If you're deciding whether to start a business rather than analysing one you already run, this is the page for you. Each handbook gives what the market is actually worth with sourced figures, the stages a business like it moves through and the mistake that stalls each one, what every revenue stream genuinely pays, and what to do in your first month. Free, no account, no email.
A small market forecast to shrink — and why membership, not retail, is the business.
$1.2B US cigar lounges — 2026 market size (IBISWorld)
Before the lease → Opening → Year 1–2 → Established
Read the cigar lounge handbook →What the market pays, how practices actually grow, and what to do first.
$2.6B US life-coaching market — 2025, growing ~9.5% a year since 2020 (IBISWorld)
Year 1 → Years 2–3 → Years 4–6 → Years 7–10
Read the coaching handbook →Why the highest-selling categories are often the worst ones, and where the money actually is.
$43.7B US convenience stores — 2026, growing ~4.1% a year since 2021 (IBISWorld)
Taking over → First year → Fixing shrink → Growing basket
Read the convenience handbook →Why collections matter more than production, and what hygiene really does for a practice.
$196.1B US dentists — 2026 market size (IBISWorld)
Associate → Buying or starting → First years → Growing
Read the dental practice handbook →The only three numbers that matter, and why growing revenue can still lose money.
$1.62T US e-commerce sales — projected 2026, up 10.4% on 2025
First 100 orders → Finding the margin → Paid acquisition → Repeat & retention
Read the e-commerce handbook →What the apps actually pay once the car is paid for, and the number almost nobody tracks.
$54.2B US rideshare market — 2026 — Uber and Lyft hold effectively all of it
Month 1–2 → Month 3–6 → Month 6–12 → Year 1+
Read the gig economy handbook →A huge market with famously thin margins — and why competing on price is the losing move.
$963.3B US supermarkets & grocery — 2026, ~8.1% CAGR since 2021 (IBISWorld)
Opening → Year 1 → Finding the margin → Established
Read the grocery handbook →Why membership alone rarely works, and the churn number that decides whether you survive.
$47.0B US gyms & fitness clubs — 2026, up 1.3% — a 3.6% CAGR since 2021 (IBISWorld)
Pre-open → Year 1 → Years 2–3 → Mature
Read the gym handbook →Why the booking channel matters more than the room rate, and what a second property really costs.
$286.5B US hotels & motels — 2025 market size; RevPAR forecast +3.0% for 2026 (CoStar / Tourism Economics)
Before you open → Year 1 → Year 2–3 → Second property
Read the hotel handbook →Route density, recurring contracts, and how to survive the off-season.
$176.7B US landscaping services — 2026 market size (IBISWorld)
Solo with a trailer → Building a route → First crew → Established
Read the landscaping handbook →Reimbursement pressure, referral relationships, and why cash-pay services keep appearing.
$56.4B US physical therapists — 2026 market size (IBISWorld)
Solo clinician → Building referrals → First hires → Established clinic
Read the physical therapy practice handbook →What advertising really pays, why almost nobody lives on it, and what does work.
$4.2B US podcast ad market — 2026 estimate, up from $3.2B in 2024
Episodes 1–20 → Episodes 20–60 → Episodes 60–150 → Episodes 150+
Read the podcast handbook →The hardest business in this app — and the numbers that decide it before you open.
$1.55T US restaurant & foodservice — projected 2026 sales, up 4.8% (National Restaurant Association)
Before the lease → Opening year → Years 2–3 → Established
Read the restaurant handbook →Chair economics, why retail matters more than it looks, and the rebooking number that decides everything.
$63.4B US hair salons — 2026, growing ~2.1% a year since 2021 (IBISWorld)
Behind a chair → Your own chair → First hires → Established shop
Read the salon handbook →What the platform actually takes now, why occupancy assumptions sink people, and the rules that change under you.
$109.4B Global vacation rental market — Airbnb alone carries 9M+ active listings and 5M+ hosts worldwide
Before the first listing → First season → Second and third property → Portfolio
Read the short-term rental handbook →A small market where the artist is the brand — and the shop is really a platform.
$1.3B US tattoo artists — 2026 market size (IBISWorld)
Apprentice → First chair → Your own shop → Established studio
Read the tattoo studio handbook →Four months of income, twelve months of costs — and the fix everyone eventually finds.
$15.0B US tax preparation services — 2026 market size (IBISWorld)
First season → Building the book → Beating the season → Established firm
Read the tax prep handbook →Why the contracts matter more than the trucks, and what a shrinking market means for pricing.
$11.8B US automobile towing — 2026, up 0.8% on the year (IBISWorld)
One truck → First contracts → Two to five trucks → Established yard
Read the towing handbook →The honest version — including the failure rate nobody quotes you.
$906B US trucking revenue — 2024, down from $1.004T in 2023 (ATA)
Before authority → First year → Finding your lane → Second truck
Read the trucking handbook →A capital-heavy, weather-dependent trade where utilisation days decide everything.
$876.4M US private boat charters — 2026 market size (IBISWorld)
Before the boat → First season → Building the calendar → Second vessel
Read the yacht handbook →How this differs from our guides: the guides help you read the numbers of a business you already operate — prime cost, revenue per mile, rebooking rate. The handbooks are for before that: market size, what to expect, and what to do first. Different question, different page.
Figures are sourced from published industry research (IBISWorld, trade associations and regulator data) and are stated with their year. They describe typical conditions, not your specific situation. Every handbook carries a note on licensing, because several of these trades are regulated and the rules are usually local. This is general information for business owners, not financial, tax, or legal advice.