A couple of others I can think of:
- Crypto-boom of 2016ish: GPUs/mining rigs
- LLM/AI hype nowish: User generated data
- 90’s dotcom bubble: Server space
My friend failed at becoming an actor in LA so he started doing prospective actors’ photo shoots
That’s actually pretty clever. Especially considering that he tried that avenue for himself and therefore knows what any hopefuls would need. Any idea how he’s doing? Is it portraits only, or does he offer additional stuff such as sample tapes?
I believe he expanded beyond headshots and photo shoots and at one point he was even doing sound production for a rapper’s video. Basically wherever he has opportunity to have his career be providing what those still trying to make it big needed
When investors are pouring money into tech startups with dubious models, start a bank that connects startups with investors.
Ie Mercury Bank making money hand over fist
When a housing crash is imminent, it’s the self storage businesses that thrive.
Also during the crypto craze: Set up an exchange and charge a small commission on transactions
This is identical for online brokers in the stock market. They win based on the number of trades, thus they make as much money in bust as in boom years with people exiting positions.
Just make sure it’s tamper proof and that you actually can run it competently. Mtgox started as a place to trade MTG cards, and while I’m sure the platform was fine for that, the stakes were substantially higher when they pivoted to crypto. I’m sure you know the rest of the story.
Delivery services and rideshares. People using them make meager wages, but the companies hosting them get all the benefit of people desperate for work or convenience.
Edit: in a similar vein, OnlyFans
That’s just old fashioned exploitation.
So is everything else OP mentioned.
No, it’s not. You clearly have never heard of this phrase.
All of these are things where you capitalize on other people’s attempts to get rich by selling them the tools to do so
Yeah but that’s not what selling shovels means.
A gold rush is a bunch of fools chasing the latest hype. Like AI or the dot com boom or NFTs.
Selling shovels is when you don’t buy into the hype, but you make money off of the fools who buy into hype.
You’re just talking about standard economics.
When COVID hit, there was an explosion in demand for delivery services.
Yeah. That’s just supply and demand. Not a fool’s gold type hype.
It’s always GPUs. Crypto boom? GPUs. AI boom? GPUs. PC gaming boom? GPUs. GPUs are so difficult to program effectively that we still probably haven’t discovered things they’re capable of doing yet. The next major breakthrough in tech, whatever it is, will cause a massive explosion in GPU demand.
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During/after natural disaster, buy cheap land. Probably works during an economic crash too.
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Protests & Riots happening? Invest in glass companies
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Cloudy & rainy every day? Sell coffee (looking at you PNW)
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War happening? Just sell bombs! (see USA) This one is particular good cause you can always start another war. It’s just smart business!
That’s all just regular supply and demand. Doesn’t fit the saying.
Gold Rush = high demand = invest in (aka buy) shovels
Same thing, no?
No.
Gold rush = a bunch of fools getting hyped up on the latest thing thinking they’ll get rich, but almost none of them will.
Selling shovels = not chasing the latest hype, but making money off the fools who chase the latest hype.
I’m not offering an opinion or interpretation of the phrase btw, that’s the actual definition.
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Definitely all those Udemy / Coursera / Whatever paid courses for “Data Science”, “AI” and whatever else is popular recently.
There was a company started recently to leverage AI and its trends prediction to stage what people need where they need it. Floods? Gyprock. Weather coming into California? Tents and bottled water near the school fields.
It predicts conflict by recommending first aid supplies staged near a border.
Absolutely mercenary, it opens its sales windows only when ‘surge’ pricing is allowable. You’re gonna be paying 3, 4 times the regular drywall cost.
During a pandemic, sell toilet paper.
There was a whole week during lockdowns where I had to just use the shower after taking a shit because everyone was completely out of toilet paper due to panic buying and hoarding. It’s one of the many reasons I have a bidet now.
dont see ice cream trucks in the dead of winter
The running gag I’ve been pushing for about 15 years is that the ice cream trucks will switch over to mini-doughnuts in the winter.
Pretty sure none of you have any idea what this saying means.
Enlighten us, then.
Gold rush = a bunch of fools getting hyped up on the latest thing thinking they’ll get rich, but almost none of them will.
Selling shovels = not chasing the latest hype, but making money off the fools who chase the latest hype.
Edit: because I know someone is gonna try this
That’s not an opinion or an interpretation. That’s the meaning of the phrase. It’s not this amorphous ambiguous thing where all interpretations are valid. It has a specific meaning.
