Happy Sunday! For anyone not avidly tuning into Dragons Den each week there are always great businesses on there to take inspiration from. This week included edible greetings cards for dogs, a solution for electric car charging for those without off-street parking, and a crisp-infused chocolate bar. Go check them out for inspiration!

I’m also trialling a slightly shorter version of the newsletter today to hopefully deliver you the same information in less time - hit reply and let me know what you think.

In today’s email:

• The Big Idea - Localised boutique fitness.

• Replicate This - Niche recommendation sites.

• The Side Hustle - Local history tours.

THE BIG IDEA

Localised Boutique Fitness

Fitness has been undoubtedly growing year-on-year for some time now, and 2024 is going to be no different.

Boutique fitness is seeing a huge increase in interest with searches increasing by 240%.

What defines ‘boutique fitness?’

Generally they are smaller scale fitness studios focusing on a specific type of training, be that an established brand of training such as F45 or a proprietary type of fitness.

But boutique fitness goes beyond that.

It isn’t just another workout - it’s an experience, a way to socialise, and a community.

What makes boutique fitness studios stand out is the premium price tag, and with that a premium environment is expected. But thanks to their small size the costs can actually be quite reasonable.

Boutique fitness studios are generally confined to city centres, but with the rise of remote working there is growing demand for more localised options.

What are the specific opportunities here?

There are a few specific fitness opportunities in this area that are predicted to grow throughout 2024:

• Combat style workouts are on the Pinterest predictions for 2024 which are generally quite accurate.

• Hyrox remains the fasting growing sport in the world and with it will come a demand for specific training.

• Hard 75 is a growing fitness challenge around which a specific workout and community can easily be built.

My approach?

The opportunity is wide here and there are countless underserved areas across the UK where such a business would thrive.

But I’m often asked for my opinion on things and specifically what I would do.

For me the obvious choice here is to piggyback the fastest growing sport in the world and open a boutique Hyrox style studio.

The disciplines involved in the sport itself would make it a fairly cost-effective gym to kit out but I’d spend the money on making it ‘boutique’ - think premium aesthetics and smoothie bars.

REPLICATE THIS

Niche Recommendation Sites

The de facto newsletter OG, Sam Parr, has launched a new venture - Sam’s List.

The idea is simple - a niche board for accountants.

People can list their accountant and endorse those already listed.

To list or endorse you have to log in with Twitter or LinkedIn to act as verification of who you are so it can’t be spammed with fake endorsements.

It’s such a simple idea that can quite obviously be replicated either in its exact form but a UK version, or in other areas:

• Marketing agencies.

• Solicitors.

• Copywriters.

• Designers.

The potential to replicate this in your own way is endless.

Now yes, the fact Sam has an audience has undoubtedly made this possible. And if you have any kind of audience considering a version of this relevant to their needs is the obvious move.

But by creating content, partnering with creators and just generally hustling you can grow an audience off the back of building such a site.

THE SIDE HUSTLE

Local History Tours

For regular readers, you’ll know I love localised businesses for side hustles -and this week’s idea is no different!

Wouldn’t you like to know more about the area you live?

There are countless museums in the UK celebrating its rich and varied history, but we often overlook the history right on our doorstep.

In researching this idea I spent 5 minutes Googling my local area and uncovered all manner of interesting facts about its history. I also found a few stories that are a necessity for these kind of tours such as unsolved murders, infamous criminals and spooky sightings!

Do some research on your own area and you’ll likely uncover similar findings.

Side hustles such as this are fairly easy to put together.

1. Research your area and write a kick-ass tour.

2. Get some posters made up and stick them up wherever you can - take cash only to make your life easier.

3. Start delivering tours!

This may sound simple, and that’s because it is. You’re not going to get rich off this, but it’ll definitely provide a nice social fund each month.

And that’s a wrap - I hope you have a great week!

Adam