WORK LESS, EARN MORE PODCAST EPISODE #355
It's late. The kids are finally asleep, the dishwasher is humming, and you've got a notebook open on the kitchen table.
On the page? A list of business ideas.
Crossed out. Rewritten. Crossed out again.
Sound familiar? (Am I right?!)
You know you want something flexible. Something you can run from home, on your own hours, in maybe 10, 20, or 30 hours a week. But which idea would actually pan out?
Here's the thing. The online business world has changed a LOT in just the last few years. The ideas that were making money back then aren't necessarily the ones with real profit potential today.
The good news is... there is real, measurable demand out there right now. You just have to know where to look.
So I did the research for you. Below are 12 specific online business ideas for 2027, each one backed by data showing real and growing demand. For every idea, I'll also tell you which business model fits it best.
And even if none of these is the one for you, stick with me. By the end, you'll know exactly what kind of demand to look for in your own idea.
Prefer to listen? I walk through this whole breakdown on the Work Less, Earn More podcast. 🎧👇
first, pick your business model
A business idea is really two parts:
Your niche. Who you serve, and what problem you help them solve.
Your business model. How you deliver that help and get paid for it.
You can figure these out in either order. In fact, lots of people start with the niche and then choose the model.
Now, most of the people I work with want the same things from an online business. Flexibility. Control over their schedule. The freedom to work from wherever they want. And a really good return on their time.
Because let's be honest... most of us don't have 60 hours a week to throw at a business. We need a model that can hit our income goals in a limited number of hours.
That's why there are three business models I recommend to most people.
Services. You do the work for your clients and get paid for the results you create. Services aren't as scalable as other options, but they're simple and straightforward. You don't need many clients, and you don't need a big audience at all.
High-ticket coaching or consulting. Instead of doing the work, you advise clients on what they should do. You only need a small number of clients, each paying a fairly large amount. You'll usually need a small audience, though, because your expertise tends to be niche and you're fishing for a very specific kind of client.
Mid-ticket digital products. I'm NOT talking about $5 printables or $20 templates here. I'm talking about substantial online courses or memberships you can sell for at least a couple hundred dollars. Higher price, far fewer customers needed. Easy peasy math.
Quick note on courses vs. memberships, since people mix these up all the time. The one difference that's always there is the payment structure. A course is a one-time fee (or a payment plan you eventually pay off). A membership is an ongoing subscription. You could sell the exact same content either way!
Which model you choose depends on two things: how you want to work, and what your target market is really looking for.
Alright. Let's get into the ideas. 👇
AI and tech services
If AI isn't your thing, don't throw in the towel yet. Plenty of non-AI ideas are coming. But these first three have some of the most striking numbers on the whole list.
1. AI workflow setup for solo therapy practices
Therapists are burning out. Badly.
A study by Ensora Health of 1,300 therapists found that 82% are reporting burnout. And a big part of what's wearing them down isn't the therapy itself.
It's the paperwork.
Patient notes. Insurance. Staying compliant. All the admin that piles up around the real work.
So therapists are turning to AI to help. Adoption among therapists jumped from 29% to 55% in about a year. The problem? Many of them are just using basic ChatGPT, which isn't built for a therapy practice at all, and often isn't compliant with the privacy and medical policies they have to follow.
Here's where you come in.
Solo practices don't have an IT department or a big team. They'll pay you very well to handle their AI workflow setup completely, so they can automate their admin and get back to helping their clients. And because it's a business investment, they can write it off as a business expense.
Best business model: Service. They don't have the time, bandwidth, or expertise to do this themselves, so you do it for them.
Great fit if: you have some background in healthcare and you're willing to learn the AI side (which you absolutely can).
2. AI follow-up systems for real estate agents
Real estate agents see the potential of AI. They just aren't seeing the results.
68% of real estate agents have tried using AI to automate parts of their business, especially marketing and follow-up. But only 17% say they're seeing results.
That gap? That's your opportunity.
52% of agents already use AI to draft emails and follow-ups, but they're doing it ad hoc, with no real system behind it. They're focused on selling houses, not on learning AI.
And here's what makes this so appealing: most agents already spend somewhere between $250 and over $500 per month on tech. If you can help them finally get results from tools they're already paying for, hiring you is a very logical investment.
Best business model: Service.
Great fit if: you have some real estate experience and you're building your AI skills.
3. AI search visibility for med spas and dental offices
This one surprised me.
According to BrightLocal, 45% of consumers are now using AI to find local business recommendations. Back in 2025, that number was only 6%. A separate study by Yext found 44% of consumers had used AI for local search in just the past month.
So people are searching this way. But are businesses showing up?
Mostly... no.
SOCi analyzed over 350,000 small businesses and found that only 1.2% are getting recommended by ChatGPT.
Now, why med spas and dental offices specifically? Because they're high-margin businesses, and every new customer brings in a lot of revenue. So they can afford to invest in anything that brings even a few more people through their doors.
If you can help them get found in AI search, that's a service with a direct, immediate return on investment. They'll be happy to pay for it.
Best business model: Service.
health and wellness
Now for some options with no AI required.
4. Strength training memberships for women in perimenopause and menopause
Over the past couple of years, awareness has really grown around how important strength training is for women going through perimenopause and menopause. It helps with longevity and overall health, and it can help protect against bone loss and osteoporosis as women age.
So lots of women know they should be strength training.
But they don't know how to get started. Especially if they've never lifted weights before.
And women in this stage of life are often looking for community, too, as they navigate all the changes happening in their bodies.
Look at these numbers:
About 65 million US women will be in menopause by 2030.
70% of women surveyed say they'd benefit from a community built around strength training.
BCG projects the US menopause market will grow about 8-fold by 2030, from around $5 billion to over $40 billion.
Best business model: A recurring membership that combines workouts, strength training education, and peer support.
5. Meal planning for people on GLP-1 medications
I know a lot of people are surprised by this one.
According to Gallup, 11% of US adults are now taking GLP-1 medications for weight loss. Just two years ago, it was 3%.
Here's the challenge. GLP-1s suppress appetite, so people on them often aren't eating enough, and especially not enough protein. That matters, because they need that protein to avoid losing muscle, and to keep the weight off once they come off the medication.
A joint advisory from four medical societies named protein as a top priority. Yet only 43% of patients were meeting their minimum protein needs during GLP-1 therapy.
Social media is full of people saying "eat more protein on your GLP-1!" But plenty of people are still lost on how to actually fit that into their diet and their daily life.
Best business model: Any of the three!
Digital product: a course or membership that walks people through GLP-1 meal planning.
Coaching: one-on-one or group support for meal planning and hitting protein goals.
Service: you create the meal plans and hand them right over.
6. A reactive dog training online course
Dog ownership in the US is at a record high. Which means more people than ever are dealing with behavior issues.
In a survey of over 3,200 dog owners, aggression was the #2 most common behavior problem.
But here's the catch. A lot of owners don't want to drive to an in-person training class. It's inconvenient, it's expensive, and we're all SO busy.
An online course lets them work through it at their own pace, right at home, which is exactly where the bad behavior is happening anyway!
Best business model: A digital course. Or do both: an affordable online course, plus a premium one-on-one consulting tier for owners who want more support or have a dog with serious behavior issues.
not seeing your idea yet?
That's totally all right!
Maybe one of these ideas jumped right off the page at you. Wonderful. But if they're all slightly missing the mark, here's what I want you to pay attention to instead:
The types of ideas on this list. One of them might spark a related idea that fits you perfectly.
The relationship between the niche and the business model. Notice how each market points toward the model that serves it best.
The kind of data we're looking at. Data that shows real need is what signals real profit potential.
That data isn't the end of the question of whether you can make money with an idea. But it's a great starting place.
family and life transitions
7. Elder care navigation
63 million Americans are now family caregivers. That's an increase of 20 million since 2015.
Our population is aging. And many parents had fewer kids than past generations did, which means more of the burden falls on each adult child.
Those adult children spend an average of $7,200 out of pocket every year on care. (Of course, that varies hugely. Some spend almost nothing because they're doing the caregiving themselves. Others spend many times that on a full-time care facility.)
Either way, there's a lot to navigate, a lot of money being spent, and most families are facing it for the very first time.
Oh, and this stat stopped me in my tracks: only 11% of family caregivers have received any training for basic caregiving tasks.
Best business model: Any of the three.
Consulting: advise families one-on-one, hourly or on a monthly retainer, to help them find and navigate their best options.
Service: research care facilities, coordinate transitions, and handle the paperwork for them.
Digital product: a course, guide, or membership teaching families how to navigate the elder care system (and maybe best caregiving practices, too).
8. A toddler picky eating course
If you've ever sat across the table from a two-year-old who refuses everything but crackers... you know how stressful this is.
I hear about it constantly from my own parent friends. They're always asking for tips. Always talking about how much they're struggling, and how emotional it gets.
(Funny enough, my own six kids have never really been picky. Nature or nurture? Who knows!)
The numbers back it up:
A Stanford Pediatrics survey found that about 50% of children are reported as picky eaters by age 2.
Of those, 40% or more stay picky for over two years.
So this isn't a phase parents want to just wait out. And researchers at the University of Bristol described picky eating as a significant source of anxiety for parents.
Anxious parents with a persistent problem? They're motivated to pay for a solution.
Best business model: An online course or membership, or one-on-one consulting for parents.
9. Microschool launch consulting
I learned a LOT doing the research for this list. But this one? I had no idea.
As most of you know, I homeschool my kids. So I'm pretty familiar with different kinds of schooling. But I did not realize how many microschools are popping up.
Microschools are like mini private schools. Some run out of a family's home, some out of churches, all sorts of small locations. And there are now over 75,000 of them in the US, serving more than 1.5 million students.
Part of what's driving this: 19 states now have universal or near-universal school choice programs that can pay tuition at whatever kind of school a parent chooses. Half of microschools now receive 25% of their tuition from state programs, a 38% jump from the year before.
That means money is flowing into these schools. Money they can invest back into their businesses.
And many founders are going in with a lot of passion but zero expertise in logistics, curriculum decisions, or funding.
Best business model: Consulting. Guide founders from idea to opening day, or from opening day to a profitable, successful school. It's a small but fast-growing market with very little competition.
10. Homeschool-to-college support
Homeschooling has been on the rise ever since about 2020.
There are now about 3.4 million homeschooled kids in the US. That's about 6% of all school-aged children. And homeschooling is growing at a rate of 5.4% per year, three times the pre-pandemic growth rate.
But there's one transition that leaves a lot of homeschooling parents confused and overwhelmed: getting their kids into college.
How do you handle transcripts without a traditional school? College applications? Financial aid? State regulations?
There are great options out there. Parents just don't have the information, or they're overwhelmed by the work.
Best business model: Consulting, or a service where you actually prepare the transcripts and paperwork for them.
hobby and skill-based memberships
Hobbyists have SO much passion. What they often don't have is a roadmap, whether that's turning their hobby into a business or simply going deeper with their skill. You can bridge that gap.
11. A laser engraving business course
Have you seen these desktop laser engravers? They sit right on a desk or in a home office, and millions of people now own one. Two of the big names are Glowforge and xTool.
The market is exploding:
xTool alone reported over 400,000 connected machines as of September 2025.
Revenue from laser machines grew by over 70% in 2024.
The desktop laser engraver market is valued at over $1.8 billion, and it's projected to reach $3.4 billion by 2034.
Lots of people buy these machines because they want to start a little laser engraving business. They're excited, they're passionate... but they don't know much about business strategy or marketing.
So imagine a course that teaches business skills, not just how to run the machine. Product selection. Pricing. Etsy strategy. Design basics. Fulfillment.
Buyers would see it as a business investment with a clear ROI, which makes it a pretty easy course to sell. And right now, there's not a lot of competition in this space at all.
Best business model: Digital product (a course).
Great fit if: you own a laser engraver, love it, and have some business know-how.
12. A regional vegetable gardening membership
Gardening is a big industry.
Over 35% of US homes now grow some of their own food. In the past year, they spent over $7.9 billion on gardening supplies, about $740 per gardening household.
But here's the thing about vegetable gardening. It's different from one region to the next. So there really can't be one generic gardening course that works for everyone.
That's your opening.
A membership (or course) built for one specific region could cover the local climate, the soil type, the frost dates, and the best things to grow. It would be easy to stand out, with very little competition for your specific region.
Best business model: Digital product (a membership or course).
Great fit if: you're an avid gardener who loves the idea of a digital product business.
do you need industry experience to serve a niche?
This came up in our Q&A, and it's a great question.
My answer? Moderately important.
What is essential is knowing the product you're bringing to them. If you're offering AI services, you need the AI skills. And the good news is... those skills can be learned! Just a couple of years ago, not a single one of us was an AI expert.
You can absolutely help real estate agents, therapists, or med spas without having worked in those industries. But if you know the industry inside and out, the customers they're after and the unique challenges they face, you'll be able to serve them even better.
One more tip: with a service business, it's usually easier to start out very niche. You can offer a specialized service that's exactly what that market is looking for. As your business grows, you can broaden who you serve.
what about the proven niches?
Someone also asked about personal finance consulting.
It's a very proven niche. That's actually the downside. It's a mature, full-grown market with a LOT of competition, which is why it's not on this list.
Can you still succeed with it? Absolutely, especially if it's your area of expertise and you're passionate about it. Just know it won't be an easy niche to jump into and start making sales quickly.
where to go from here
As you think about which business to start, there are two things to clarify:
Your niche. Which target market will you serve, and what problem will you solve (or what result will you help them reach)?
Your business model. A service, coaching or consulting, or a digital product? And if it's a digital product, a course or a membership?
Choose based on what your market is really looking for AND on how you want to work and what you want your life to look like.
So if that notebook on your kitchen table is full of crossed-out ideas... I want you to know you're not behind.
The opportunities are out there. Real people with real problems, and real money they're ready to spend on a solution. You don't need a perfect idea. You need a real need, the right model, and the courage to take that first step. ❤️
Once you have your idea, your next step is The $100K Method, my free 10-episode private podcast. It's one thing to launch a product and make a few sales. It's another to turn that idea into consistent sales, month after month. That's exactly what I teach in The $100K Method. You can listen free at gillianperkins.com/100k-method-signup.
And when you're ready for step-by-step support building your business, that's what we do together inside Startup Society.
Want early access to some of my newest trainings, workshops, and business resources before they’re released publicly?
You’ll get behind-the-scenes updates, first access to new opportunities, and exclusive invitations to upcoming programs and events.
Show notes + links:
Work with Gillian Perkins:
Startup Society: https://startupsociety.com
$100K Mastermind: https://gillianperkins.com/100k-mastermind
FREE Resources to Grow Your Online Business:
Small Business 101 (free course): https://gillianperkins.com/free-training-small-business-101/
$100K Method (free audio course): https://www.gillianperkins.com/100k-method-signup
Early Access (Why Your Audience Isn't Growing): https://www.gillianperkins.com/early-access
Connect with Gillian:
Learn more about Gillian: https://gillianperkins.com
Instagram: @GillianZPerkins
SUBSCRIBE TO WORK LESS EARN MORE
