Remote Worker & Freelancer Niche Market: An Untapped Business Potential
The remote work trend is on the rise. Why? It’s largely thanks to two influences: more self-employed contractors and more companies open to remote teams after pandemic-related closures. There are many reasons for this, but one of the most important reasons is that remote workers are typically much happier than their in-office counterparts.
Remote workers who work remotely are more engaged and twice as likely to work more than 40 hours each week. And self-employed individuals (ie. freelancers, consultants, creators, etc.) are frequently looking for greater flexibility and a better work-life balance.
According to a recent Gartner poll of corporate executives, 80% of businesses will allow workers to work remotely at least part-time after the pandemic, and 47% intend to let employees work from home full-time.
In June and July 2020, PwC conducted an online poll of 699 CEOs from 67 nations/regions. The respondents come from a variety of countries, with a greater proportion coming from Western Europe (42%) than North America (7%) or the Middle East (3%) – 78% agreed that remote collaboration will be here to stay.
Remote Workers Niche Market
Finding a niche business concept in this sector may be profitable. Remote workers are constantly on the hunt for items or services that can assist them in embracing their remote work lifestyle. In addition, because remote workers have little overhead, they may make quicker purchase decisions.
Why The Remote Workers Niche Market?
There are many reasons to focus on this niche market, but these are the top 5.
1 Remote worker are eager to work from different locations, such as a coffee shop, a co-working space, or even another city or country. They’re open to working in any location. Airbnb recognized this trend and set out to target these remote workers. As a result of concentrating on the remote working niche, the company announced its best-ever year in bookings to date in 2021. According to a recent poll, almost a quarter of Airbnb stays were longer than 28 days in the first three months of 2021, and travel is now taking place to a much wider range of sites. “The lines between traveling, living, and working are blurring,” Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said in the company’s announcement, and Airbnb aims to make it easier for individuals to move around the world however they choose.
2 Even if they have to pay more for higher-quality software that may help them work remotely, they are prepared to do so. What’s the reason? They want to complete tasks or activities as quickly as possible so they can go back to what they enjoy. As a result of this attitude, they are willing to try and evaluate new cloud-based solutions. Airtable, Asana, Trello, Slack, Evernote, and other tools come to mind as examples of tools that would appeal to them. We’re digital nomads ourselves, and we find ourselves using new apps at least 1-2 times a week.
3 Remote workers are willing to spend more on remote working-related gears that can help them work better or in a different way. Examples of products they wouldn’t mind paying for are quality earbuds, backpacks, wireless speakers, keyless luxury apartment door locksets – August.com, the list goes on.
4 Remote workers who work from home spend a significant amount of money to improve their workspace. From purchasing a standing desk and an ergonomic chair to put in LED lighting and smart doorbells, not to mention computer monitors, to air purifiers, keyboards, and so forth.
5 There are also a lot of people who prefer to have their food delivered in the comfort of their own home instead of eating out every day. A remote work’s favorite way to stay healthy is by preparing meals at home. Subscription services for meal preparation are another option that busy remote professionals appreciate.
Niche Ideas Targeting Remote Workers
There are many possible niche ideas for this market, but here’s our top 10:
1 Meal Preparation Subscription Services
If you work as a chef, this niche market is ideal for you. Remote workers are eager to save time, and preparing healthy meals is the last thing on their minds. As a result, cooking and delivering nutritious meals to them may be a lucrative remote company idea. Meal kit delivery services have seen a significant increase in popularity in recent years, owing to the growing number of people preparing meals at home and the preference for minimizing visits to the grocery store as much as possible. This industry is anticipated to generate over $20 billion in revenue by 2027. And get this: today, you can rent a kitchen for a fraction of the cost; check out CloudKitchen.com for example.
2 Meal Delivery Services
If you live in a major city, this remote work niche market might not be so hard to crack. But if you are looking for remote opportunities elsewhere, it may take some time and effort before your local market is receptive to something like this. However, the food industry has been growing rapidly over the past few years which makes now an excellent opportunity to explore remote possibilities in that space!
3 Dog Walking Services
Dogs are great companions but they need attention too! Remote workers love dogs but sometimes wonder whether their furry friend would enjoy more walks than they can manage while working from home full-time. So why not start a dog walking service? You will find many clients eager for such an offer.
4 Professional Organizing Services
This remote work job is perfect for someone who appreciates the good old KonMari method but would love to work with it on a larger scale. Check out KonMari.com if you’re not familiar with Marie Kondo’s bestseller book that sparked an organizational movement in America!
5 Virtual Assistant Services
Remote workers are too busy to be scheduling meetings and need help when outsourcing administrative tasks like these ones. A virtual assistant can do all of that by remote working at one or more remote professional’s businesses; most VAs make about $20/hour.
6 Personal Chef Services
Remote foodies appreciate tasty healthy meals delivered straight home without having to cook them themselves (or pay restaurant
7 Cleaning Services
This remote worker’s dream includes having someone take care of their housework while they’re working from home.
8 Personal Trainer Subscription Services
This remote workers’ workout routine should include some time at the gym to stay healthy and fit! A personal training subscription can help them do that without leaving the comfort of their own homes.
9 Technical Support Services
Sometimes, remote workers require technical assistance. They’ll appreciate the help they get from a good remote tech support agent. Whether to troubleshoot their laptop or find a software solution for their work.
10 Home Improvement And Repair Services
The more remote employee stays at home, the more they utilize their home appliances, putting strain on them. That’s why remote workers need to enlist the aid of experts for any appliance repair that they can’t accomplish on their own, like refrigerator, oven, water heater, and so on. Bank of America surveyed over 1,000 Americans at the end of June and found that 70% had either started or planned home improvement projects during the COVID-19 shutdown, with many indicating that they would continue with these projects into 2021. Younger buyers moving out of cities to purchase and renovate older houses is expected to result in a “multi-year tailwind,” according to analysts.
Key Takeaways
The remote workforce is on the rise, and there are plenty of reasons why. For one, allowing employees to work remotely increases job satisfaction and productivity. These workers are also more engaged and two times more likely to work more than 40 hours a week. Those who go the self-employed route are typically seeking freedom and better work-life balance.
There are many reasons for this growing trend in remote working – which has led local industries like repair services to create remote teams as well. This list could go on forever of different remote niche ideas that you can start your own business or service around if you want, but it’s important not every person need an exhaustive list of all possible niche ideas available – just enough to get you thinking about what remote niche you could work in.
Don’t take our words for it, do your own homework, and find a remote niche that feels right for you!
Founder, Editor-In-Chief // A native Angeleno. John studied engineering at UCLA; founded Schmoozd, an offline social tech networking event in LA with 30,000 subs; ran a startup accelerator (StartEngine). Worked for several major brands like Toyota, DIRECTV, Hitachi, ICANN, and Raytheon. A mentor at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) Entrepreneur School, Dr. David Choi. And advises a dozen local LA startups building amazing tech in various industries; and invested in some. // Let's Connect: john@lastartups.com
