Everyone’s chasing AI wrappers and productivity tools.

Meanwhile, billion-dollar markets are sitting wide open because they seem “boring” or “too niche.”

I spent the last month researching where real money is moving in 2025.

Not hype.

Not what’s trending on Product Hunt.

Actual growing markets with paying customers and zero good solutions.

Here are five markets you can break into quickly, each offering real opportunity beyond crowded AI and productivity spaces.

The creator economy hit $104 billion this year.

It’s projected to reach $528 billion by 2030.

But creators are still using QuickBooks.

Think about what a YouTuber manages: ad revenue, sponsorships, Patreon, course sales, merchandise, and affiliate income.

Six income streams.

Different payment schedules. Complex tax situations.

And they’re tracking it in spreadsheets.

Nobody built financial software for creators.

This isn’t a nice-to-have.

Every creator I know panics during tax season.

Build this as a $29/month SaaS, target the 50 million creators who need it. Use Stripe Connect and Plaid for integrations.

You could launch the MVP in three weeks.

Cybersecurity attacks on small businesses jumped 424% in 2025.

Most got hit because they couldn’t afford enterprise compliance tools.

Here’s the thing about compliance: it’s not optional.

HIPAA for healthcare.
PCI-DSS for e-commerce.
SOC 2 for agencies.
These aren’t suggestions.

But the tools are built for enterprises.
Small clinics can’t afford $50k annual contracts.
They’re using checklists and hoping they don’t get audited.

Pick one vertical.
Build compliance dashboards with pre-configured templates for that industry.
Charge $99-$299/month.

Healthcare clinics will pay.
Legal firms will pay.
Cannabis dispensaries will pay.

Because one violation costs more than a year's subscription to your software.

The global compliance management market is growing at an estimated 10.3% annually, according to market research reports.

Industry projections estimate it will reach $18 billion in value by 2029. The majority of spending currently goes to legacy enterprise software solutions, which small businesses struggle to adopt.

Zapier and Make are powerful.

They’re also generic.

A freelance designer doesn’t need “workflow automation.” They need proposal-to-contract-to-invoice automation that works exactly how design projects work.

A real estate agent doesn’t need Airtable. They need lead-to-showing-to-close tracking with MLS integration.

Build 80% pre-configured workflows for one profession. Charge $29/month for individuals, $79/month for small teams.

You’re not building software. You’re building templates. High margins. Low support overhead. Easy customer acquisition through profession-specific communities.

The workflow automation market is exploding, but it’s still horizontal. Vertical wins here.

There’s a 56% wage premium for AI skills right now.

Small business owners know they should use AI. They don’t know how.

They’re not looking for technical courses.
They want: “How do I use AI to write better emails?”
“How do I automate my content calendar?”
“What prompts actually work?”

Build courses teaching AI implementation for specific professions.
Sell on Gumroad for $49-99.
Create a paid newsletter sharing prompts and workflows.
Build a community where people share what’s working for them.

Start with one niche: “AI for Freelance Designers” or “AI for Real Estate Agents.” Make it practical.

Show exact prompts and workflows.

This market will get crowded.
But right now, it’s wide open.

Emerging markets such as India, Africa, and Latin America are expected to account for approximately 40% of total new creator growth through 2030, according to industry analyses.

Patreon and Substack are built for English-speaking creators in the US.

They don’t handle local payment processors. They don’t properly support regional languages. They don’t understand local monetization models.

Pick one region.
Build a creator monetization platform specifically for that market.
Hindi creators in India.
Spanish creators in Latin America.
Portuguese creators in Brazil.

You’re not competing with Patreon globally. You’re dominating one geographic market they’re ignoring.

First-mover advantage is massive here.
The creator economy is exploding in these regions, but the necessary infrastructure doesn’t yet exist.

Here's the common thread.

These aren’t innovative.
They’re not sexy.
They won’t win awards.

They’re solving real problems for people who are currently using bad solutions or no solutions.

That’s where money lives. Not in innovation. In execution for underserved markets.

You don’t need a groundbreaking idea. Build what people are already trying to pay for.

These opportunities exist because they require work.

Not coding work. Decision work.

Picking one. Committing to it. Building it while everyone tells you it’s too niche or too boring.

That’s why they’re still available.

Most founders are chasing the next viral AI app. They want the Product Hunt launch and the TechCrunch write-up.

Meanwhile, boring tools for compliance and creator finances are printing money.

You can spend six months researching the perfect idea. Or you can pick one of these and have a working product in three weeks.

The market rewards what you ship, not which idea you chose.

See you next week.

Ready to stop researching and start building?

Ready to move fast?

Book a strategy call this week and let's launch your MVP in one weekend sprint — no coding, no quitting your 9-5 job.

You'll have a real product to test with real customers.

Pick your market, and I’ll help you build it.

Know if it works before February—let’s start now.