Start a Contrarian Business: Shaan Puri's New Blueprint

Key Takeaways

• Contrarian thinking helps small businesses avoid price wars by offering services that big competitors ignore or avoid.
• A solo operator can find higher margins by focusing on 'unsexy' industries like local waste management or specialized trade services.
• Validating an idea requires looking for 'earned secrets' where you know something the general market refuses to believe yet.
• Most owners fail because they copy their neighbors instead of looking for gaps in the local service economy.

Shaan Puri recently highlighted that the best opportunities often hide behind ideas that sound slightly crazy or inconvenient to others. Shaan Puri, who said in a recent post that he gained widespread recognition through his role as co-host of the popular My First Million podcast, argues that the most profitable businesses are built on truths that others haven't accepted yet. For a local business owner, this isn't about building the next social media app. It's about looking at your town and asking what everyone else is doing wrong.

The Logic of Doing the Opposite

Most people start businesses by looking at what's already working and trying to do it 10 percent better. If you see three successful coffee shops on one block, you might think the market wants a fourth. This is usually a mistake because it leads to a race to the bottom on price. Puri suggests a different path: find the thing that's working but is fundamentally broken or hated by the customers. Maybe the existing businesses have terrible hours, or they don't offer mobile ordering, or they ignore a specific demographic. By being the only person willing to fix that specific pain point, you gain what economists call a competitive advantage.

If you're just starting out, you need to register your business properly before testing these contrarian ideas. You can find the steps to get an EIN (Employer Identification Number) through the IRS website so you can open a bank account and start taking payments legally. Once your paperwork is set, you can focus on finding your niche. In a world where everyone wants to sell digital courses, the contrarian move might be opening a high-end junk removal service or a specialized HVAC (Heating, Ventilation. And Air Conditioning) business that only services vintage commercial buildings. These businesses are harder to start, which means fewer people will try to compete with you.

1. Ignore the crowded middle

• Avoid generalist services. If you start a general cleaning company, you compete with everyone. If you start a biohazard cleaning service for industrial sites, you can charge three times the rate.
• Focus on high-stakes problems. A plumber who only does emergency 2 a.m. Repairs for restaurants has more pricing power than one who does routine residential installs.
• Example: An Ohio-based contractor stopped doing general home remodels and switched exclusively to ADA-compliant bathroom conversions (Americans with Disabilities Act). They now have a six-month waitlist.

2. Look for 'Uncool' industries

• Find high-cash-flow trades. Industries like septic tank maintenance or scrap metal recycling aren't glamorous, but they're essential and rarely disrupted by tech startups.
• Check local demand data. Use the Bureau of Labor Statistics to see which trades have high mean wages but low employment numbers in your specific state.
• Example: A solo entrepreneur in Florida bought one specialized pressure washing rig for commercial parking lots and secured three $5,000-a-month contracts in 90 days.

Being different is risky, but being the same as everyone else is a slow death for a small business.

If you want to try this, don't quit your job tomorrow. Pick one contrarian observation about a service in your town, build a simple landing page, and see if anyone tries to buy it. You don't need a 40-page business plan. You just need one customer who's thrilled that someone finally did things differently.

Related free tool

Startup Cost Calculator — Add up your real startup costs line by line. Free, no signup to start.

---

📋 Disclaimer

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, financial, or professional advice. Laws and regulations change frequently, and the information presented may not reflect the most current legal developments. Always consult with a qualified professional (CPA, attorney, financial advisor) before making business decisions based on this content. MyBizNerd may receive compensation through affiliate links, but this never influences our recommendations.

---