There’s a wide range of local service businesses that are growing right now and it’s important to know where the biggest opportunities are and where there’s growth despite rising prices and difficult economic realities. A major factor for solopreneurs and gig workers is that entry costs are relatively low for these ventures that generate recurring revenue and some are harnessing the earning prospects of the AI boom. Going it alone isn’t unusual. Solopreneurship is taking over in 2026.

Home services are especially robust. According to leading software provider Jobber’s 2026 Q2 home service economic report, 400,000 surveyed professionals report steady revenue growth across all major home service segments. Here are the areas leading the pack:

• Home Services: Year-over-year revenues are increasing in these areas that include lawn care, landscaping and other outdoor service businesses (up 7.5%). Pet services, errand-running, handyman services, and moving assistance are options that don’t take a lot of equipment but are in high demand.
• Cleaning: Residential and commercial cleaning businesses are quick to establish repeat customers and repeat revenue. Invoices rise as trust is built and contracts expand. This segment has grown 7.6%. Car detailing, junk removal, home organizing and decluttering, and power-washing fit into this category as low entry-barrier business opportunities.
• Contracting and Construction: skilled trades like HVAC, plumbing and more experienced 6.4% growth while residential and commercial construction is really booming, rising 9.1% year-over-year. These skills are highly sought-after as the segment has a shortage of laborers in these areas.
• AI-enabled at-home Jobs: As more businesses are using AI tools, there are a number of high paying jobs for entrepreneurs in the digital space. There’s demand for humans to supervise AIs, correct the errors and refine output to read as more authentically human — a keen opportunity for those with a background in writing and editing. If you have the skills to leverage AI to automate systems, there are probably businesses who could use your help as an AI consultant to help them get up to speed and maintain these systems.

The drivers? Consumers are fixing what they have instead of buying new or making major renovations, but busy home- and business-owners still need to maintain their properties. The supply of skilled workers is short while demand remains high. The Home Builders Institute and National Association of Home Builders reported a record 32% workforce shortage in residential contractors in 2025. And with technology rapidly advancing, some individuals and business owners just don’t have the time to do work themselves or to overcome the AI/tech learning curve.

If you’re dependable, do good work and keep your prices competitive, you have a great chance of gathering a stable of loyal customers in a short period of time.

Identify consumer need, use digital pathways to get the word out that you’re the solution to their problems, then deliver and build that new income stream from your small business. AFE members have access to a host of member benefits and resources that make starting and maintaining your small business much easier.