Why Boring Businesses Outlast AI Hype Cycles
Everyones building an AI company these days Every pitch deck leads with AIpowered every startup claims to be the next ChatGPT for X and venture capitalists cant stop talking about the artificial intelligence revolution
But heres what theyre missing while everyone crowds into the same overhyped pond the real money is being made in boring businesses that solve unglamorous problems
The Government Forms Gold Mine
Let me tell you about a company that perfectly illustrates this principle While thousands of entrepreneurs were building GPT wrappers and AI chatbots a small team noticed something everyone else ignored people applying for government assistance were drowning in paperwork
The process was bureaucratic hell—confusing forms, unclear requirements, and endless back-and-forth with government offices. Most tech entrepreneurs wouldn't give this problem a second glance. It's not sexy. It won't make TechCrunch headlines. It doesn't involve machine learning or neural networks.
But guess what? That "boring" form-filling software is now generating $30 million in annual revenue.
This is the essence of "fishing where the fish are, not where the fishermen are." While everyone else battles over the same crowded markets, smart entrepreneurs find untapped problems with real paying customers.
Why Boring Usually Beats Buzzy
The AI gold rush reminds me of every other tech bubble. Remember when everything was "blockchain-powered" or "mobile-first" or "social-enabled"? The companies that survived those hype cycles weren't the ones chasing trends—they were the ones solving real problems that happened to use the technology.
Today's AI companies face three fundamental problems:
The Commodity Trap: As AI capabilities become more accessible, competitive moats disappear. Your AI chatbot for lawyers looks remarkably similar to everyone else's AI chatbot for lawyers.
The Hype Hangover: When the AI bubble deflates (and it will), investors will demand actual profits, not just impressive demos. Many current AI companies have no clear path to profitability.
The Dependency Risk: Building your entire business on rapidly evolving AI models means you're one API change away from obsolescence.
How to Find Your Boring Gold Mine
Finding these overlooked opportunities isn't luck—it's a systematic approach to problem identification:
Start With Your Own Pain Points
The best business ideas often hide in your daily frustrations. What processes make you want to scream? What tasks eat up hours of your time for no good reason? If it annoys you, it probably annoys thousands of other people too.
Mine Your Network
Your friends, family, and colleagues are goldmines of business ideas. Ask them: "What's the most frustrating part of your job?" "What takes way longer than it should?" "What would save you hours every week?" Listen for patterns—if multiple people mention similar problems, you've found something worth exploring.
Question Everything Manual
In 2025, if someone's still using spreadsheets to track important business processes, there's probably an opportunity. If people are printing forms, filling them out by hand, and faxing them back, there's definitely an opportunity. Look for workflows that seem stuck in 1995.
Follow the Complaints
Reddit, Twitter, and industry forums are filled with people complaining about broken processes. These complaint threads are basically free market research.
While flashy startups fight for attention, boring businesses enjoy several unfair advantages:
Less Competition: Most entrepreneurs chase shiny objects, leaving mundane problems undersolved.
Sticky Customers: Businesses that solve operational headaches create deep integration points that are hard to replace
Predictable Revenue: Boring problems tend to be ongoing problems, leading to subscription revenue rather than one-time purchases
Lower Customer Acquisition Costs When you solve a real pain point in an underserved market customers find you through word-of-mouth
3 comments
Is it okay; I took some liberties and REworded your entry for light readers.
--- EASY READING: ---
--- Why Boring Businesses Beat the AI Hype ---
Everyone’s chasing the AI gold rush—every pitch deck screams "AI-powered," and startups claim to be "ChatGPT for X." But while entrepreneurs crowd into overhyped markets, the real money lies in solving unglamorous, overlooked problems.
--- The Hidden Gold in "Boring" Problems ---
Take government assistance forms: a bureaucratic nightmare of confusing paperwork. One company tackled this "unsexy" issue and now generates $30M in annual revenue. Why? They fished where others weren’t—solving a real pain point with paying customers.
--- AI Startup Risks ---
Commodity Trap: As AI tools become common, differentiation vanishes. Your AI chatbot looks like everyone else’s.
Hype Hangover: When the AI bubble bursts, investors will demand profits, not demos. Many AI startups lack a path to profitability.
Dependency Risk: Building on evolving AI models means one API change can break your business.
--- Advantages of Boring Businesses ---
Less Competition: Entrepreneurs chase trends, leaving mundane problems underserved.
Sticky Customers: Solving operational headaches creates deep integration, making your solution hard to replace.
Predictable Revenue: Ongoing problems lead to reliable subscription income.
Lower Acquisition Costs: Real solutions spread through word-of-mouth.
--- How to Find Your "Boring" Gold Mine ---
Start with Pain Points: What frustrates you daily? If it annoys you, it likely annoys others.
Mine Your Network: Ask colleagues, “What’s the worst part of your job?” or “What wastes your time?” Look for patterns.
Spot Manual Processes: Spreadsheets or faxed forms in 2025? That’s an opportunity.
Follow Complaints: Reddit, Twitter, and forums are treasure troves of broken processes begging for solutions.
--- Takeaway Skip the AI hype. ---
Find a boring, underserved problem, solve it well, and build a business with real staying power.
--- EASY READING: ---
--- Why Boring Businesses Beat the AI Hype ---
Everyone’s chasing the AI gold rush—every pitch deck screams "AI-powered," and startups claim to be "ChatGPT for X." But while entrepreneurs crowd into overhyped markets, the real money lies in solving unglamorous, overlooked problems.
--- The Hidden Gold in "Boring" Problems ---
Take government assistance forms: a bureaucratic nightmare of confusing paperwork. One company tackled this "unsexy" issue and now generates $30M in annual revenue. Why? They fished where others weren’t—solving a real pain point with paying customers.
--- AI Startup Risks ---
Commodity Trap: As AI tools become common, differentiation vanishes. Your AI chatbot looks like everyone else’s.
Hype Hangover: When the AI bubble bursts, investors will demand profits, not demos. Many AI startups lack a path to profitability.
Dependency Risk: Building on evolving AI models means one API change can break your business.
--- Advantages of Boring Businesses ---
Less Competition: Entrepreneurs chase trends, leaving mundane problems underserved.
Sticky Customers: Solving operational headaches creates deep integration, making your solution hard to replace.
Predictable Revenue: Ongoing problems lead to reliable subscription income.
Lower Acquisition Costs: Real solutions spread through word-of-mouth.
--- How to Find Your "Boring" Gold Mine ---
Start with Pain Points: What frustrates you daily? If it annoys you, it likely annoys others.
Mine Your Network: Ask colleagues, “What’s the worst part of your job?” or “What wastes your time?” Look for patterns.
Spot Manual Processes: Spreadsheets or faxed forms in 2025? That’s an opportunity.
Follow Complaints: Reddit, Twitter, and forums are treasure troves of broken processes begging for solutions.
--- Takeaway Skip the AI hype. ---
Find a boring, underserved problem, solve it well, and build a business with real staying power.
I took away:
├── Start with Pain Points
├── Mine Your Network
├── Spot Mundane Processes
└── Follow Complaints
├── Start with Pain Points
├── Mine Your Network
├── Spot Mundane Processes
└── Follow Complaints
Well, using an LLM might improve your writing style - conciseness, paragraphs, etc.