Success in business is often pictured as founding a flashy startup, landing venture capital, and chasing massive scale. But what if there's another way—one that's far less risky, more sustainable, and surprisingly accessible to ordinary people? That's where the Main Street path comes in. This approach centers around buying small, overlooked businesses—dry cleaners, HVAC services, laundromats—that quietly generate consistent income. They may not be glamorous, but they're steady, profitable, and often deeply rooted in their communities.
Rather than building from scratch, the focus is on acquiring businesses that already work, then improving or streamlining them. In this summary, we'll explore how to spot the right kind of business, how to acquire it using little of your own money, and how to turn it into a self-sustaining engine of income. The journey typically follows three phases: several months learning fundamentals, additional time scouting potential acquisitions, and about a year stabilizing and growing what you purchase. It's a smart, grounded route to financial freedom and long-term wealth - built not on hype, but on cash flow. It's not about getting rich quick. It's about getting rich for sure.
Let’s find out more.
Boring is the New Sexy
In a world obsessed with innovation and disruption, it's easy to overlook the humble businesses that quietly power daily life. Yet these so-called "boring businesses" are some of the most stable and profitable ventures available. They don't rely on trends, they aren't vulnerable to rapid technological change, and they often serve essential, repeat needs—like cleaning, fixing, or maintaining something. The beauty is in their predictability.
Take a local plumbing company. It's not going to make headlines, but it's likely been operating for decades, has a loyal customer base, and generates consistent monthly revenue. Even in economic downturns, pipes still burst, toilets still clog, and someone needs to fix them. That demand doesn't disappear. It may even increase.
What makes these businesses particularly appealing is that they're often overlooked by younger entrepreneurs who chase tech startups or social media fame. But, these overlooked enterprises collectively generate approximately $6.5 trillion annually in the United States alone. This means there's less competition when it comes time to buy. Owners, many of whom are aging baby boomers, are looking to retire and often want someone who will care for their staff and continue their legacy. And where children may be uninterested in taking over family businesses, a significant opportunity exists for savvy investors willing to step in where others won't.
They also tend to have simple models. There's usually no need for complex logistics, app development, or international marketing. Instead, they offer straightforward services that people pay for again and again. It's not unusual for such businesses to have profit margins of 20–30%, especially when operational costs are tightly controlled.
The key is to shift your mindset: boring doesn't mean bad. It means reliable, essential, and in many cases, underappreciated. When you stop chasing excitement and start chasing consistency, you'll discover a world of opportunities hiding in plain sight. These businesses might not make you a billionaire, but they can make you financially free—and that's often the more valuable prize.
Don’t see how this is better than building your own thing?
Buy, Don't Build
Starting a business from scratch is often romanticized, but in reality, it's like trying to roll a boulder uphill. You're building everything from the ground up: branding, systems, customer base, processes, and team. It's high-risk, slow, and rarely as rewarding as the startup myths suggest. In contrast, buying an existing business is like acquiring a running vehicle—you don't need to build the engine; you just need to steer.Consider someone purchasing a local landscaping company that already services 150 clients and employs a small team. The trucks, the tools, the contracts—it's all there. The business may not be optimized, but it's functional and profitable. From day one, you've got revenue coming in, customers to serve, and infrastructure to build on. You bypass the toughest phase of business ownership: the uncertain early years when 90% of startups fail.This approach is especially powerful for people transitioning from 9-to-5 jobs. Instead of waiting for a startup to become profitable, which could take years (if it ever happens), a purchased business can replace your salary immediately. If the business nets $150,000 a year in profit and you buy it with smart financing, you can step into a ready-made income stream.But how do you choose the right one to place your bets on?Of course, not all businesses are worth buying. Due diligence is essential. You need to review the financials, understand the operations, and get a sense of customer loyalty. Start by researching 100 potential businesses, then take a closer look at 50 that seem promising. From there, dig deep into the numbers and operations of 10 serious contenders. Finally, choose the one that stands out as the best fit to buy. This process helps you filter out the noise and zero in on the right opportunity with clarity and confidence.And even the process of buying can be easier than expected. Many small business owners are emotionally attached to their work and want a buyer who cares, not just the highest bidder. This opens the door for favorable terms, even seller financing.Ultimately, buying skips the painful early-stage grind and allows you to spend your time improving, growing, or even just maintaining something that's already working. It's a smarter, safer entry point for those who want to own without having to invent.Once you’ve decided which business to buy, the next big move is to manage your money properly whilst doing so. Let’s learn more about that.
Use Other People's Money
One of the biggest misconceptions about buying businesses is that it requires a lot of personal capital. In reality, many deals can be structured using other people's money—if you know where to look and how to negotiate. That's how ordinary people with modest savings end up owning businesses that generate six figures in profit annually.There are several tools in the toolbox. The first is seller financing. This means the seller agrees to be paid over time, usually from the business's own profits. Why would they agree to this? Because it spreads their income across years rather than taking one lump sum, which is good for taxes. Monthly cash flow that feels like a retirement plan. And it also enables a smoother handover, where they can gradually exit while ensuring the business transitions successfully. And if they care about their legacy or employees, they may prefer to sell to someone who doesn't gut the business on day one. Approximately 60% of small business acquisitions work this way. For instance, when purchasing a $500,000 business generating $200,000 annual profit, you might provide a $50,000 down payment and pay the seller $4,000 monthly over ten years. This arrangement leaves you with $12,000 monthly for operations and personal compensation while giving the seller steady income with potential tax advantages.Then there are Small Business Administration (SBA) loans. In the U.S., these government-backed loans can finance up to 90% of a purchase, often with favorable interest rates and long repayment terms. While they do require paperwork and vetting, they dramatically reduce the amount of upfront cash needed to close a deal.Ok, now you’ve gone ahead and acquired your new business. So, how do you manage it? Well, firstly, you could try partnerships that'll help you grow without heavy spending. Let’s say you run a lawn care company. You approach a local real estate agent who often helps clients with moving into new homes. You offer them a deal: for every new homeowner they refer to your service, they get a $100 bonus or a free month of lawn care for one of their properties. In return, you gain consistent new customers without spending on traditional marketing. This is a customer acquisition deal.Other creative structures include earn-outs—where part of the payment depends on the business hitting certain performance targets, say, 10% of any revenue above $500,000 for the next three years. And investor partnerships, where someone else...
Find Cash Flow, Not Just Potential
When evaluating businesses, it's tempting to dream about what they could become. Maybe a dusty old print shop could add e-commerce. Maybe a local gym could scale through franchising. But chasing potential over cash flow is a risky game. The smarter move is to focus on what the business is doing today—specifically, how much money it reliably generates.Cash flow is the lifeblood of any good acquisition. It's the fuel that pays for your debt, your salary, your staff, and your growth. If a business isn't consistently generating enough to do all that, it's not an investment—it's a gamble. And in the world of boring business buying, gambling is not the goal.So, every business you consider should meet four critical cash flow requirements: sufficient revenue to cover all existing debts, enough to pay you a proper salary (otherwise what's the point), additional funds for business improvements, and finally, extra money for your personal wealth building. If these fundamentals aren't present, look elsewhere.Let's say you're looking at two businesses. One is a car detailing service doing $400,000 in annual revenue and $120,000 in profit. The other is a trendy new juice bar that's been open for a year, losing money, but has "great potential." The detailing business wins every time. It's steady, proven, and can be improved with smart operations. The juice bar, meanwhile, is still finding its footing.There are several tests you can conduct to find this perfect fit.You may apply what experienced buyers call the S-O-W-S evaluation system: Firstly, you could seek Stale businesses with outdated practices you can improve, like that local print shop still using paper order forms when simple online ordering could dramatically increase efficiency. Or you could try old establishments with loyal customer bases. Any 25+-years-old store with loyal customers who trust the brand implicitly—making improvements immediately profitable. Or thirdly, go for weak competition leaving room for your better approaches. Weak competition appears in markets like the local HVAC company where competitors take days to respond to service calls, while implementing a same-day response system would instantly set you apart. And lastly, you could aim for simple operations that don't require constant oversight. Services like window cleaning—straightforward to understand, manage, and improve with basic technology and training.Another option is to use the BRRT framework in your evaluation: Buy businesses that collect payment before delivering services; look for Resistant models that thrive regardless of economic conditions; ensure...
Make the Business Work Without You
Owning a business shouldn't mean being chained to it. If you have to be there every day, making every decision and solving every problem, you don't own a business—you own a job. True business ownership means building something that functions independently, or at least with minimal oversight.The concept here is "owner-absentee" or semi-absentee ownership. It starts with choosing the right kind of business—one that doesn't rely on a charismatic founder or unique personal skill set. From there, it's about building or improving systems: scheduling software, documented procedures, clear roles, and accountability structures.Let's take a laundromat as an example. If the machines are coin-operated, maintenance is handled by a part-time technician, and cleaning is outsourced, the owner doesn't need to be there. They might stop by once a week to collect revenue and check on operations. That's a business that runs with freedom baked in. Contrast that with a catering company where the owner is also the head chef, salesperson, and manager. That business isn't free—it's fragile. If the owner gets sick or steps away, the whole operation stalls. While it might bring in money, it won't bring peace of mind.In such cases, prioritize finding an exceptional operator. This person becomes your trusted lieutenant, requiring competitive compensation similar to what you'd pay yourself. If the business cannot support such an expense, recognize you'll need to be hands-on until profitability improves.Keep in mind, your first 90 days are crucial for establishing leadership. Begin with a team meeting including the previous owner to facilitate transition. Then conduct individual meetings with each team member to identify their "roadblocks" (which are obstacles preventing better performance) and "rockets" (which are ideas for business growth). These conversations build trust while providing valuable operational insights. Also, establish clear communication rhythms—perhaps weekly meetings combining inspirational vision-setting with transparent financial reviews. This dual approach keeps everyone aligned while maintaining focus on critical metrics, particularly cash flow during the vulnerable initial period.The goal isn't to be lazy. It's to be strategic. Each layer of delegation and automation creates distance between your personal energy and your income. Building autonomy into a business may take time upfront—hiring the right people, installing better systems, documenting everything—but the payoff is worth it. It's the difference between owning a business and being owned by one.Time is your most valuable asset, and the more your business runs without you, the more you can spend time improving it—or...
Stack, Don't Flip
The real wealth in boring businesses doesn't come from buying and selling them quickly. It comes from holding them—stacking them like bricks to build a wall of steady income. Each business you own adds another revenue stream, another asset, and another layer of financial security.Imagine you start by buying a small cleaning company. After a year, it's running smoothly and generating $100,000 a year in profit. With some of that cash and your now-proven experience, you acquire a second business—a local pest control service. Over time, you add a small HVAC company. Each one complements the others. They serve similar customers, use shared resources, and benefit from your growing operational know-how. This approach is slow, steady, and powerful. Instead of relying on a single big win, you create a portfolio of businesses that provide income regardless of what the economy—or one individual company—does. It's diversification in the real world.To maximize each business in your growing collection, implement strategic improvements across several fronts. Many owners undercharge out of fear—test incremental price increases. Meaning, raise your service cost from $40 to $43, then to $45 if no pushback occurs. Or try tiered service levels that offer premium options. Instead of charging everyone $200 for a standard house cleaning, create three tiers: $180 for basic (floors and bathrooms), $220 for standard (basic plus kitchen deep clean and dusting), and $280 for premium (standard plus inside appliances and baseboards). Many customers will choose higher tiers for the added value, boosting your average transaction value without losing price-sensitive customers. Focus on existing customers by creating value-added packages combining complementary services they already use. Or transform one-time purchases into recurring revenue models—like subscription-based maintenance plans. This creates predictable income that improves planning and stability. Simultaneously, build systems that allow rapid response to new customer inquiries, potentially within minutes rather than hours or days.Do not overlook the power of customer reviews in today's marketplace. Since dissatisfied customers are far more likely to leave feedback than satisfied ones, actively encourage happy clients to share their experiences, building a positive reputation that attracts new business. And while you are at it, leverage modern marketing approaches appropriate for your industry—perhaps before-and-after showcases for service businesses or educational content for specialized trades. These efforts, combined with operational excellence, create sustainably growing enterprises.This stacking lets you think long-term. Flipping businesses, by contrast, may bring big one-time payouts but comes with higher risk...
Summary
Financial freedom doesn't require genius, massive risk, or a tech breakthrough. It can be found in everyday places—like a laundromat, a moving company, or a tree-trimming service. These small, steady, often-overlooked businesses offer not just profit, but control over your time and future. When approached with patience, diligence, and smart strategy, boring businesses become powerful vehicles for wealth. The path may be quiet, but it's remarkably effective.
It's not a get-rich-quick scheme—it's a get-rich-for-sure strategy.
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About the Author
Codie Sanchez is a former journalist and Wall Street professional who founded the business media and education company Contrarian Thinking and authored the New York Times bestselling book Main Street Millionaire. She is known for her investments in "boring" cash-flowing businesses, her work in the cannabis industry, and for teaching individuals how to build wealth through small business acquisitions instead of chasing high-growth startups. Her career includes roles at Vanguard, Goldman Sachs, and State Street, and she holds an MBA from Georgetown University.
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