Self-sustaining businesses are nothing new. For generations, people have between setting up restaurants, agencies, software platforms, services, clubs – you name it – and then sitting back and earning solid revenue without doing much. But only a tiny percentage of people get that right, with the vast majority of aspiring business owners failing along the way. 

Why traditional businesses are so hard to get right and not always worth it

Instead, most people were taught to start a business and then throw everything into running and managing it. They spend years trying to build and grow their businesses to the point where their enterprises could either sustain themselves or be sold for a healthy sum. The problem is that this often never works out, and most people end up sacrificing their time, health, and money for nothing. 

The self-sustaining business model

In the strictest sense, there isn’t such a thing as a business that runs itself 100%. You’ll still need someone to check in on things, file tax returns, manage day-to-day tasks and deal with problems. A self-sustaining business also requires a lot of upfront work, laying the platform for success while putting the systems and resources in place to keep things running. 

We can create an ecosystem that comes pretty close to full autonomy by keeping the idea of a business that runs itself at the center of everything we do. And this requires understanding what it is first. 

What you’ll need vs. what you can expect to get from businesses that run themselves

Essentially, you’re looking to start a business that:

• Requires very little involvement from you once it is up and running
• Poses a limited risk to you, even if problems arise
• Is highly automated
• And guarantees good income

Sounds great, right? It is. But you’ll have to put in the effort before getting your business that runs itself on track to do just that. And this involves: 

• Doing extensive research about your target market, product or service, and competition
• Committing a substantial upfront investment
• Working at full throttle in the beginning, to get things started as soon as you can
• Being prepared to confront and deal with early challenges and obstacles

Now that you’ve got an idea of how great owning a business that runs itself can be, what do you need to get things moving? Well, patience, money, and a little creativity. 

You’ll have to come up with a great business concept (don’t worry, we’ve got some great ideas for you a little later) that is sustainable and realistic. While mining for Bitcoin or using AI to trade in forex may sound like great self-sustaining business ideas, they require extremely high levels of capital investment and often don’t work out.

Instead, begin by putting together a plan designed to support your dream of owning a business that runs itself. 

While getting your business off the ground can be challenging, it’s absolutely worth it in the long run. But between launching your enterprise and selling it to the highest bidder once you’re ready to cash out, you’ll need to get a couple of principles right. Here are some top tips for ensuring success for your self-sustaining business. 

Keep things simple

Don’t overcomplicate things. The simpler, the better. Simple processes, policies, tools, and procedures mean fewer issues and high-effort fixes. 

If it already works, use it

You don’t need to come up with the ‘next big idea’ to ensure your self-sustaining business can run itself. Consider replicating the methods and techniques others have in building successful businesses that run themselves. 

Build relationships

Just because your business takes care of itself doesn’t mean you won’t need anyone’s help further down the road. Work on fostering healthy relationships with people you may need if problems pop up – so you don’t have to. 

Nurture customer loyalty

Loyal customers are essential to keeping your revenues flowing. Businesses that run themselves mean you likely only check in on things intermittently, so anything can happen while you’re gone. Loyal customers have a knack for raising red flags or providing valuable recommendations for improvements.

Share your dreams

Two minds are always better than one. Consider roping in a partner or discussing your vision for the business with other people – they most likely have some valuable input for you or present an excellent opportunity to get involved on your behalf. 

Don’t stop innovating

Innovation is a must, both for sustaining a business that runs itself and for growing it. Keep an eye on trends, new tech, and fresh developments that can make your life easier and boost your margins.

Aside from the tried-and-tested self-sustaining businesses out there, every year, new opportunities are arising for entrepreneurs to take advantage of a more connected world, leveraging new tech, better access, and a growing resource base to make their self-sustaining business dreams come true.

Some of these businesses offer limited profit potential, while others are veritable gold mines. Some function as ‘launch-and-forget’ entities, while others require periodic high-level decision-making, and some self-sustaining businesses cost a small fortune to kick off, while others are essentially free.

Physical self-sustaining business ideas

• Old school Services – People can buy vending machines and partner with locations by sharing a cut of the machine’s earnings with the building owner. Laundromats are also great passive income earners, and you can buy an entire outlet, machines and all, and have it earning for you in no time. ATMs are a less-known option, similar to vending machines (where you earn a fee every time someone makes a withdrawal), but without the need to re-stock it.
• Advertising – Billboards are goldmines for businesses that run themselves, and once you have a couple in your self-sustaining business portfolio, you’re set. Advertisers can bid on billboards (especially in high-visibility locations) and once built, they can net you handsome passive income. Restaurants are also growing advertising spaces with innovative ideas to earn there too.
• Rentals – Home, storage, bounce house, or party busses. Once you own it, you can rent it. Rentals require minimal effort to manage, and if you don’t want to do anything but still earn from your rentals, you can always hire someone to handle things for you.

Digital self-sustaining business ideas

• Monetized Blogs – Does your blog receive thousands of visitors every day? Why not transform it into a self-sustaining business? Bloggers are earning better than ever through affiliate marketing and ad networks. But many bloggers don’t have the time to manage websites or even to write the many blogs they publish. Once you’ve done the hard work building an audience, simply outsource the labor-intensive stuff and keep an eye on your fans as you grow.
• Content – eBooks are massively popular and, once published, require almost no effort to keep on selling, while newsletter subscriptions are great passive income opportunities, with platforms making creating them easy.
• Software development – Developing apps or websites is a highly competitive area that can net you fantastic revenue. But you don’t have to be a coding guru to turn this into a business that runs itself – simply hire a team of developers to do it for you.

Hybrid self-sustaining business ideas

eCommerce platforms and mega-apps like Uber mean that building a self-sustaining business is easy. Companies and customers are turning to companies that connect them with freelancers, act as dropshipping middlemen, and even people who own a fleet of cars, renting them to Uber drivers for a commission.