Business Directory

Business Directory Success Stories [2024]

•

Updated: September 6th, 2024

If you have an eye for connections and supporting local businesses, a business directory could be your next venture. A business directory compiles categorized information about businesses for easy access by consumers, acting as a digital bridge between businesses and potential customers.

Creating a robust and user-friendly online directory entails gathering and verifying detailed business information, organizing it into a coherent system, and ensuring its visibility through effective online marketing strategies. Your directory could cater to specific niches or cover a broader range of industries, providing valuable visibility for local enterprises.

By helping businesses gain exposure and offering consumers a reliable resource, you become an essential part of the community's economic fabric. With a well-structured platform, passion for local markets, and some marketing know-how, starting a business directory can be a rewarding and impactful endeavor.

In this list, you'll find real-world business directory success stories and very profitable examples of starting a business directory that makes money.

1. DeepBench Inc. ($1.2M/year)

The co-founders of DeepBench, Yishi, Derek, Devin, and Nikhil, met while studying at MIT and realized the need for a better, more efficient expert network. They saw that existing networks were slow, expensive, and disjointed, and believed that technology could solve these problems. By automating the expert-finding process and prioritizing user interface, security, and transparency, DeepBench has attracted over 450 clients and facilitated nearly 2,000 consultations.

How much money it makes: $1.2M/year
How many people on the team: 8

How These Founders Built A $100K/Month Business Disrupting The Expert Network Industry

DeepBench, a company disrupting the expert network industry, offers a platform connecting clients with expert advisors for informed decision making, serving over 450 clients and 25,000 advisors and achieving their best quarter yet in Q1 2021.

Read this case study

Read by 5,846 founders

2. Panda Wish ($90K/year)

Mohammed Khonizi came up with the idea for Panda Wish after struggling to book a massage while traveling in the Philippines. He saw the need for a platform that would make it easier for clients to request beauty and spa services, while also helping massage therapists earn a good income. After conducting market research and piloting the app in Naga City, it quickly gained traction and attracted hundreds of therapists and clients.

How much money it makes: $90K/year
How much did it cost to start: $50K
How many people on the team: 1

How We Created A $7.5K/Month On-Demand Beauty And Wellness Platform

Panda Wish, an on-demand beauty and wellness platform, built by Mohammed Khonizi, a Wayne State University MBA graduate, earned over $7.5k per month, following its successful pilot in the Philippines in 2019.

Read this case study

Read by 5,496 founders

3. Assure Shift ($69.6K/year)

Debendra Prasad noticed how fake and unprofessional moving companies plagued the industry, so he founded AssureShift in 2017 to offer verified, reliable movers. Today, AssureShift has a network of 700-800 packers and has served over 50,000 customers across India, generating $250K annually.

How much money it makes: $69.6K/year
How much did it cost to start: $9.7K
How many people on the team: 14

How I Started A $6K/Month Platform Offering Leads To Packers And Movers

AssureShift founder Debendra Prasad shares insights on building a successful web development and digital marketing company that offers a lucrative online moving companies directory, currently serving over 50,000 customers across approximately 23 cities and a yearly revenue of around 1 Cr ($250K).

Read this case study

Read by 4,823 founders