I just watched Marketing Against the Grain, and the message hit like a wrench to the pipes. Great businesses don’t flinch when the market sneezes. They survive cycles because they sell need, not novelty. As someone who has ridden crypto waves and launched web ventures for decades, I agree. The smartest play right now is simple: pick services people can’t live without and make them better.
The Case for Need Over Novelty
Kipp Bodnar and Kieran Flanagan make a point most founders ignore. Chasing the next hot trend is a tax on focus and a recipe for fragility. Durable companies solve urgent problems every day, not just during bull runs. Plumbing, power, housing, health, food, and security—these are the fields that don’t pause for rate hikes.
“A great business is one that it doesn’t matter if there’s a recession, if the market’s up or down…”
They bring it home with a simple truth.
“When your toilet breaks, you’re going to call that plumber regardless.”
That line should be printed in every startup hub. It’s not flashy, but it’s true.
Stop Hunting Hype, Start Upgrading the Obvious
I’ve built companies across social media, crypto, and online business. I’ve seen fortunes made on timing. I’ve also watched them vanish. The edge today isn’t guessing the next platform. It’s modernizing century-old industries with better service, cleaner design, tighter scheduling, transparent pricing, and trustworthy brand.
“I’m super uninterested in speculative short-term bets… I can take a century old industry like plumbing and maybe… make the service a little bit better.”
That’s the move. Take “boring” and make it exceptional. Technology should support that goal, not distract from it.
What Winners Sell: Reliability
If you want a business that lasts, sell sleep-at-night value. The kind that holds up under pressure. The kind customers don’t second-guess when budgets tighten.
- Pick markets where demand doesn’t collapse.
- Price with clarity and fairness.
- Invest in fast response and great communication.
- Use software to reduce friction, not as a gimmick.
- Collect reviews and show proof of reliability.
These moves are boring on purpose. They win because most competitors ignore them.
But What About Innovation?
Some will argue that bold bets create outsized returns. Sometimes they do. But ask yourself who survives the longest. The entrepreneurs who systematize trust win more often than the ones surfing waves. New apps and trends can be rockets. They’re also land mines. A need-based service with sharp operations compounds year after year.
As the show pointed out, the siren song of “new” can drain attention from what customers actually pay for. The market doesn’t reward novelty forever. It rewards dependability.
Practical Playbook for “Boring” Greatness
Here’s how I’d build a recession-proof service business tomorrow, drawing from their stance and my own playbook:
- Choose a must-have category: plumbing, HVAC, electrical, roofing, pest control, elder care, or IT security for small businesses.
- Brand it clean and modern; avoid clip-art logos and tired taglines.
- Offer instant online booking with tight arrival windows and live text updates.
- Post clear, menu-based pricing on the site to remove fear.
- Create short videos showing fixes, safety, and professionalism.
- Build a membership plan with routine checks and priority service.
- Ask for a review on every job, and highlight them everywhere.
- Track response time, first-visit resolution, and customer happiness like key revenue metrics.
This is not glamorous work. It’s profitable work.
What I’d Tell Any Founder Right Now
Stop sprinting after every trend. Pick a problem humans always have and solve it so well your brand becomes the default call. That’s how you build a company that shrugs off downturns. Kipp and Kieran are right: we’re worshiping novelty at the expense of need. Let others guess. Own the indispensable.
If you’re early in your journey, start with a service business. If you’re seasoned, buy one that underperforms and upgrade the experience. Either way, build for durability over dazzle.
Want a business that lasts? Choose need over want. Upgrade what people already pay for. Make reliability your moat. Then keep your promises, every single day.
Now go make the plumber proud.
