Best Business Ideas 2027: 27 Picks by Market

Do you want to start a new business in 2027? If you’re thinking of starting a business over the next 12 months, this article is for you. In this article, I list the best business ideas for 2027. You can scroll through all 27 ideas or jump straight to the markets you know about.

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What are the best and most viable businesses to start in 2027?

I’ve squeezed all 9 markets onto one screen. For each market, I list the market, why 2027 and one idea you can start. All of the ideas in this article pass my date, buyer, budget test. Each idea has a date, there are people already paying for a worse fix and you can start it with a small budget. When I list prices or start up costs, they’re my estimate for the first version of the idea. They do not include paying you or keeping any money in the bank.

The market sizes are from research companies, and they all use a different method to work out the size of the market. If you want to work out your own market size (TAM, SAM & SOM) then check out my complete guide to calculating your market size. Note: if you’ve already read my version for 2026, you’ll notice there are fewer software ideas and more service ideas for 2027.

Senior care and downsizing business ideas for 2027

Peak 65 should mean more demand in 2027 if you are in the business of helping seniors or their families downsize their parents’ homes, and you won’t need any code!

Estate cleanout and senior downsizing service

When a parent goes into a home or passes away, someone has to empty out the house, sometimes while living in a different state. 40 years of stuff builds up in a house. A commenter in an r/AskReddit thread on the best business to start in 2027 has a friend who does this for a living. He has a used box truck, has an agreement with a dumpster company and charges a flat fee plus 30% of whatever he sells.

Tech and AI aren't going to clean out your grandma's attic.

Peak 65 will make this a more sought after service in 2027, as many boomers are downsizing not only their own home but also their parents’ home.

Type:

service business.

Startup cost:

$10,000 to $40,000 (used truck, insurance, storage unit).

Aging-in-place bathroom retrofits

According to a Home Improvement Research Institute study from 8 Jan 2026, 53% of the aging-in-place updates homeowners make include the bathroom, and 37% of these homeowners spend between $5,000 and $24,999 on the entire project. Even a small percentage of that would keep you and another person busy for a while. Put together a fixed price package for doing one bathroom with common items such as grab bars, curbless showers, etc. Then partner up with occupational therapists to get a steady stream of referrals.

Type:

small business (licensed contractor).

Startup cost:

$20,000 to $75,000.

Coordination for long-distance family caregivers

Where is the need? AARP has a great article on this, published in July 2025. 63 million Americans are actively engaged in providing ongoing care for an adult or a child with complex care needs. That is almost 1 out of 4 American adults! What can you do if the adult child can’t be there for his parent because he lives 2 states away? He is either paying air fare to be there or not making money because he isn’t at work. Start small, check in once a week and make sure the parent is doing what they need to do, going to appointments, paying bills, etc. Keep a log so all the siblings know you are doing something. Don’t start coding until you have 20 families that will pay you for this.

Type:

service business, software later.

Startup cost:

$5,000 to $25,000.

Buying or selling a small business in 2027

BizBuySell.com just released their report on the number of small businesses sold in the third quarter of 2026. The number of businesses sold was flat from the previous quarter at 2,132 businesses. They also state that buyers are being pickier about what they buy. These first 2 ideas would fit in nicely with this report.

Sell-ready clean-up for owners over 55

The owners of these small businesses may be close to retiring and not keeping their books up to par like they would if they were thinking of selling. They are probably just doing enough to get their taxes done. Offer to do their books for the last 3 years so that when a buyer’s bank wants to see the books they are in a nice pretty folder. The broker will get a cut when the business is sold but you will get your pay before the business is put up for sale. You should be able to charge $3,000 to $10,000 per business to do this job.

Type:

service business (bookkeepers and accountants start with an edge).

Startup cost:

$1,000 to $5,000.

Buy a boring service business instead of starting one

If you are looking for a business to have in 2027, not just an idea, why don’t you buy one. The service related businesses lead the pack on BizBuySell.com in the third quarter of 2026. The businesses that are for sale have an owner that is probably over 55 years old and you will have customers, staff, and cash flow when you start. If you want to stay online read the post on r/wifimoolah on what to start in 2027. The poster says even the small projects are selling for 2 to 4 times their yearly profit. Just make sure that they are making what they say they are!

Type:

acquisition (small business).

Startup cost:

a down payment, $50,000 to $300,000 in my working range for a profitable local service firm.

Seller-note servicing for small deals

This last idea also comes from the BizBuySell.com report for 2026 Q3. More sellers are offering seller financing to help the buyers buy the businesses because it is hard to get SBA financing. Why not charge the sellers a fee to collect the payments for them. Many of the sellers are recently retired and may not want to collect payments from the buyers. This idea is not as good as the first 2 ideas because the volume of businesses being sold is flat.

Type:

software startup.

Startup cost:

$20,000 to $60,000.

GLP-1 business ideas for 2027

To understand this post, a bit of context is needed: as of 1st January 2027, the price that CMS has negotiated for Ozempic/Rybelsus/Wegovy will be $274 per 30 day supply (the list price in 2024 was $959). On 1st April 2026, the FDA approved a new oral weight loss pill called Foundayo. For the clinical details of this, see my post on healthcare startup ideas. This section is about the money side of things!

Refund reconciliation for independent pharmacies

The pharmacy needs to dispense at the negotiated price and then wait for the drug company to pay them the difference. In February 2026, the NCPA surveyed its members and found that most owners responded that it took 22 days or more for independent pharmacies to receive payment from manufacturers for the difference in negotiated price. Almost 4 out of 5 owners said that it was difficult to match up the payment they received from the manufacturer to the claims. Semaglutide is entering the program in 2027, and this could be a big problem for small pharmacies if they wait 3+ weeks to be paid for a drug that 2.282 million Medicare Part D users took in 2024. Charge a monthly fee per store to use the software that would make it easy to match up the refunds to claims and also let the pharmacies know when they should have been paid and haven’t.

Type:

software startup.

Startup cost:

$20,000 to $60,000.

Lifestyle programs that unlock employer GLP-1 coverage

In their 2025 survey of employers, KFF found that 43% of large employers (5,000+ employees) provide coverage for GLP-1s for weight loss, up from 28% the year before. Of large employers (200+ employees) providing coverage, 34% require engagement with a dietitian/case manager/therapist/lifestyle program as a pre-requisite. Partner with employers to provide a remote dietitian and remote strength training program for those enrolling in the weight loss benefit. Charge a fee per enrolled member per month. Talk to benefits brokers to find out the best way to get in front of employers.

Type:

service business with light software.

Startup cost:

$10,000 to $40,000.

A real-cost checker for patients on high-deductible plans

Novo Nordisk stated in February 2026 that they were reducing the list price of Wegovy/Ozempic/Rybelsus from 1st January 2027 in order to help those patients that are paying out of pocket for the drugs (their out of pocket is based on the list price, e.g. those with high deductible health plans). These patients will need to figure out if it is cheaper for them to take the drug and use their insurance, buy at the pharmacy, use one of the myriad of telehealth companies that are popping up that include the drug in their telehealth fee, or take the new pill. Create a simple tool that allows a potential user to quickly figure out what will be the cheapest way for them to get the drug on a monthly basis. Charge employers (they may want to provide this service to their employees), or charge the pharmacies/telehealth companies for referring potential customers to them (check the laws around this).

Type:

software startup.

Startup cost:

$5,000 to $20,000.

Medicaid work requirement business ideas for 2027

A little political, but the idea is to help people who qualify not lose insurance. Starting 1/1/2027, adults (19-64) on Medicaid expansion need to work/go to school/do a work program/community service 80 hours/month or make $580/month unless they’re exempt. (Source from CMS) Some states (Nebraska & Montana) are already enforcing this and Iowa starts 1st December. (Source from KFF) States can request more time thru the end of 2028, but CMS is saying they probably won’t give many. (Source from CMS bulletin) Many states are already using their state’s Medicaid eligibility system (often built by Deloitte, Accenture, KPMG, etc.) (Source from CBPP) So, where do the clinics, health plans, and hospitals come in? They lose money when eligible patients drop off.

Exemption paperwork desk for clinics

There are people that are exempt, but they often need a doctor’s note. CMS tried to tighten the definition of “medically frail” but a judge blocked them on 29th October 2026 (Source from AP) and kept the rule that the diagnosis has to be from the last year. ACP is saying that doctors will have more work to write these (Source from ACP) and practices can charge for it where state law allows. With health centers seeing 32.7m patients in 2025 (Source from HRSA) it would make sense to scan their patient records, determine who could be exempt, fill out the exemption form, and get it signed by a doctor. I’d charge $1.5k-$4k/month for this service to the clinics. Only need to do it in 1 state at first. Will probably need a nurse to see who would be exempt.

Type:

service business.

Startup cost:

$5,000 to $15,000.

Coverage text assistant for Medicaid health plans

Medicaid managed care plans will lose members (and money) if eligible members don’t report on time. Although the plans can’t determine if the member is compliant or not (Source from CMS bulletin) they can help them. The plans will be spending money on mailers and call centers to help their members. I’d text (in English & Spanish) the plan’s members the month before their review month to help get their documents (pay stub, letter from volunteer, etc.) in. I’d charge $0.50-$2/member/month to do this for the more regional plans. Could also get a paid pilot going to test it out. There is a YC company (Fortuna Health) helping enrollees directly and pitching the plans too, but I’d start with the smaller plans first.

Type:

software startup.

Startup cost:

$20,000 to $60,000.

Same-week re-enrollment desk for hospitals

Starting 1/1/2027, Medicaid expansion adults will only get 1 month of retroactive coverage instead of 3 and will renew every 6 months. (Source from CRS) Hospitals lose money if people are dropped and then go to the ER. They already have vendors helping them determine if the patient should have been on Medicaid, but those were probably built for the 3 month retro. I’d have a small team to re-apply for these people a few days after the visit and get their documentation (hours, etc.) in. I’d charge 10-20% of the claims paid. NACHC is expecting a lot of churn and work for health centers to do this on the front desk when the patients come in. (Source from NACHC)

Type:

service business.

Startup cost:

$10,000 to $30,000.

Pay transparency business ideas for 2027 (EU)

Although the member states had until 7th June 2026 to implement the Pay Transparency Directive into national law, as of late Oct 2026, only five of the 27 member states have fully implemented it into national law (source, Sageo's implementation tracker). However, the date for the first gender pay gap reports is contained within the directive itself. This means that companies in those member states that have not implemented it into national law have less time to prepare.

Pay gap report service for firms with 150 to 249 staff

Companies with 250+ employees need to produce a report every year, and those with 150 to 249 employees need to produce a report every three years. The first reports are due by 7th June 2027. A company with 180 employees may not have anyone in-house who knows how to calculate its gender pay gap. Offer to calculate it for them, for a fixed fee. If an unexplained pay gap of 5% or more for any group is still not fixed six months after the report, the company has to carry out a joint pay assessment with employee representatives (see Article 10 of the directive).

Type:

service business.

Startup cost:

€2,000 to €8,000.

Pay-range checker for job ads

One of the requirements of the directive is that companies must state the starting pay or pay range for a job either in the job advertisement or before an interview is held. They are also not allowed to ask for a candidate's pay history (source, Council of the European Union). As different member states are implementing this into national law at different dates, this is going to be a problem for recruiting agencies who post job ads in multiple countries. Build a checker that flags any of their job ads missing a pay range, for each country in which they post. Charge them a monthly fee.

Type:

software startup.

Startup cost:

€10,000 to €40,000.

Job grading workshops for firms with no pay bands

The pay reports must cover work of equal value, which means job categories defined in an objective way, without regard to the sex of the workers (source: the Council's summary). If a company has not yet done this, the report cannot be done. That's where designing and writing a grading grid in a 2-day workshop comes in, at €5,000 to €15,000. If you're an HR consultant, you can sell this as a fixed price offer.

Type:

service business.

Startup cost:

under €2,000.

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Business ideas from the data center power crunch

PJM runs the electrical grid for 67 million people in 13 states and DC. They held an auction for the capacity needed in 2027/28 and it cleared at the price cap and was still 6,623 megawatts short of what PJM needs for reliable service. This price will be on commercial electricity bills starting in June of 2027.

Peak-load management for mid-size commercial sites in PJM

A large customer’s share of the costs is based on their consumption during the 5 highest peak hours over the summer. If a large customer (warehouse, school district, cold storage, etc.) decreases their consumption during these hours their charge the following year will be less. You could sell these customers a service to warn them when these hours are about to start and at the end of each month provide a report on how much they saved. You get to keep some of the savings.

Type:

software plus service.

Startup cost:

$10,000 to $40,000.

Commercial electrical contractor for backup power and switchgear

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the number of electricians will increase by 9% between 2025 and 2035. This is much faster than the average job, and there should be about 72,700 openings per year. All the data centers and factories that are being built and upgraded are going to need electricians. You could open up an electrician business. I’m guessing that you would be able to focus on maintaining generators and switchgear for commercial customers. You could then sell yearly maintenance contracts to these customers to secure the business.

Type:

small business (licensed trade).

Startup cost:

$50,000 to $150,000.

Apprenticeship prep for adult career changers

According to the BLS, most electricians get started in the profession by completing an apprenticeship. You could open up a business that helps people prepare for the entry test. There will be lots of adults that want to change careers and would appreciate a short course to help them prepare for the test that they would be willing to pay for. This one will probably be the least likely to work in this category, so make sure you can sell the course to 10 people before renting a room to conduct the classes.

Type:

service business.

Startup cost:

$20,000 to $80,000.

Cybersecurity business ideas for 2027

Both deadlines are for 2027, but the EU one applies to products with digital elements that are sold in the EU, while the US one only covers national security systems.

Vulnerability reporting desk for small connected-product makers

Starting on 11 September 2026, the makers of these products have to report actively exploited vulnerabilities, first a warning within 24 hours and then a full notification within 72 hours. For a small maker of a smart home product (say, ten people), it is not obvious who will be on call at 3am on a Sunday to do this. It might be possible to sell them a yearly retainer to take over this task.

Type:

service business.

Startup cost:

€5,000 to €20,000.

Technical file and software parts list preparation for the CRA

From 11 December 2027, the rest of the act's obligations apply. Products can get the CE mark if they are in conformity with the act. Small product makers will need to prepare their technical documentation, create a software bill of materials (a list of the software components they use) and prepare the other processes that they need to be in conformity with the act, including dealing with vulnerabilities before they put their product on the market. It might be possible to help the same small product makers with this.

Type:

service business, tooling later.

Startup cost:

€3,000 to €10,000.

Encryption inventory for defense subcontractors

On 1 October 2026 the US NSA released information about quantum safe cryptography, including that from 2027, all new commercial systems that are part of US national security must support quantum resistant algorithms and that legacy systems must be phased out by 2030. Large defence contractors probably have subcontractors who have subcontractors who have software that uses encryption, but they don't know where. It might be possible to sell them a service (later, a license) to scan their sites and prepare a migration plan. This is probably the one that will take the most time to take off, given that it's in the defence industry.

Type:

software startup.

Startup cost:

$30,000 to $100,000.

EU AI Act compliance business ideas for 2027

I know the EU already delayed the deadline, but when they finally passed the AI omnibus in the Council on 29th June 2026, they set the date the AI Act’s rules apply to stand-alone high-risk AI systems to 2 December 2027, and 2 August 2028 for high-risk AI systems as part of a product. Stand-alone high-risk AI systems include things like HR and credit scoring applications, which some small startups build and small lenders use.

Conformity kit for HR-tech vendors

If someone is selling a tool to scan CVs or score interviews to companies in the EU, they will need to have a risk management system, data governance procedures, technical documentation, human oversight, etc. in place by December 2027. Small companies that build these types of tools probably don't have a person in charge of AI governance, even if they are big enough to employ 20 people. So the best thing to offer them would be a template they can follow for free, and a service to check all the things for each product they sell. A full-blown software solution might be overkill, as most of them will only have 1-2 products to register.

Type:

software startup with a service layer.

Startup cost:

€15,000 to €50,000.

Oversight training for recruiting teams that use AI screening

On the employer side, there are also requirements for the use of high-risk AI systems, such as assigning specific people to oversee the AI and making sure they are trained to do so and logging things. Employers are used to paying for the training of their recruiting staff, so offering a half-day training and a one-pager on how to set up the oversight mechanism for each AI tool they use might be something they would spend money on.

Type:

service business.

Startup cost:

under €3,000.

Bias testing for credit models at small lenders

Another type of high-risk AI system listed in the AI act is credit scoring for individuals. Small lenders, such as credit unions or pay later companies, will need to make sure their credit scoring models are tested for accuracy and bias. Some of them might already work with a consultant that evaluates their models yearly, so you could offer a suite of tests and sign a piece of paper saying you ran all the tests.

Type:

service business.

Startup cost:

€5,000 to €20,000.

Battery passport and traceability business ideas for 2027

Batteries are the first product group that will need a Digital Product Passport in the EU. The passport will be provided by a QR code and contain information about the materials, performance and recyclability of the battery. The European Commission lists the date 18 February 2027 as the date on which the passport will be mandatory for batteries in electric vehicles, e-bikes, e-scooters, home battery storage and industrial batteries above 2kWh (Article 77 of the Battery regulation).

Battery passport data service for e-bike and home-storage brands

The passport is required from the company that puts the finished battery on the market. According to the European Commission Battery regulation FAQ, this also includes the importer of a product that contains a battery. Mid-size brands that import e-bikes from Asia will need to provide this information for each battery model they sell. You can charge them a yearly fee for gathering and providing the information.

Type:

software startup.

Startup cost:

€20,000 to €60,000.

E-bike battery repair and refurbishment shop

Also from 18 February 2027 Article 11 of the Batteries Regulation applies, which requires that portable batteries and e-bike batteries are made replaceable. According to the UK government’s Northern Ireland guidance, this means that they also need to be removable. This gives you the chance to set up a small shop that repairs e-bike batteries in partnership with a local bike shop.

Type:

small business.

Startup cost:

€15,000 to €50,000.

Deforestation due diligence for small coffee and cocoa importers

From 30 December 2026 for large companies and from 30 June 2027 for micro and small companies, the EU deforestation regulations will apply. This has already been delayed twice, so be careful before investing a lot of money. But companies that import coffee beans will need to provide data on the exact location of the plots where the beans were grown and a due diligence statement. You can help small specialty roast shops with this for a fee per shipment.

Type:

service business.

Startup cost:

€1,000 to €5,000.

Which business ideas are overdone in 2027?

Here are 4 business ideas to avoid in 2027 (or to niche down). For a longer list, check my overdone startup ideas post.

• AI note-takers for meetings: on 9 July 2025, Zoom announced they're adding core AI Companion features free for all paid licenses. That includes the ability to record in-person meetings. A standalone note-taker now competes with a feature the buyer already pays for.
• Faceless AI YouTube channels: on 15 July 2025, YouTube updated their policies on monetization, clarifying that they apply to repetitive or mass produced content too. They also renamed the policy to “inauthentic content”.
• Dropshipping cheap stuff from China into the US: on 29 August 2025, US customs suspended duty-free treatment (de minimis) for ALL countries. That means that shipments of $800 or less now pay duties, like any other shipment.
• E-invoicing and tax software for small firms: are small firms ready? The software is. There is already a lot of tax software on the market. Check the list of approved platforms by the French tax office (more than 150 already!). The UK's HMRC software page also lists a lot of software providers, including 'bridging' software for those who want to carry on using spreadsheets, and even free products for people with simple tax affairs. Remember: large and mid-sized French firms had to start using e-invoicing from September 2026, so most of them already bought their solution.

How do you pick one of these 2027 business ideas?

If I had to pick one of these ideas to start a business in January 2027, with $20k and without coding, I'd probably pick the estate cleanout crew idea, because it doesn't depend on a regulator keeping its date. One thing to be wary of with the regulatory ideas is that the regulatory changes mentioned might be delayed, so check the date again before you spend anything. The EU AI act's high-risk rules for example were supposed to go into effect in August 2026 (it was at the top of my 2026 list). It was then delayed by 16 months. Other examples include the new EU regulations on deforestation (once again delayed), or the obligation for companies to disclose pay gaps (most EU countries missed the deadline to write it into law).

Another thing to keep in mind is that other people will think of these ideas too. For example, Fe/male Switch recently updated their ideas for 2026-2027, and they include setting up businesses for e-invoicing and strength coaching for GLP-1 users. StartupIdeasDB also made a list of ideas for 2027, and they include coaching for GLP-1 users too.

Finally, before committing to one of these ideas, make sure you validate it! I built a tool that can check 60+ live data sources in less than 1 minute to help you validate your ideas. It's called Preuve. You can learn more about how to validate a business idea in this post, or check my idea validation hub for more resources.