In times of hardship, people may find themselves turning to what they excel in to make money. Below are some ways that you can build a business in times of hardship!

Identify the problems that people are having

Let’s say that you wanted to build a business around helping people get their laundry done because your wife is always complaining about never having clean clothes and not knowing how many socks she has left in the drawer! You could start by identifying which type of customer would benefit most from your service: single men who don’t have time for laundry because they’re always working, young couples who are saving up for a house and can’t afford to hire someone else to do their laundry or busy families with kids who don’t have the time or energy after school.

List the problems that you can solve

From here, you can start to think about how your business will benefit customers by solving their problems and providing more value than is currently available elsewhere. Maybe people love the convenience of having a personal laundry fairy who comes in when they’re out of town or asleep? If that’s what resonates with them, then that could be the best direction for your business!

Look at what your business needs

In our example, maybe you can start by offering laundry services from home that people will pay hourly. You’ll either need access to some type of large-capacity washer/dryer, or you’ll need to purchase some for yourself. Or maybe this is a business that people want so much that they’re willing to pay someone else in their household (teenagers, retirees) with access to laundry facilities at home so they can get the service done without having to invest any money upfront!

Focus on Quality over quantity

Create something that is of high quality and will survive repeated use (or wear & tear). A minimum viable product should not be disposable! Some people may only need you twice before moving on with their lives; others might want to keep coming back for years.

In our example, the minimum viable product would be something like a two-slot washing machine and dryer combo with access to an unlimited supply of water and electricity where customers can come in weekly or biweekly as part of their monthly bills. Or maybe you offer laundry services from home, so people don’t have to buy a washer/dryer combo.