Top five businesses to buy right now

Choosing the right type of business to buy can be a confusing matter, especially when trends come and go and spending habits shift with financial and societal climate change.

Businessesforsale.com picks out 5 of the hottest business options in the current market.

Tattoo shop

There was a time when tattoos and piercings were only for the wilder individual – tribal markings of the rebellious and free-spirited.

Now, with the likes of fresh-faced Cheryl Cole emblazoning an indelible rose-garden on her derriere and veteran BBC broadcaster David Dimbleby getting his first tattoo (of a scorpion) at the age of 75, ‘body art’ is well and truly mainstream.

Today, anyone from mothers with prams to corporate suits can be found queuing up for a quick nipple piercing or cheeky tat, and this has accelerated the demand for tattoo parlours and ‘body adornment’ establishments on our high-streets.

Nursery

In most westernised countries the number of women trading in their apron strings for a weekly pay-check has risen steadily over the last few decades, and with it – the demand for quality childcare.

The rising cost of living has put young families under pressure to earn more, and this has meant that good childcare places are highly sought after.

In the US, the 2012 Bureau of Labor Statistics report stated that 64.8% of married mothers with children under 6 went out to work – an increase of around 10% since 2007.

In Canada, The Vanier Institute of the Family estimates there are regulated child care spaces for only 22% of Canadian children under the age of six. That’s 78% pure business opportunity right there.

And in UK, The Department for Education has just increased free education for all three and four-year-olds from 12.5 to 15 hours a week, and extended support to two-year-olds from low-income families, which will likely bolster the sector.

Despite the rising cost of childcare, most parents are loathe to use unregulated care-givers so there is, and will continue to be, a high demand for decent nurseries.

Care sector business

With a global population that is rapidly aging, higher life expectancy and declining birth-rates mean that any business that deals in caring for the elderly will continue to do well.

Care homes, care-giving franchises, mobility scooter and stair-lift suppliers are all good businesses to be in, and have been for a while.

Furthermore, businesses that provide transportation for the non-mobile will become more popular as not only the elderly, but increasing numbers of obese individuals, as well as the wheelchair bound will seek out ways to get around that don’t involve public transport.

Imagine the potential of a friendly fleet of lift-equipped vehicles in Florida… or Bognor Regis for that matter.

Tea shop

Everyone loves a cuppa, and while coffee chains have stolen the hot beverage limelight for a fair few years – tea is having a bit of a moment right now.

A rise in popularity for speciality tea has spawned a revolution in speciality tea-rooms.

From 1940’s inspired tea shops, to minimalist Asian teahouses and modernist establishments – all are taking advantage of the increasingly adventurous palette of today’s tea-drinkers.

Organic green teas, sweet chai and floral infusions are giving PG tips a run for its money, whilst the calming ritual and health benefits of tea-taking is capturing the imagination of those tired of the head-spinning frenzy of the barista.

Get your image right, and good business will follow.

Financial advisory

With money still being too tight to mention for many, and a general ignorance of what to do with it if we do manage to accumulate any, businesses that offer financial/tax advice and planning are doing well.

The US Bureau of Statistics has predicted a growth rate of 32% between 2010 and 2020 in the financial advising sector.

And as life expectancies continue to increase, the demand for help with money issues will rise accordingly.

By Nicky Tatley, Managing Editor of BusinessesForSale.com, the market-leading directory of business opportunities from Dynamis. Nicky manages content across all titles in the Dynamis stable, as well as well as being a regular contributor to other industry publications, both print and online.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by BusinessesForSale .