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A business forecast for 2021 & 2022 featured in the latest edition of Rise & Soar: The New Better. Download your free magazine copy today: https://shyatt.pages.ontraport.net/new-better

Predictions, trends, challenges, and opportunities.

From the COVID-19 pandemic... to George Floyd’s murder...to the daily horror show that is Trump’s administration...this year has been a relentless onslaught of stress.

So many people in my life feel absolutely depleted: emotionally and financially too.

Our brains are fried. Our nervous systems are shot. And business-wise? It has been a challenging year, to say the least.

All that being said, I remain fiercely optimistic that we will build a better world from the ashes of this year. We will find ways to “turn our pain into purpose,” to quote my friend Robert Hartwell, a Broadway performer- turned-entrepreneur.

And if you’re self-employed, this is not the time to fall into despair. There are abundant opportunities right now. In fact, many industries are booming and experiencing record-breaking sales.

Even amidst the ongoing pandemic, there are customers to serve, problems to solve, and money to be made. You can get creative, be resourceful, and find your place in the marketplace. 

Let’s look at some business trends and opportunities, and predictions for small business owners, coaches, consultants, freelancers, and other self-employed people.

BUSINESS TRENDS & OPPORTUNITIES 

Online dating is booming

Salon magazine reports that there’s been a big “uptick in conversations happening on Tinder” and the “length of conversations are longer.”

NBC mentions that Bumble, another dating app, is noticing a 21% increase in sent messages.

Makes sense, right? People are stuck at home, lonely, and craving connection. They’re sick of staring into their refrigerator...and they want to find love!

What does this mean for you? Well, if you’re a dating and relationship coach, hello? Golden opportunity! You could run a program about how to navigate the online dating world or how to date safely amidst a pandemic.

You could offer services to help people get ready to re-enter the dating world. Like a ‘get ready for love’ course, helping people heal, release past trauma, and step back into the dating world feeling confident and fresh and open hearted.

Alcohol sales have exploded

Amidst the pandemic, alcohol sales in the US have jumped up 55%. And then, for stores that offer online ordering and home delivery, alcohol sales have surged 243%.

Those numbers come from a Nielsen survey, as reported by the Associated Press.

It’s clear that people are bored, stressed, isolated, and are turning to alcohol to cope with these emotions.

If you’re a doctor, nurse, social worker, therapist, life coach, or anyone else with an interest in health, wellbeing, or sobriety, now is THE TIME to roll out an offer. Create a course or offer a service to help people to cut back on drinking, or quit.

Or maybe you don’t specialize in alcohol issues, but you specialize in food issues, eating issues, or body image issues. A lot of people are struggling with emotional eating right now and using food to cope with difficult emotions. As an entrepreneur, what could you offer to help solve this dilemma? 

People want to build better habits

Whether it’s changing alcohol habits, workout habits, or any other habits, “habit change” is an especially hot topic right now.

There’s a smartphone app, The Daily Shifts, which helps people build positive habits. This app experienced a 2,000% increase in downloads when the pandemic began. 2,000%! Hot damn!

People want to build better habits, especially right now.

This is great news for life coaches, and for anybody else who works in the personal growth, mindset, or wellness space.

Get out there and give the people what they want. 

People are adopting pets like crazy

When the pandemic began, one animal shelter in New York went from receiving around 140 adoption applications per month...to 3,000 applications.

People are purchasing, adopting, and fostering pets in record numbers.

Makes total sense! People are staying home, and many people have lots of unexpected free time. What better time to get a furry friend?

Of course, bringing home a new pet comes with plenty of challenges!

A new pet owner might have no idea how to train their new dog, for instance. There’s a big opportunity right now for pet and animal specialists to develop products, books, courses, and other offers that customers will happily snap up. 

BUSINESS PREDICTIONS FOR 2021 & 2022

- With the pandemic continuing and no specific end-date in sight, do-at-home workouts will continue to be in hot demand. Virtual workouts, online gym memberships and 1-on-1 personal training via Zoom—there’s plenty of money to be made in this space.

Burnout is a big buzzword right now. After all the ups and downs of 2020, many people are stepping into 2021 completely fried and teetering on the verge of burnout. Customers will be searching for ways to avoid burnout—or find relief once it’s happening. And many corporations will be shelling out big bucks to hire stress relief and burnout experts to give seminars to their employees.

Millions of parents are home- schooling their kids—or doing virtual-school-from-home through a public school system— and it’s a big, awkward transition for many households. Parents are frantically searching for tips on help their children adjust and succeed. If you have knowledge on parenting, education, tutoring, or goal-setting for kids, this is your time to shine!

Netflix is booming. So are sales of cannabis and CBD products. People want to be entertained and chill out. As an entrepreneur, what’s a soothing, comforting offer you could bring into the world? How could you spread joy and help people escape the pressures of their lives?

- You specialize in helping people make more money or manage their money wisely? This is powerful time for you. Many people are (understandably) nervous about the economy and want to find ways to bring more money in the door and gain financial security. If you’re a money coach or financial planner, get out there and promote yourself more assertively than ever. People need you. 

Your job, as an entrepreneur, is to look at what’s booming right now, and ask yourself:

“If this is what people are craving right now...how can I satisfy that craving? What could I offer? How could I be of service? What could I create to meet people ‘where they’re at’ and give them what they want and need?”

That’s what being an entrepreneur is all about.

Don’t wait for money-making opportunities to fall into your lap, because they rarely do. Instead, be pro-active and create exciting opportunities for yourself. When you do this, you won’t just “get by” or “break even.” You will rise and soar.