#90 Side Hustle King: 3 Easy Businesses Anyone Can Start - BigDeal Recap

Podcast: BigDeal

Published: 2025-08-28

Duration: 1 hr 20 min

Summary

In this episode, Chris Kerner discusses how common, overlooked small businesses can be highly profitable and accessible for anyone willing to take risks. He shares real-life examples and emphasizes the importance of creativity and resourcefulness in entrepreneurship.

What Happened

Cody Sanchez welcomes Chris Kerner to the Big Deal podcast, where they dive into the world of side hustles and the potential for anyone to create profitable businesses. Chris, who has built a career around identifying and starting overlooked small businesses, shares his insights into how everyday people can capitalize on their skills and creativity. He emphasizes that these ventures often don’t require significant investment or venture capital and can be started with minimal resources.

Chris recounts an inspiring visit to a hardware store in Cameron, Missouri, where he met a couple selling pizzas out of a simple outdoor kitchen setup. With just a $700 pizza oven and some signage, they were making an impressive $700 a day, showcasing the potential for high margins in seemingly simple businesses. This example highlights that opportunities exist even in small towns, and with the right approach, anyone can tap into these markets. He also discusses the concept of finding businesses that people dislike, such as stump grinding, and how outsourcing these tasks can lead to lucrative opportunities.

Key Insights

• Overlooked businesses can yield high profits with minimal upfront costs.
• Asking straightforward questions can reveal valuable market insights.
• Creativity and resourcefulness are key to starting a successful side hustle.
• Many small businesses operate without the need for significant investment or rent.

Key Questions Answered

What are some profitable side hustles anyone can start?

Chris Kerner discusses how many overlooked small businesses can be started with minimal investment, emphasizing that almost anyone can find success in these ventures if they're willing to take the risk. He highlights the pizza-selling couple in Cameron, Missouri, who earn $700 a day, showing that high profits can be achieved through simple concepts.

How can you identify opportunities in small towns?

Chris illustrates this by sharing his experience in Cameron, where he encountered a couple successfully selling pizzas. He points out that many people dismiss small towns as lacking opportunities, yet with the right mindset and approach, one can uncover lucrative business ideas that cater to local needs.

What are the advantages of starting a business with low overhead?

In the episode, Chris explains that many of the businesses he admires, like the pizza operation or a stump grinding service, operate without significant overhead costs. This allows entrepreneurs to keep margins high and risks low, making it easier to achieve profitability quickly.

What insights can be gained from asking business owners about their revenue?

Chris emphasizes the power of direct communication with business owners. He notes that most are proud of their earnings and willing to share, which can provide crucial insights into business viability. His experience shows that simply asking the right questions can yield actionable data.

What role does creativity play in starting a business?

Chris argues that constraints often fuel creativity, using his own background as an example. He explains how his lack of funding forced him to think outside the box, leading to innovative business ideas that have proven successful. This perspective encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to leverage their limitations as a source of inspiration.