17 Low Maintenance Business Ideas To Start (2024)
Are you looking for low maintenance business ideas that generate passive income?
A low maintenance business is one that requires little to no management. This can be achieved through automation and/or by outsourcing the work to other people or companies. Low maintenance businesses can be an excellent option for entrepreneurs looking for a extra income.
In this post, we feature 17 low maintenance businesses you can start in 2024. For each business idea, we’ll explain what it is, why it is a low maintenance business, and show you real-world examples so you can see what it takes to be successful.
Here they are:
1. Start a parking lot business
More people are purchasing cars, and the demand for parking spaces has increased significantly. Finding a safe parking lot is becoming a problem, and this is where the parking lot business opportunity emerges.
A private parking lot business provides customers with a convenient and safe space for automobiles.
Starting a parking lot business requires ample space, a parking attendant, a surveillance system, and payment collection software. To increase your income, you can introduce an EV charging station.
A parking lot business is an excellent low-maintenance business since you do not need to be there physically, as you can fully automate the parking lot as a self-service facility, available 24/7.
How much you can make: $61,583 — $100,000/month
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
Learn how the Co-Founder and CEO of NOSON grew their business to $1.2M in revenue in 27 markets using tools like Typeform, Zapier and Google for only $300 a month, and their advice for entrepreneurs just starting out.
2. Start a laundromat
The first laundromat opened in the United States in 1887. It was invented by the entrepreneur Josephine Cochrane, who was frustrated with having to wash her family’s laundry by hand.
The laundromat is a self-service facility that provides washing and drying machines for personal use. There are many different types of machines available, including coin-operated ones and those that require a card. They also provide various types of detergents and fabric softeners for use with the machines.
A laundromat can make a lot of money if it is in the right location and has the right prices.
How much you can make: $9,300 — $100,000/month
How long does it take to build: 75 days (?)
Pick My Laundry, India's on-demand laundry and dry-cleaning service provider has developed a mobile app and website serving almost 50,000 customers in its first year after signing up 100 third-party laundry services and franchising its model with over 50 franchises across more than 15 Indian cities.
3. Start a vending machine
A vending machine dispenses food, beverages, snacks, or cigarettes when customers insert a token, swipe a card, or insert a coin.
Starting a vending machine business in a populated & busy city is an easy way to make money. Vending machines are a low-maintenance business as the process is automated and you do not need to stand there operating the machine.
There are many advantages to starting a vending machine business, such as low startup costs, streamlined operations, all cash-based transactions, and flexibility.
Here are tips to help you start a successful vending machine business.
- Buy a franchise
- Find a high-traffic location
- Secure all licenses and contracts
- Launch your business
Owning the vending machine allows you to earn a passive income without much involvement in your business.
4. Start a vacation rentals business
Vacation rentals host travelers for a short period. Often located in top vacation destinations, vacation rentals feature spacious rooms and a cozy lifestyle and are cheaper than booking a hotel.
Building or buying a vacation rental is a smart way of creating a passive income without much involvement in the business.
To make money through the vacation rental business, ensure a strategic location, often nearby attractions. Choose an area that is easily accessible and desirable all year round and create a beautiful space for your guests.
Stand out by optimizing the vacation rental listing online and featuring all available amenities.
How much you can make: $1,500 — $295,000/month
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
This case study explores how a couple turned their childhood homes into vacation rentals, welcoming around 3k guests annually and generating an average revenue of $50k per year and property by focusing on a strong online presence and organic traffic.
5. Start a self-storage yard business
A self-storage yard provides a convenient and safe place for people to store the items they do not need at the present time, but do not want to dispose of them. Therefore, a storage yard eases the hassle of keeping things you do not need at home or office.
A storage yard is a relatively low-cost business and does not require much of the owner’s involvement. All you need is a safe storage location and staff to help the customers. To ensure convenient bookkeeping, consider self-storage software that monitors available storage units and collects payments from customers.
A self-storage yard can charge by storage period or a fixed rate depending on the items stored.
6. Start a self service car wash
A self-service car wash is a booming and profitable low maintenance business idea. Generally, the self-service car wash provides bays equipped with soap, brushes, high-pressure water, and wax for vehicle detailing. Other services can include an EV charging station, tire inflation, and vacuum cleaning.
If you are starting a self-service carwash, ensure you provide customers with quality equipment.
The advantage of a self-service carwash is that you do not need to employ someone to wash the cars and that you can monitor your income conveniently.
7. Create an online course
An online course business involves creating and selling digital classes teaching specialized skills or knowledge to subscribed students.
As an entrepreneurial course creator, you identify educational gaps around topics you have expertise in and develop engaging video lessons and supplementary materials.
With flexibility around self-paced or cohort-based structures, building a student base provides passive income potential.
For founders who enjoy information-sharing, launching an online course platform presents a lucrative way to monetize your instructional talents with small startup costs by serving eager lifelong learners seeking convenient access to emerging subjects.
How much you can make: $350 — $1,000,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $2,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 88 days (?)
Learn how one couple created a successful personal finance blog, The Savvy Couple, that now makes over $20,000 per month and has sold thousands of digital workbooks and courses, by focusing on purposeful content and optimizing their ROI with efficient time management.
8. Start a camping equipment rental
Camping with family or friends is always a great experience. People have the option to purchase camping gear or a camper van and keep it for the rest of their lives or rent it for the days they are not camping themselves.
Renting a camping gear or camper van is cheaper and more convenient as you do not have to worry about storage, nor do you worry about ongoing maintenance.
If you are passionate about both camping and entrepreneurship, camp equipment rentals can be a great low-maintenance business idea.
Renting camping gear generates income over its lifetime, hence a good passive income source. However, invest in what is needed, and provide quality and comfort. Market your business online, and partner with the camping tour operators in your area.
How much you can make: $10,000 — $100,000/month
How long does it take to build: 90 days (?)
ROAMERICA, a campervan rental company founded by Taylor Hood and Gretchen Bayless who quit their full-time jobs to focus on their business and have expanded their fleet quickly to meet the demand of adventure-seeking customers, with most of their web traffic coming from organic Google searches and a focus on social media and brand awareness.
9. Write an ebook
An ebook is a digital book that can be read on a computer, tablet, or other electronic devices. Writing an ebook is a great way to communicate your message to the world. You can share your expertise and help people learn while doing something that you love.
Ebooks are a great way to build your personal brand, establish yourself as an expert in your field, and gain a following. It's also a great way to make money! This form of publishing allows you to publish your work for the world to see without having to go through a publisher.
You can make money by selling ebooks on platforms like Amazon and Apple Books.
How much you can make: $4,500 — $600,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $299 (?)
How long does it take to build: 90 days (?)
Praveen Malik shares how he started a $17k per month project management blog business in 2016 with negligible revenue, and grew his gross profit margin to about 80% by selling his own eBooks and marketing third-party training programs through his blog.
10. Start an affiliate marketing business
Are you looking for a side hustle to pay you a passive income? Affiliate marketing is one of those side hustles that will pay you well over the long term. It is a way to earn money online by promoting other companies' products and services. You will be paid a commission for each sale you make as an affiliate marketer.
To get started, learn how to find the right product and brand to partner with. For example, you may prefer becoming an affiliate marketer for an eCommerce store, partnering with a manufacturer, and marketing their products for a commission.
How much you can make: $500 — $773,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $700 (?)
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
This case study explores how Spencer Mecham founded Buildapreneur, an affiliate marketing business, and has made over half a million dollars in profit with no employees, relying solely on content marketing through platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.
11. Start an ATM business
An automated teller machine allows people to withdraw money at a reasonable fee. The withdrawal fee is how the business makes money.
ATM is a profitable business with little to no overhead expenses. You can introduce an ATM at a grocery store, restaurant, casino, and other high-traffic locations. Another way to earn money operating an ATM is by allowing businesses to advertise on your ATMs.
If you plan to start an ATM business, you may consider buying or leasing one. Install the ATM at a safe location and partner with a reliable ATM maintenance company.
12. Digital products
Digital products are top-rated. They’re easy to create and share and a great way to build a business.
Digital products can be software-based, like an app or game, or information-based, like an ebook or course. They can also be something else entirely—like a membership site or a community. The possibilities are endless!
So what makes digital products such a great way to build a business? Well, first of all, they’re effortless to create. You don’t have to hire anyone else to do it for you; you can do it yourself! And because there’s no risk of having inventory sitting around in your garage, digital products can be sold directly from your website without worrying about moving merchandise.
How much you can make: $10,417 — $1,766,666/month
How much does it cost to start: $5,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
FilterGrade is an eCommerce platform offering digital assets such as photo filters and video templates; attracting over 450,000 monthly users and generating approximately 30k a month, the founders worked hard to build a valuable marketplace for creators while focusing on digital marketing, partnerships, and content creation.
13. Start a digital marketplace
A digital marketplace is a platform creating avenues for buyers and sellers to transact. The service matches potential buyers with sellers and provides a secure trading platform.
These platforms do not own any products traded via them; hence they are low-cost and low-maintenance business ideas and generate a passive income over their lifetime.
All you need is to build an application like Alibaba or Amazon and provide a secure escrow service so traders trust your platform.
How much you can make: $1,000 — $2,000,000/month
How long does it take to build: 110 days (?)
Reedsy, a book publishing services marketplace that connects authors with freelancers, has driven over $1m in GMV, features over 1,500 vetted freelance professionals, and sees over 1,000 projects every month.
14. Start an online payment service
An online payment service provider is a third-party company that provides a payment platform for businesses that accept online payment methods like debit cards, credit cards, cash cards, etc. Building an online payment platform is a great way of achieving financial freedom. This is because the payment platform charges the stores and service providers a convenience fee for using their services, generating a passive income for the business owners.
If you plan to build an online payment solution, focus on building a solution that will process different payment types.
How much you can make: $2,200 — $5,000,000/month
How long does it take to build: 165 days (?)
Transformify, a global payroll and payments platform for international contractors, achieved 650% revenue growth in 2021 and reached profitability in 2019, offering social impact programs for various vulnerable groups, vendor management systems for temporary workforce management, and an AI-driven applicant tracking system to help job seekers switch careers amid Covid-19 outbreak.
15. Start a RV rental business
An RV rental business involves acquiring a fleet of recreational vehicles to rent out as campers for travelers and vacationers.
As an RV rental business owner, you supply motorhomes equipped with living essentials for road trips and outdoor getaways.
With flexibility around RV classes from luxury to budget rates, building inventories and customizing rental packages can create diverse revenue streams.
For hospitality-inclined founders seeking an accessible franchise, an RV rental company presents a promising venture as pandemic-weary travelers prioritize domestic trips focused on flexibility and the outdoors.
How much you can make: $2,000 — $250,000/month
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
ROAMERICA, a campervan rental company founded by Taylor Hood and Gretchen Bayless who quit their full-time jobs to focus on their business and have expanded their fleet quickly to meet the demand of adventure-seeking customers, with most of their web traffic coming from organic Google searches and a focus on social media and brand awareness.
16. Build a software tool
Businesses are focusing on automating their operations, a need that has resulted in increased demand for software developers.
If you have software development skills and looking for a low maintenance business idea that will generate passive income, it is time to practice your skills.
A software company can build a plethora of applications and earn a passive income from them, with very little to no maintenance needed to keep the applications running. If you plan to start a software business, research the market to find high-potential opportunities. You may focus on a certain niche, or serve any business.
Choose a payment option that allows you a passive income over the lifetime of your software.
How much you can make: $23,000 — $10,000,000/month
How long does it take to build: 90 days (?)
Learn how two friends bootstrapped a SaaS business to $55k monthly recurring revenue (MRR) by creating a simple graphic design tool for non-designers and focusing on content marketing for customer acquisition.
17. Start a photo booth business
A photo booth business involves providing a portable and automated photography setup that allows individuals to take fun and creative pictures at events or venues.
This business is becoming more popular for various occasions like weddings, parties, and corporate events, providing a unique and entertaining experience for guests.
To start a photo booth business, you need to invest in quality equipment, create a user-friendly website to showcase your services and market your business to event planners and individuals hosting celebrations.
How much you can make: $50,001 — $500,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $6,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 37 days (?)
This case study follows the journey of an Indian first-generation entrepreneur who built Studio 31, a profitable and award-winning wedding photography and film company capturing over 350 weddings annually, with a unique focus on customer experience and organic marketing, serving more than 90% NRI clients and generating an annual revenue of about a million dollars.
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
