I Ranked the Best Businesses to Start Before 2026

Key Concepts:

• Business model ranking based on speed to first dollar, ease of learning, long-term profitability, and sellability.
• Meta skills: Skills that are transferable and valuable across different business ventures.
• Passive income vs. active income: Building an asset that generates income without constant involvement vs. needing to actively work to earn money.
• AI's impact on various industries and business models.
• The importance of building a sellable business.

1. Real Estate:

• Tier: A (Worth It, but you got to know business first)
• Key Points: Historically, a major wealth creator. Offers cash flow, tax advantages, asset appreciation, and high leverage.
• Details: Most millionaires create wealth through real estate.
• Logical Connections: Serves as a good investment for cash generated from other businesses.

2. NFTs and Crypto Projects:

• Tier: F (Straight Up Scammy)
• Key Points: Difficult to make the first dollar now, not easy to learn, not profitable currently, and generally not sellable. Many projects are scams.
• Details: Over 500 out of 1,000 NFT projects are considered pure scams.
• Logical Connections: Contrasts with real estate as a wealth-building asset.

3. Paid Ads Agency:

• Tier: B (Decent, but not for everyone)
• Key Points: Quick to make the first dollar, relatively easy to learn, and potentially profitable. However, its long-term relevance is questionable due to AI and platform automation. Sellability is limited without recurring contracts or unique expertise.
• Details: Some young people are making $6 million a year with this agency. Meta and Facebook are developing tools that could automate ad management.
• Logical Connections: The rise of AI poses a threat to the long-term viability of this business model.

4. Coaching and Online Courses:

• Tier: A (Worth It, but you got to know business first)
• Key Points: Very fast to make the first dollar, easy to learn, and highly profitable due to 97% profit margins. Not very sellable long term.
• Details: Information is one of the most profitable business models due to low costs.
• Logical Connections: High-profit margins make it attractive, but limited sellability is a drawback.

5. AI Automation Agency:

• Tier: A (Worth It, but you got to know business first)
• Key Points: Fastest to make the first dollar due to high demand. Easy to learn and currently very profitable. The risk is AI becoming better at automation than the agency itself. Sellability is challenging.
• Details: AI automation is a hot topic with significant demand.
• Logical Connections: Prioritized over online coaching due to the value of developing AI skills.

6. YouTube Channel:

• Tier: B (Decent, but not for everyone)
• Key Points: Slow to make the first dollar, requires entertainment and unique value. Content creation is a valuable skill. High potential for long-term success and sellability at scale.
• Details: The number one channel on YouTube is worth billions.
• Logical Connections: Content creation is a valuable skill, but success requires consistent effort and unique value.

7. SMMA (Social Media Marketing Agency):

• Tier: B (Decent, but not for everyone)
• Key Points: Fast to make the first dollar, easy to learn, and potentially profitable. Sellable as a service business, especially with productized services.
• Logical Connections: Organic content is more defensible than paid ads.

8. Drop Shipping:

• Tier: C (You Could, But Should You?)
• Key Points: Not fast to make the first dollar, not easy to learn due to high competition. Margins can be good with a winning product. Gimmicky and requires constant reinvention.
• Logical Connections: Considered a less desirable business model compared to others listed.

9. Ghostwriting:

• Tier: C (You Could, But Should You?)
• Key Points: Relatively quick to make the first dollar, but harder to learn. Not very profitable as it's selling time. Not sellable.
• Details: 70% of New York Times bestsellers are written with a ghostwriter.
• Logical Connections: AI may put pressure on this space.

10. Day Trading and Stocks:

• Tier: C (You Could, But Should You?)
• Key Points: Very quick to make the first dollar, but easy to lose money. Not easy to learn, requires focus. Most people lose money. Unsellable.
• Logical Connections: Beating the market can lead to a hedge fund, but day trading itself is not a sustainable business.

11. Virtual Assistant Agency (VAS):

• Tier: C (You Could, But Should You?)
• Key Points: Fast to make money as a middleman. Not very profitable due to low margins. Difficult due to demanding clients. Unsellable.
• Details: Most CEOs are crazy.
• Logical Connections: AI is expected to overtake VA tasks.

12. Web Design Agency:

• Tier: C (You Could, But Should You?)
• Key Points: Easy to make the first dollar and learn the tools. AI is expected to automate much of the work. Unsellable.
• Logical Connections: AI poses a threat to the long-term viability of this business model.

13. Print on Demand:

• Tier: C (You Could, But Should You?)
• Key Points: Quick to make the first dollar and easy to learn. Not very profitable as you don't own the infrastructure. Unsellable.
• Logical Connections: Not a strong business model due to lack of ownership and control.

14. Vending Machine Business:

• Tier: A (Worth It, but you got to know business first)
• Key Points: Not very quick to make the first dollar. Easy to learn. Profitable with the right location. Sellable.
• Logical Connections: Similar to real estate in terms of sellability.

15. Affiliate Marketing:

• Tier: A (Worth It, but you got to know business first)
• Key Points: Quick to make the first dollar and incredibly easy to learn. Always relevant. Not likely to be sellable.
• Logical Connections: Relies on audience and traffic to sell other people's products.

Additional Business Models:

• Software: Should be in the "No-Brainer" category. AI can be used to build software. Creates subscription revenue with high margins (97%). High multiple for business valuation.
• Network Marketing: Often scammy, with more bad actors than good. Relies on selling business opportunities rather than products.
• Franchise: Controversial. Considered reselling someone else's business model rather than owning a true business.

Notable Quotes:

• "Most millionaires, the majority of wealth created in the US was made on the back end of real estate."
• "If you're selling courses, then every course you sell costs you nothing. Essentially, it's so profitable."
• "Being in the game of AI is the most important thing."
• "Copywriting, paid ads, AI, these are meta skills that even if the business you start doesn't work, they're skills that you can stack into the future to be even more successful."
• "If you need to show up for the business to make you money, you didn't build something valuable that somebody else would want to buy."

Synthesis/Conclusion:

The best businesses to start before 2026 are those that offer quick revenue generation, ease of learning, long-term profitability, and potential for sellability. Meta skills like AI, copywriting, and paid advertising are crucial for future success. Building an asset that generates passive income and can be sold is more valuable than creating a high-paying job. AI is a significant factor that will impact many industries, and businesses that leverage AI or are threatened by it need to be carefully evaluated.