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- New business ideas: $250K/yr selling stickers, $15K/mo history major, $3K/mo "free" walking tours 🤑
New business ideas: $250K/yr selling stickers, $15K/mo history major, $3K/mo "free" walking tours 🤑
eBiz Insider
Business Ideas Newsletter
Hey, it's Niall 👋
Every week there's a new take on AI and jobs.
Most land on either wild optimism or full-on panic – and neither helps if you're a regular person trying to figure out what to do about it.
But Cat Goetze recently reframed the whole thing, and I can't stop thinking about it:
AI is making entrepreneurship safer than a real job.
Her argument is that AI is unlocking a new paradigm of employment:
One where we don't have “jobs”, but we direct AI at what we're passionate about to generate small, independent, sustainable self-supporting cash flow.
I think she's onto something.
Until recently, starting a business meant quitting your job, burning through savings, and probably a spouse willing to put up with both.
That barrier has already collapsed. People with nothing but curiosity and basic AI tools are going from idea to income in a matter of weeks.
If you're curious where to start, grab the free guide below 👇
Then keep scrolling for my latest batch of fresh business ideas.
Niall Doherty
eBiz Insider
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WALKING TOURS
$3K/Month Running "Free" Walking Tours (Zero Startup Cost)
📝 From a recent post on Reddit...
Started doing free walking tours in Washington D.C as a side thing couple months back. Tip based, post on local facebook groups and eventbrite, nothing fancy. First month maybe 8 people total across 4 tours, tips covered gas money and a beer after.
A few months later 👇
Pulling in $300-500 per tour easy now, which is turning into real side money around 3k last month.
$300–500 per tour. $3K last month. No equipment, no overhead, no upfront cost.
The model: list your tour on Eventbrite and local Facebook groups, show up, and collect tips at the end. The "free" label removes all friction – people come because there's nothing to lose.
It grew fast 👀
Last saturday had 42 which was chaos, couldnt hear myself talk half the time, group split into 3 clumps.
The poster is now weighing whether to charge a small fee, hire a second guide, or cap group sizes.
This model is long proven in Europe – free walking tours run in most major cities there. But it works anywhere with tourist traffic or an interesting neighbourhood. Pick a theme (history, food, street art), list it, show up 🔥
AI SIDE HUSTLE
History Major Making $15-20K/Month Building AI Apps
📝 From a recent post on Reddit...
I'm studying undergrad, and slowly realised f**k corporate internship, job market is terrible, and I just want to start making good money.
The poster – a history major in the EU – says they started about three months ago. Simple tactic: whenever a "looking for developer" post appeared on Reddit, they'd comment. No portfolio. No pitch. Just...
Is 5k ok for you? and it's gonna be vibecoded fine?
US clients were apparently cool with that. They now claim to average $15-20K/month solo, spending around $400-500 on AI tools.
The workflow 👇
Clients write a brief doc of what they want
Find matching designs on Figma or Mobbin
Build with AI coding tools
Extra $200-300 for App Store submission help
On that last part...
clients hate submitting
(Helping with that alone could be a profitable business.)
Marketing is 100% word of mouth. Clients refer clients, and are asked to post about their app at launch.
The model is simple: charge $3-5K to build a basic app with AI tools, for clients who'd rather pay than learn themselves. 🤑
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STICKY BIZ
$250K/Year Starting With One Sticker Design
Therese Waechter’s stickers
📝 Therese Waechter built a $250K/year sticker business – but it almost didn't happen.
During the pandemic, she listed one sticker design on Facebook Marketplace. It took off – 200 orders a day at peak. Then Facebook shut her down without warning.
Instead of quitting, she pivoted to Etsy and Amazon. Started with print-on-demand, but margins were too thin. So she bought a commercial printer and brought production in-house 👀
That was the real turning point.
Her business, Otto's Grotto, now spreads revenue across four channels 👇
Etsy (30%): runs store-wide 40% discounts – listings without them get buried
Amazon FBA (30%): small paid ads for 1-3 weeks per listing, then fully hands-off
Faire (30%): wholesale to retailers, tiered discounts encourage bulk orders
Shopify (10%): mostly a credibility signal for wholesale buyers
She got a feature in Business Insider using Qwoted (a free PR platform), and she's now moving to trade printers and remote fulfillment to run the business from anywhere.
The playbook: start with one design on Etsy using print-on-demand – once sales pick up, invest in your own printer and expand to Amazon and Faire 😎
FINAL THOUGHT
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