Many well-known brand names got their start during the Great Depression, employing basic items and effective promotion to become great survivalist entrepreneurs. They selected sectors that had the ideal mix of inexpensive start-up costs, limited needs, and a large number of clients. Look to these tough business ideas for inspiration; one of them might help you and others get through tough times. These recession-proof enterprises from the Great Depression are excellent starting points even today!
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Ideas for Recession-Proof Living from the Great Depression
1. FOOD STAPLE COMPANY
The food sector employed more than half of the families whose companies started during the Great Depression. Starting modestly in automobiles and houses, food entrepreneurs concentrated on minimising the effect of their company on their dependents.
Because food basic pricing is generally controlled and uniform, your profitability will be determined mostly by your ability to keep your overhead expenses low. Your wages will also be determined by the sort of state food you provide.
2. BUSINESS OF GREEN ENERGY
Hydroelectricity projects were popular during the Great Depression as a method to lower power prices, solve frequent floods and droughts, and employ Americans. Green energy firms are concerned with finding alternatives to fossil fuels as our major energy source. Green energy sources include wind, solar, and hydropower.
Solar panels are currently being utilised to modernise places in need, such as the rural US’s “dead zones” for power, in the same way that hydroelectricity did. This is an excellent approach to bring independence and protection to people who are most vulnerable during uncertain times. Take advantage of the reduced prices to join this business; learn about solar panels, collaborate with manufacturers to design new solar panel frames, or combine your present talent with solar panels in an innovative manner.
3. DRIVE-IN MUSICAL THEATRE
Richard M. Hollingshead opened the first drive-in movie theatre in 1933. Hollingshead wanted to provide auto-loving people a new way to enjoy their automobiles after realising how inaccessible movie theatre seats were for his mother.
Drive-ins are seeing a renaissance in certain regions, with their film selection and cuisine catering to elderly patrons looking to relive their youth. You might enhance your consumer experience by adding a playground, arcade, and concession stand. Sound is sent by radio waves and received by each car’s sound system, where the level may be adjusted.
4. eLearning Enterprise
When the economy is ailing, easily accessible education is critical. The number of high school pupils increased from 3.9 million to more than 5.6 million between 1929 and 1934. Because there were no jobs available during the Great Depression, students actually remained in school longer.
This was also a period of educational progress. Teachers organised and were given improved working conditions, state school funding were raised, and school segregation was challenged in court. Today, educators are discovering new methods to maintain students’ attention, disseminate material, and prepare them for real-life challenges.
eLearning companies may provide formal or informal education possibilities. Accredited schools and universities, on the other hand, provide totally online degrees. Other eLearning companies provide tuition in a wide range of subjects, from basket weaving to horticulture. If you can conceive of a topic, chances are someone is trying to teach it online.
5. Content Marketing Firm
During the Great Depression, the corporations that flourished the most engaged in marketing. When one company’s advertising failed, another with a creative marketing technique was ready to make its move. Brands have recognised this strategy, transforming marketing into a great, always-relevant company.
While a content marketing business focuses on content creation, the type and purpose of that material might vary from client to client. Some businesses want to expand their customers largely via conventional advertising, but others want content that connects with their sales funnel and helps the lead generation process. Other customers may seek assistance in constructing their own brand and establishing a social media presence via which their target audience may interact with that brand.