Introduction
This post has been inspired by what Dasun Sucharith says in his article, The Boring Business Model Quietly Making Millionaires in 2026: "The business nobody talks about has a 95% chance of working. The business everyone admires has a 10% chance." His statement makes a lot of sense, and it got me thinking about the strange paradox in business. Successful businesses stem from ideas that seemed boring and quiet. Ideas that nobody bought when they were proposed. The ideas could be a slight twist of what has been the norm, but because people are used to doing things in a particular way, they end up rubbishing it. Those louder, appealing, and admirable business ideas often become fragile, not because ambition or innovation is bad, but because attention distorts reality.
Challenges of Start-Ups
Limelight Digital reports that 90% of start-ups fail, with about 28% failing in their first year. Rarely do start-ups survive beyond the fifth year. Behind every start-up story that hits the media are silent struggles and failures, while the boring, silent, invisible businesses enjoy a steady stream of income. Silent businesses attract less attention, have less stress, and are more likely to survive in the long term. Incentives, competition, and human psychology are what differentiate the two scenarios. Let us take a critical look at the two categories and dissect the reasons for the higher survival chances of boring, quiet business ideas.
The 95% Category
The Quiet, Boring and Profitable
Businesses under this category are not popular and are not established to "make a statement." They do not trend on social media, nor do they inspire motivational quotes, but they have a 95% chance of working. The reason for this is that they are not entrenched in emotions but in problem-solving. This is one simple principle that the other category overlooks. They target recurring problems that people are already paying to fix. A business like office cleaning or door-to-door laundry services may not sound exciting, but these services are still needed. Think of even a grocery store where people go and buy already-chopped vegetables. For sure, that is a service that people, especially those in urban areas, need. People do not wake up dreaming of grocery stores or laundry services, but people need groceries. The demand is not driven by trends but rather by necessity. This category of business works so well because:
Demand is not driven by emotions
A grocery or laundry business exists because the problem does not go away and is not dependent on hype cycles or influencer endorsements. Restaurants will need grocery and laundry services, whereas a landlord will need cleaning services for their apartment. This stability gives these businesses an advantage.
Ego Avoids Them
Humans are egoistic in nature, and for that reason, they become choosy about the business they do. A graduate might not find it well with them to go to the market and get some groceries and sell them in the evening to his colleagues after work. Most people prefer admiration rather than reliability. They choose admiration to protect their image as they work towards making the business reliable or sustainable. Very few people want to introduce themselves as "I run a pit latrine emptying service," or "I am the CEO of ABC tile cleaning services," or "I repair laptops and mobile phones." This leaves these businesses for the few people who do not mind about the ego. The lack of ego appeal keeps competition low and margins higher.
It's About Reliability, Not Branding
The customers in this category do not care about branding. Rarely do you find a client who needs laundry or tile cleaning services searching on the internet for the service provider. They depend on referrals, and what matters to them is timekeeping, good service, a fair price, and being available next time your service is sought.
Growth is Slow but Guaranteed
If somebody asked you to name three businesses that deal with tile cleaning or groceries in your locality, I bet you would struggle to name even one. But I am sure you can pick one or two ladies who run a grocery store, especially in Kenya. One attribute of these businesses is that they do not explode overnight with pomp and glare, nor do they collapse overnight. Their growth is slow but sure. They grow through referrals, long-term contracts, repeat clients, and local reputation. Though this kind of growth does not look exciting, it is compounding.
The 10% Category
The Pomp and Glare
10% of businesses in this category see the light of day and survive past the start-up stage. These businesses have everyone talking about them, and their ideas dominate conversations and podcasts. They go viral on social media posts, TikTok videos, and panels. If you log in to TikTok now, you will not scroll through ten posts without seeing a video on website design. Everyone talks about coding and website development. There was a time when the internet was ripe with graphic design ideas. Tech startups with no clear revenue model, fashion brands built on aesthetics, and influencer-based product lines fall in this category. These businesses are okay, but if you start one, there is a higher chance of it failing than working because of its high-risk nature. These businesses have a high chance of failure because:
Everyone Sees the Same Opportunity
An admired idea is a crowded idea. If you can think of it, then there are so many others who thought about it before you. Some are already making money out of it and have built stronger networks. Because of its competitive nature, profit margins go down as the market costs go up. A good example is the slides (ladies' sandals) business. Many people are into that business such that one is forced to sell a pair for as low as Kshs 250. The buying price ranges between Kshs 130 and about Kshs 200. So to make a meaningful profit, the selling price should be at least Kshs 300 per pair.
Attention is Mistaken for Demand
Admirable businesses usually catch the attention of celebrities and influencers. When these products are seen worn by influencers and these celebrities, they trend online with thousands of likes and shares. Many businesspeople confuse visibility with viability. When they share the post online, either on WhatsApp status, Instagram, or Facebook, the number of likes, comments, and shares makes them feel like they are successful. In most cases, the products are usually not stocked, but they get a client and order the product for them. One mistake that they make is to go and invest money in the business because of 10,000 likes and shares on Instagram and TikTok. By the time reality hits, the excitement is gone, but the costs and logistics have skyrocketed.
Founders fall in love with the Idea not the problem.
Unlike the boring, quiet business where the founder falls in love with the problem and offers the solution, the pomp and glare business's founders love the idea. They love the identity, the story, and the dream of how they will create a good brand. They foresee an image of success but overlook the business model and its operation, customer support, customer retention, and long-term sustainability.
Unique Business Ideas
Even though they might not be unique in your area, they are worth considering.
- Gas delivery services
- Queue management services
- Subscription-based laundry services
- Grocery delivery services
- Buying and resale of second-hand items
- Subscription-based maintenance services
- Tile cleaning services
- Waste collection and recycling
- Emptying of on-site sanitation facilities
Conclusion
Businesses do not need applause. They need consistency. Consistency comes from first working on the basics by building fundamentals before fantasies. Do not chase admiration, but choose problems people complain about. There are things and services that people cannot do without and pay repeatedly to have them. Invest and build where ego-driven competition is low.
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