There’s a truism in entrepreneurship that says, “To create a successful business, you should solve a problem.” That may be true, but there’s a better way to build a business that is uniquely yours: Create a business doing things people hate to do.
Every person has a list of things they hate. Whether they put off filing papers or eat out because they hate cooking, there’s a big, blank wall that prevents them from tackling these dreaded tasks. No matter how many self-promises they make, they just never seem to get to them.
It is in this list that Gen Xers can find entrepreneurial gold! Whenever someone complains about things they hate, that’s an opportunity hidden in plain sight. Whether it’s managing paperwork, dealing with social media, or even cleaning trash cans, there are employment opportunities waiting to be found.
I’m Good at Absolutely Nothing
If you’re worried you don’t have the right experience to start your own business, just remember: your knack for organizing, cleaning, fixing things, or simply being reliable is a superpower. People are thrilled to hand off the things they hate to someone who enjoys doing the work—and someone they can trust.
Why Gen X is Perfect for Service Work
As Gen X entrepreneurs, we’re in a prime position to turn other people’s pain points into profitable business ventures.
We Gen Xers are natural problem solvers, adaptable, and service-minded. If someone says, “I have a problem,” there are ten Gen Xers ready to say, I can help.
Stop Helping For Free
But here’s the thing: Gen Xers are also incredibly generous, always ready to bring over a casserole when friends are down or lend a hand if someone needs help organizing.
Trust me when I say, if your friends ask you to help them for free, there are ten other people willing to pay you for the same solutions. Whether it’s marketing, cold-calling, or raking the yard, there are countless ways you can step in and offer help—for a fee.
With our experience and adaptability, Gen Xers are ready to swoop in and provide the services people desperately need—all while doing things we don’t mind so much (and might even love!). Someone else’s meal prep could be your creative outlet.
Take your Gen X resilience and expertise, and start building services that make life easier for others.
Things People Hate to Do
Marketing and Self-Promotion
Many people dread marketing and self-promotion because it feels yucky to brag or even humble brag. Plus, there are so many people already doing the self-promotion thing. No thank you! They’d rather just “focus on their craft.”
Opportunity for Gen X Entrepreneurs: Create a marketing agency or focus on bio writing or content marketing. You’ll be like a make up artist to the pros!
Cleaning Trash Cans
Yuck! Cleaning trash cans is universally despised because it’s just gross. The smell and mess can make it feel like an insurmountable chore that’s better left ignored. And dragging those around front. No thank you.
Opportunity for Gen X Entrepreneurs: Even the most technologically challenged Gen Xer can start a specialized cleaning service that handles the nasty trash cans. Develop a subscription-based service or go door knocking to help people take that despised item off their to do list.
Filing and Organizing Paperwork
Computers were supposed to save us from paperwork, but it feels like there is more paper than ever cluttering our desks, our homes and our mind. It can be seriously anxiety-inducing to watch all those piece of paper fluttering around even as we promise ourselves, ever day, that we’ll get to that pile. Tomorrow. Plus no matter how much we file, more paper seems to crop up the next day. It’s overwhelming and often feels like an exercise in futility.
Opportunity for Gen X Entrepreneurs: Launch a digital document management service that helps individuals and businesses transition to paperless solutions. Or just set up a business where you’ll tackle stacks of paper, put everyting in neat and organized folders, and point out anything that looks critical, like an uncashed check or a missed payment notice.
Cold Calling
Even the best of us hate spending hours on the phone trying to score sales appointments with potential customers. Being a “bother” and the anxiety of being rejected is a turn off for all but the most die-hard business owners.
Opportunity for Gen X Entrepreneurs: Create a lead generation system that uses advanced modern technology and automation to minimize the need for cold calling. Or, just provide your finger and an old-school phone and offer to do the cold calling as a service.
Household Chores
Like filing paperwork, household chores are monotonous, tedious work. They usually feel like a must-do and not a want-to-do, especially among busy entrepreneurs.
Opportunity for Gen X Entrepreneurs: Start a home services business that offers a range of chores from cleaning to errands to organizing. Consider a subscription model where clients can set regular schedules for service to simplify their lives.
Dealing with Customer Complaints
No business owner likes hearing their customers aren’t satisfied. At best, these complaints can feel like a personal failure, at worst, they re demoralizing. It’s challenging to face that anger, and then bounce back enough to get “real” work done.
Opportunity for Gen X Entrepreneurs: Create a customer service consulting firm that helps businesses improve their complaint handling processes. Offer training, tools, and strategies to help CEO and their staff handle customer complaints and turn them from negative experiences into positive outcomes.
Managing Finances
Managing finances is almost always stressful, unless you’re Warren Buffet. And let’s face it, he’s probably not balancing his own check book. Business owners often feel lost or angry when they are faced with complex budgets, especially with budgets that demonstrate flagging numbers.
Opportunity for Gen X Entrepreneurs: Become a pro at one financial app, like QuickBooks or Gusto, and let potential clients know that you can help them manage the numbers. The time you free up can be used by them to find new clients. Win win.
Learning New Technology
The appearance of new AI tools is dominating the media these days. There are SO many new tools and then newer tools that combine the new tools of yesterday. Keeping up with all the new technology can be overwhelming and it feels like there’s a HUGE learning curve.
Opportunity for Gen X Entrepreneurs: Whether you are a tech-savant, or slightly tech-phobic, AI is meant to be easy to use. That’s WHY so many people are using it. Commit to keeping up with the new AI tools and how they can help small businesses, and you’ll rapidly establish yourself as an expert in an rapidly growing field. Or, offer user-friendly resources and AI workshops and watch the people turn to you with their questions.
Managing Social Media
Today’s social media platforms are overwhelming. Who hangs out where? How do I do video on a budget? What’s the perfect posting schedule? What are the RIGHT image sizes for each platform? Social media content creation has largely proven to be valuable when done right, but it is time-consuming and when not done right, it can yield minimal return.
Opportunity for Gen X Entrepreneurs: Develop a social media management service that takes advantage of AI advances and lets clients do the work they do best.
Household Repairs
Household repairs can be messy and difficult. And don’t even get started on what happens when an amateur hits the wrong nail on the head. There is a rapidly growing need for experienced repair pros, specifically because so many people hate doing their own home repairs.
Opportunity for Gen X Entrepreneurs: Start a handyman service or join a platform that connects skilled repair professionals with homeowners. Specialize in emergency repairs and charge a premium rate or offer subscription to lock in repeat business.
Updating Websites
Many business pros put off updating their business websites. The work feels never-ending, so most pros wait to bundle their edits, but then never get back to them at all. Plus, it is hard to keep content fresh and relevant.
Opportunity for Gen X Entrepreneurs: Find a website that has outdate content, an old copyright or broken links and reach out to the business to offer your service as a website troubleshooter. Make it absolutely hassle free for your contacts to send you edits and see them get updated in minutes.
If you are looking to dive into the side hustle game or even start a full-blown business for the first time, spend less time worrying about how to get started and, well, just start. Find a person with a problem. Help them with a problem. Ask for referrals.
People are always looking to ditch the things they hate.