For the entrepreneurially minded types, the world right now doesn’t represent chaos so much as it does opportunity. And even though all signs are that the global economy is on the verge of a massive uptake within the next couple of years, there are still many mires to get through first.
So that means that to be best placed to take advantage of that upswing as it happens, you have to start thinking like an investor, what kind of industries you should be looking at right now. Now, that’s not always an easy thing to do because different indices will tell you differing stories about projected growth areas and industries that are set to really benefit moving forward.
But, we’ve done the hard work for you and cross-referenced some of the top business sites and resources to find you the top business investment industries to watch right now in 2021.
JUST ABOUT ANYTHING IN E-COMMERCE
You’re probably as sick of hearing these words as we are, but if you’re a serious investor and you’re not getting into the idea of e-commerce in the post-covid world, you’re going to be missing out big time. An entire generation of online users started using online services for the first time during lockdowns – and they haven’t stopped.
Everything from business services, virtual assistants, food delivery, legal services, literally just about anything that you’re already using to make your life work can be taken online and is being taken online. So whatever reservations you may have had about this burgeoning industry, it’s time to get over it.
If you need any further convincing, then take a look at this report from the United Nations. The global e-commerce trade jumped to $26.7 TRILLION thanks to the pandemic, and the world has become a smaller place because of it. It is now entirely normal for a consumer in America to order honey from artisan hive keepers in South Africa without using a specialist service.
CONSULTING
So the traditional thought towards consulting services holds that you’re a successful person in the area you mean to consult, right? Sure, that is true, obviously, but you could also be just as helpful in helping new business owners understand what not to do if you were one of the unlucky entrepreneurs who lost their businesses during the pandemic or not. Failure is an essential learning lesson as what succeeding is. If you’re able to see past any lingering ego issues, you could forge serious consulting opportunities in risk management and forecasting.
If you’re an investor looking for opportunities in consulting, then practicing due diligence in a potential opportunity should reveal why that business failed in the first place. Now, provided that it wasn’t because of poor management or misdirection, the business owner wanting to start consulting looking for your money could still be attractive based on a profit share and venture capital front. Just check those ledgers out carefully.
DIGITAL MARKETING
So it’s not surprising in any form that digital marketing follows on this list. With all of that new money swishing around in e-commerce, those businesses will need folks to get their messages out to where they need to be. They’re going to need specialist agencies that understand SEO, social media management, backline supply chain management, all of the same business services that “land-based” services need to do their business, so to do online businesses.
That means that fronting venture capital and startup financing for the enthusiastic and intelligent investor, even for relatively small to medium-sized startups, could turn very lucrative, very quickly if managed and appropriately researched.
SPECIALIST CLEANING AND BUILDING MAINTENANCE
Another industry growth spurt that owes its genesis to the pandemic is specialist cleaning and corporate and industrial building maintenance, and this is set to continue for some time. Investors are especially keen on eyeing out startups or expansion projects in companies that provide specialist and deep cleaning solutions to the airline industry, cruise lines, hotels, and other hospitality establishments, office blocks – well, those that remain anyway.
AND SPEAKING OF DESERTED OR NEARLY EMPTY OFFICE BLOCKS…
As the work from home revolution picks up pace, more commercial and urban properties will have to be repurposed into diversified use spaces or wholly redesigned and reimagined spaces. Suppose you’re an investor that’s particularly cash-flush, or you’re planning on creating a business plan to raise the sort of money that’s needed to bring about these changes. In that case, you’re going to stand to win big if you manage your growth and expectations correctly.
Here’s some inspiration for you. A Johannesburg, South Africa-based developer has done precisely that, is smiling rather largely at this time.
REAL ESTATE
We suppose that this category of business is always going to make these lists irrespective of what is happening in the world, and that’s because after all of this time, through various global catastrophes, changing systems, social classes, or unrest, the one actual creator as well as the transfer of wealth, seems to remain in real estate. But now, as we mentioned in the section above, all new developments in urban spaces are likely to be mixed-use spaces that are sustainable, green, and tech-ready.
VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS
One of the more surprising-not-surprising online and virtual business growth areas is virtual assistants. Basically, they’re the executive assistants you used to have when you still had an office who have now become the global assistants for the rising class of digital nomads. Online agencies that bring together people with specific skills and connect them with end-users are big businesses.
Investment opportunities exist where platforms need to be created to enable these services to happen quickly and globally.
APP DEVELOPMENT
App development is vast, and it’s only going to get bigger as all of the online services we’ve already discussed continue to grow in their own right. As of now, there is an app for everything. It links perfectly with virtual assistants but is also in a whole field and game of its own. Try it out – go to your app store and search for the first random thought you have (within reason now), and you’ll find someone that has tried to find a solution for it.
Now that does mean that competition is rife and challenging, but for intelligent developers with intelligent backing, the sky is the limit – and if you get in with the Elon Musk crowd, even that may not be your landing strip.
HOSPITALITY
For all the privately owned or boutique businesses that went out of business these past 18 months, their demise has opened up almost twice as much opportunity heading out. Consumers want to support local, and they are purposefully searching for places to stay that are privately run and managed – just ask Airbnb, and they’ll tell you.
But the market holds way more promise than private home or apartment owners because tourists still want a lodge or hotel experience, just not necessarily as part of a big-brand conglomerate chain type. So think smart and check out the projected top tourist destinations for 2022.
Here’s a little inspiration for you.
SUPPLY SERVICES
With all of these growth industries and the associated industries that will grow; as a result, the sectors that in turn have to make sure that all of those things can happen need to happen too. And this is currently and is going to be, big, big business. That’s because as restaurants reopen, they need to be serviced; they’re going to need Toper Roasters for coffee, catering equipment, shop-fitting. Hotels will need to be reserviced with housekeeping implements, retail outlets will need value chain logistics redone, and import and export companies will need to be recapitalized and repurposed towards online trading.
You get the idea.
FINANCING YOUR BIG IDEAS
Of course, to bring these ideas to realization, you’re going to need money, and that’s where we have some very, very good news for you. There’s a lot of it about the place. Venture capitalists have seen the opportunities are banks spurred on by government stimulus packages are also starting to loosen up on lines of credit. As peer-to-peer lending continues to make inroads into traditional capital markets, you need to get your thinking caps on and get researching.
Hint: there’s a whole new business idea right there, connecting opportunities with non-traditional forms of finance.
There is a whole world waiting to be reopened and rediscovered, and there is not enough column space in one post to tell you all about it, so look out for further posts on the subject in the future. But if you’re still the “I want a paycheck” type, there are some exciting developments that could be heading your way if you’re looking to change your career.
Remember that business doesn’t just rely on a client base to do business. Still, enterprises need other companies, too, so the intelligent entrepreneurs know to look down the line for opportunities that take in your clients, your clients’ clients’ and your clients’ clients’ clients. It’s called going 3-levels deep, and it’s a conceptual idea that’s catching on.
Good luck out there.
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