Business Directory

Business Directory Success Stories [2024]

Pat Walls

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Updated: October 10th, 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.

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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.

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Read by 5,569 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).

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Read by 4,884 founders