We all love a bit of tech – the latest gizmo or gadget.
Investors love it too. Do you remember the dot com bubble?
But while the headlines are being grabbed by sexy flash-in-the-pan start-ups, it’s the grafters who are the real backbone of any economy.
Unsexy Businesses
JR Cleaning services is owned by a 17-year-old entrepreneur, Jamie.
He’s set up a car valeting business while studying for his A levels. He’s been trading for 4 years now.
His flyer says: ‘Fall in love with your car again’. Class!
It’s not surprising that one of his A-Level choices is Business Studies.
I asked him how many kids on his course were running part-time businesses.
His guess was one (maybe two) and they were trying to sell stuff online.
Meanwhile, Jamie is leaving the house at 7am every weekend to valet cars; he grafts most nights and every holiday.
Not very sexy. But Jamie has all the traits of someone who will build an excellent business.
Unsexy Business
For the last year I’ve been privileged enough to work with another Jamie, Jamie Waller.
Jamie is a huge fan of Unsexy. He made his first fortune in the extremely unglamorous world of debt collection.
Now he’s on a mission to promote Unsexy Business.
In fact, he’s written a book on the subject, featuring 12 entrepreneurs who have all built decidedly unsexy businesses.
It’s not for everyone but if you’re interested in business and you’re a bit tired of reading how Amazon, Google and Apple made their zillions, then it’s a cracking book for you.
‘Unsexy Business’ is out this week. It’s in all the book shops and, of course, on Amazon.
Be Brilliant
Michael
PS I really do love the concept of Unsexy Business. If you’d like to win a copy of Jamie’s book then leave a comment below sharing your favourite Unsexy Business. I’ll send a signed copy to my favourite.
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I cant remember the name of the ironing business, but they scrupled their flyer up and posted it through my door. The flyer said ‘if your ironing looks like this, give us a call!’
Before we started our current business with Avon we were buying and selling online to get by – particularly fridge freezers and sofas. I was shattered, my nails were always breaking off and I was so sick of lugging them around. It was so disgusting cleaning the sofas and fridge freezers before they could be sold and storing them all in our little terraced house! I couldn’t wait for the day we didn’t have several sofas and fridge freezers stacked up in our living room at any given time! Very unsexy but it got us through and made us a lot of money at the time!
Unsexy business – my own when I was 10 and continued until I was 16 and stopped to do my GCSEs. It all began when my mum was taking us to the US for the first time, but we had very little money and she was taking a loan! I baked cakes – 17 – 30 orders a week, freshly baked overnight on Thursdays to be delivered for Friday! Probably had more money then than now. BTW – contacted JR Cleaning Services so thanks for the tip
The very unsexy side of personal training, measuring sweaty bodies, getting people to do workouts that are out of their comfort zones and then questioning all of their food choices!!!
I love my unsexy business of door to door catalogue sales.
Although some of us direct Beauty selling reps from 5th September have come to believe that ‘the bears’ finally got Micheal. Help help!
We signed up for the 90 days but heard nothing back regarding that.
Help help! Have the bears got you?❤️
my 21 year old neighbour is a part owner and installer of industrial roller shutter doors for farm buildings, motto ‘ if it ain’t shut the tractor is fcuked’
Jamie’s just proved that the converse of ‘ where’s there’s muck (sex) there’s money’ Is also true!
A friend runs a business helping people to get their babies and toddlers to sleep and to get into a sleeping pattern. It’s late nights and dealing with fraught littleuns and parents. She’s amazing and has done so well she’s had to employ people to help her out. She’s based in Australia now but she’s from the UK originally. The Goodnight Nurse is the company name. She’s winning awards all over the place down under. Amazing.
My favourite unsexy businesses are dry cleaners. Apparently you can make a fortune running these.