2 Niches That Boom in January & Have Little Competition

January is one of the months that is primed for entrepreneurs as there are industries with substantial demand and room for new players to move in.  I’m not talking about building a database of couples that got engaged during the holidays, prepping for Valentine’s, fitness and resolutions, or the big famous football game in February.  Those are packed with competition and you’ve likely considered them.

I’m talking about niches that spike in recurring traffic each January with plenty of room to create a footprint for yourself.  I have experience in both of the following through managing affiliate programs, doing SEO, being a consultant, or having a website in the space.  And each of the following is present in these spaces.

• Spikes in annual organic traffic or demand
• There are brand, line, or niche extensions to focus on
• Demand is seasonal and recurring vs. triggered by an event and doesn’t happen again
• Traffic can be monetized via affiliate, CPM, lead aggregation or distribution (if legal, I saw an article it may no longer be, do your research first), creating courses, and/or subscriptions
• You can build an audience that comes back for more advice so you can monetize multiple times

Before I jump in, please make sure to either be a licensed professional or have your content checked by a licensed professional for anything that is regulated, has legal advice, etc… This is important before you produce content that influences peoples’ lives.

Reverse Logistic Shoppers (eBay, Amazon, retailers, etc…)

There are spikes in returns, exchanges, and excess inventory because of gift giving in December.  Stores need to get rid of this excess to clear room for “sellable” or more profitable inventory.  To do this they distribute to wholesalers, liquidators, marketplaces, and more.  And there are buyers for this reverse logistics merchandise including:

• eBay, Etsy, and amazon stores (Etsy artists may need crafting supplies or items like mason jars or plain ornaments which can be found in this process for cheap)
• Small retail shops looking to stock inventory
• Crafters and artists looking for supplies
• Parts stores and repair shops (they need pieces for their customers)
• Anyone else that retails product or needs parts

Once you begin attracting audiences through SEO (phrases about product sourcing, wholesale, liquidation, bulk, pallets, etc…) and social media ads, build an email or SMS list to monetize.  These groups need to restock inventory, and you can promote preferred vendors and opportunities each time they need to restock via your database from affiliate relationships.   You can also educate them on the importance of breaking their reliance on third party platforms.

Teaching them how to build a brand and create their own demand helps them with sustainability in case they lose their stores in the marketplaces.  You can make money with domain sales and hosting affiliate programs, web design services, and you can create then monetize guides for what is needed with managing a stand alone ecommerce store or service website.

If your audience doesn’t resonate with that, try plugins to track inventory across multiple platforms and marketplaces, marketing guides to marketplaces, and do lead gen and co-marketing with the marketing systems that find influencers, reviewers, and other service providers for driving sales in marketplaces.

You can also do a subscription on what to begin buying and when to buy it so your new sellers can prepare inventory to sell at optimal times for busy seasons.  Engagement jewelry that was liquidated because it didn’t sell in December can be used for Valentine’s and the spring engagement season.  Don’t forget Mother’s Day gifts too.

If you promote how to warehouse and stock inventory with minimal overhead costs, they could purchase end of season products and store it until busy season starts again.  Artificial Christmas trees and holiday decor are on sale once the season ends, and I believe they go on sale again in the summer (I need to check that one to see if it is still true).  You can buy this inventory at a massive discount and sell for profit once the season rolls around again.

Just make sure to always recommend following marketplace best practices so your list doesn’t get banned and lose trust in your recommendations.

LLC Formation and Entrepreneurship

I am currently working in this space through my client Bizee (formerly Incfile) by managing their affiliate program, click here to join.

January – March are booming, and the industry stays strong until May.  Yes, big names and media companies have moved in, but there is a ton of room for niche sites, influencers, and new domains to enter.  LLC formations are big in January because of new years resolutions and a desire to become your own boss.

For people in colder regions like the north east USA, there may be less incentive to go outside because of the weather.  Being trapped indoors may make people consider starting a business.  The same may hold true for taking online classes and learning skills like coding.  Because what else do they have to do?  The industry is huge and there is room to grow while monetizing after the initial LLC formation.

Extensions and niches include:

• LLC formations by state
• Comparisons between states and why forming in one over the other is better or worse
• How to start an XYZ business (form, start, launch, etc… are all good SEO modifiers)
  • These people will likely want to do some form of entity, and will likely need EINs, both which are commissionable via the Bizee affiliate program

Monetization doesn’t stop with Bizee and LLC formations either.

Build a list of subscribers and give them an ebook or monthly newsletter based on their entrepreneurial journey.  i.e. don’t send the same thing to all of them, send it on a drip campaign based on where the user likely is in their business journey.  You can do a monthly or weekly newsletter separately if you feel it is valuable to your audience.

Once they have their LLC they’re likely going to have an interest in these types of products where you can create more monetizable content about:

• Accounting software
• Business loans and funding
• Marketing and advertising
• Warehousing, product sourcing, logistics
• Hiring and team growth
• Market expansion
• Manufacturing
• Wholesaling and retailing (DTC and via retailers)

The list goes on and on.  But one big thing, there are a lot of laws and regulations here.  Make sure to get a legal review before giving advice and have a licensed professional sign off.  By listing how everything is fact checked and the professional certifications, it may help with an SEO concept called E-E-A-T which is about building trust, experience, expertise, and showing authority to the readers.

E-E-A-T is not a ranking signal or factor, it is a trust builder.  And if you are that licensed authority, make sure to share your experience, certifications, where you’ve been featured or published, etc…  It goes a long way with earning the trust of the content consumer.

Both of these industries are ones I have worked in extensively and feel have lots of room for new creators to compete.  There is massive demand, and ways to monetize the industry well after the first sale.  The trick is to become a destination resources vs. a single touch point by showing expertise, building trust, and resources for the lifecycle of the content consumer.