of modern technology, creating a regulatory “moat” that enables niche services like IbyFax to thrive as a necessary bridge.

  • Franchise regulations and local licensing requirements shape the scalability of businesses like Goldfish Swim School and dance studios.

Consumer Behavior:

  • Parents are willing to pay premium prices for children’s activities, including memberships, tickets, uniforms, and photo packages-often with little price sensitivity.

  • There’s insatiable demand for community-driven, experiential services (e.g., recitals as both product and marketing).

  • The Amish rely on trusted intermediaries (“English” partners) to interact with the outside world, creating opportunities for tech-enabled go-betweens.

Competitive Conditions:

  • Many of these businesses operate in fragmented, under-optimized markets with little digital disruption (e.g., fax-based communication, local dance studios).

  • The scarcity of tech solutions for niche communities (like the Amish) limits competition and boosts customer loyalty.

📈 Business Metrics

  • Children’s Dance Studio:

    • ~300 students per location, $250/month tuition = $75,000/month revenue.

    • Additional revenue from recitals, tickets, uniforms, photos.

    • Estimated annual revenue: $1.25 million.

    • EBITDA: $500,000–$700,000 per year (implying healthy margins, likely 40–56%).

  • Goldfish Swim School (Franchise):

    • $600 million+ annual system-wide revenue.

    • Individual locations: ~$2 million/year in revenue.

    • 300+ locations.

  • IbyFax (AWS for the Amish):

    • Subscription: ~$20/month + per-fax fees.

    • Used by a large share of Amish businesses for all external communication.

  • “Hidden in Plain Sight” Wealth:

    • Local, recurring-revenue businesses (dance, swim, pet services) are quietly generating millions, often with minimal marketing.

  • Tech-Enabled Niche Solutions:

    • Services like IbyFax bridge the gap for communities with unique tech restrictions, creating defensible, high-margin businesses.

  • Community as a Moat:

    • Businesses that embed themselves in local culture (recitals, trusted intermediaries) enjoy loyalty and word-of-mouth growth.

  • Premiumization and Humanization:

    • Parents and pet owners are spending more on premium, “humanized” experiences and products for their kids and animals.

🚀 Business Initiatives

  • Dance Studio:

    • Scaled to three locations, leveraging recitals as both product and marketing.

    • Minimal paid marketing-growth driven by community and events.

  • Goldfish Swim School:

    • Aggressive franchising, standardized playbook, and brand expansion.

  • IbyFax:

    • Serving as the “English” intermediary for Amish businesses, expanding reach via word-of-mouth and necessity.

  • Entrepreneurial Layering:

    • Hosts discuss the opportunity for “English” operators to build new businesses on top of Amish supply chains (e.g., e-commerce with Amish-made goods).

🔮 Forward-Looking Statements

  • Expansion Potential:

    • Hosts highlight the potential for rapid, multi-location scaling in children’s enrichment businesses and swim schools.

    • The “AWS for the Amish” model could be replicated for other tech-restricted or niche communities.

  • Distribution Focus:

    • Emphasis on finding overlooked markets and building distribution-first businesses, rather than inventing new products.

  • Layered Value Chains:

    • Encouragement for listeners to become the “English” partner for niche communities, acting as the bridge and capturing value through trust and access.

TL;DR Executive Analysis

This episode is a masterclass in spotting and scaling “unsexy” businesses that print cash in the background. The external environment-marked by stable demand for kids’ activities, regulatory quirks (like Amish tech rules), and consumer willingness to pay for community-creates fertile ground for million-dollar opportunities. The metrics are eye-popping: $1.25M/year for a dance studio, $2M/location for swim franchises, and a fax service that quietly powers Amish commerce. The big trend? Niche, recurring-revenue businesses with strong local or cultural moats are thriving. The best operators focus on distribution, community, and leveraging unique regulatory or behavioral barriers. The future? More “hidden” businesses, more creative intermediaries, and more everyday millionaires who see what others miss.

Why You Should Sign Up for The Hustle Co Newsletter

Ever wish you had a cheat code for discovering the next million-dollar business hiding in plain sight? That’s exactly what you get with The Hustle Co newsletter. Each edition is like having Sam Parr and Shaan Puri riding shotgun in your inbox, breaking down the real-world business models, offbeat trends, and quirky entrepreneurial hacks that most people overlook. If you loved hearing how a local dance studio or an “AWS for the Amish” fax service quietly rakes in seven figures, The Hustle Co is your front-row seat to more of these unconventional goldmines-served with a side of wit and actionable insights.

But here’s the real kicker: The Hustle Co doesn’t just report on business trends-they hand you the playbook. Imagine getting a steady drip of ideas, breakdowns, and step-by-step growth tactics that you can actually use to launch or scale your own venture. Whether you’re an aspiring founder, a side hustler, or just someone who loves seeing how the sausage gets made, this newsletter is your shortcut to thinking like an operator and spotting opportunities before they hit the mainstream. Don’t just keep up with the business world-get ahead of it, one clever email at a time.

Watch the full episode we got our notes from here: