Two Inspiring Business Lessons From Repairing a Blender (And Why I Almost Quit Online Hustles)

08 Dec 2025 #misc

My blender broke. Nothing unusual, until I took it to the only repair shop nearby.

Like any repair shop, it was greasy and hot, with shelves full of small parts… and crowded. It was so packed with people carrying blenders and fans, that I had to wait for a technician.

While waiting for a receipt I learned two business lessons that make me want to start a blender shop too:

1. Forget about fancy businesses. Go with a boring one

Fixing blenders is boring.

You don’t dream about going to business school to start a blender-repair shop. But it’s recession‑proof and even resistant to AI “disruption.” I knew it was a good business immediately.

Almost every house in my town has a blender. With a good location and an attractive name, like “BlenderCenter,” this place won’t run out of potential clients ever.

While I waited, an old lady offered coffee and cold juice to everyone in line. A small gesture, but great customer service. Not like buying a mattress the other day. No wonder this shop never runs out of clients.

Forget about crypto, NFTs, and dropshipping. Go with a boring business with clients.

2. Stick with simple, reliable tools

When I got to the cashier for my receipt, I was surprised.

I looked into the lady’s computer. I expected a fancy point-of-sale software with bells and whistles. Nope!

The entire place runs with Microsoft Access. That’s a simple database tool. I could notice it: the window, bars, buttons, and the look and feel of the app. But, it registered me as a new user, created a new order, and printed a receipt… With Access. I remember learning to build forms and databases with Access in high school.

New business owners are tempted to go with the shiniest tools to start a business. Being a coder by day, you don’t know how many friends and acquaintances have asked me to quote for custom software before starting their business. Honestly, I’d just tell them: start with Access.

Prefer simple, reliable tools to run your business.

I never imagined a blender-repair shop could be so inspiring and full of lessons. Meanwhile, I’m still trying to make money online. Maybe I should ditch the online hustles and start a blender-repair shop instead. LOL!