While it is true that the startup is by definition scalable, there are also linear businesses to focus on, so-called “recession-proof businesses.” Although these businesses do not possess the potential to become unicorns, they can still offer profitable and stable opportunities in the long run.
Crisis-free businesses are particularly attractive to entrepreneurs who seek security and reliability, capable of generating steady earnings regardless of market fluctuations.
When you decide to start a new business, you have two paths in front of you: you can either create a business that continually adapts and renews itself, responding quickly to new market demands, or you can choose to focus on a more linear business, one that will provide you with a stable (and possibly growing) return even in difficult economic times.
If you are thinking of starting your own startup and don’t want to chase ephemeral trends, a good alternative is to focus on businesses that are resilient to crises, offer a solid base of income, but without the need to grow at a dizzying pace.
Within these opportunities fall both traditional professions that meet basic needs and innovative sectors that, while not yet widely developed in Italy, have shown stable growth in recent years.
Find out in the following lines what are the best opportunities for entrepreneurs in 2025.
Stable and profitable business ideas
We mentioned it a few lines above but it is important to reiterate: a business model that knows no crisis is that of activities that, with their products or services, respond to basic needs. These particular kinds of needs remain such even in times of difficulty in the world economy because, in fact, they cannot be replaced.
The agribusiness and catering sector
One of the basic needs that will remain so for centuries to come, because it is essential for human survival, is to eat. For this reason, the agribusiness sector is and will always remain one of the pillars of the economy.
Within this particular area are the production, processing and distribution of food. Catering deserves a separate mention: this sector, too, responds to the primary need to eat, but, of course, eating out (with all that that entails in terms of expense and more) is not a necessity for human beings.
The “secret,” in this case, is to be able to listen and meet the new needs and desires of consumers in a timely manner. You only have to think, in this regard, of the growing importance of food delivery in recent years, even accomplice to the lockdown period due to the pandemic.
Elderly care services
Health is also an indisputable priority of human beings. In health care, the field of personal care and, in particular, care for the elderly appears to be growing, partly due to the fact that life expectancy and awareness toward the importance of personal well-being are increasing.
Support and advisory services
Other activities that know no crisis are those that refer to the area of support and consulting services. This is a particularly broad sector, within which two particularly profitable strands can be identified.
Accounting and financial planning
Financial advisory services in accounting and planning are critical because they enable individuals and businesses to better manage their savings, between investments and risks, even (indeed, especially) in times of economic crisis.
If you have a business background and/or skills in accounting and taxation, or have the opportunity to surround yourself with people with such a profile, you might then consider starting a startup in this particular field.
Technology consulting and IT services
Technology consulting and IT services are also in high demand in the IT field. The most highly valued skills in this particular area in recent years range from programming to statistical analysis to knowledge in blockchain, artificial intelligence, cloud computing and cybersecurity.
High-demand manual occupations
High-demand manual jobs represent other activities to invest in. Indeed, these are occupations that are increasingly difficult to find and for which, therefore, demand remains stably high.
There is another aspect you need to consider: people generally prefer to have their possessions repaired rather than to buy them back, especially in times of economic uncertainty and in an era when there is a growing focus on a more sustainable society geared toward less consumerism.
But what are the high-demand manual occupations to focus on for a new business?
Electrical and plumbing services
Among the most high-demand manual occupations are electricians and plumbers, as also evidenced by an alert issued in 2021 by Confartigianato, which denounced precisely the difficulty in finding professionals in this particular field.
Another factor plays in the “favor” of electricians: home appliances and electronic devices are now becoming more and more common, so it is to be expected that there will continue to be a need for people who can fix and maintain them efficiently.
Maintenance and installation of photovoltaic systems
There is one particular area where the ability to install systems and maintain them can really make a difference in recent years: it is the photovoltaic sector, which has been on the rise in Italy.
You should know that the Gestore dei Servizi Energetici has outlined the official statistical picture of the photovoltaic sector in Italy, revealing-among other aspects-the spread of installations on Italian territory. As December 31, 2023, there were 1,597,447 photovoltaic installations in Italy. During 2023, 371,442 photovoltaic installations came into operation in Italy, a much higher number of installations than in 2022 (+77%).
Innovative and sustainable sectors
Renewable energy, as just mentioned, is a fast-growing sector, thanks in part to growing investment and supportive policies that incentivize the development of green infrastructure in Europe and Italy.
For this reason, companies involved in waste recycling or sustainable energy production have a leg up. In fact, two: such a choice is not only successful from an ecological point of view, but can also be so from an economic perspective, because it reduces dependence on non-renewable energy sources, which are limited (as well as polluting).
Waste recycling and materials recovery
That of waste recycling and recovery of materials destined for landfill (or worse, abandonment) is an activity that knows no crisis and, indeed, should be considered necessary.
In its 2024 report titled “No Health in a Sick Environment: Pollutions and Pollutants,” WWF reported that 87 percent of the Mediterranean Sea is polluted. The percentage of microplastics in its waters is staggering: 1.9 million microplastic fragments have been detected in each square meter, the highest concentration ever measured at depth. The problem, however, also affects fresh water, air and soil.
WWF itself, back in 2019, listed Italy as the second largest producer of plastic waste in the Mediterranean region.
Five years later, Greenpeace’s “Plastics, Italy the Recycling Champion?” survey revealed that actual recycling in our country is less than 50 percent of waste generated.
Efforts in this area can translate into many different activities: from opening recycling centers to composting activities, as well as recovering waste materials and making (from them) objects, furniture, clothing and accessories.
Sustainable energy production
We have already mentioned this when we talked about the installation and maintenance of photovoltaic systems: in Italy and, more generally, in Europe, support policies and incentives have been activated in recent years to encourage the development of green infrastructure.
Photovoltaics is just one of the ways to go if you want to try your hand at sustainable energy production. It may help you to know, in this regard, that the main sources of renewable energy are:
- solar energy;
- wind power;
- hydropower;
- geothermal energy;
- biomass energy;
- marine energy.
Business activities and new business ideas
Trade can also be considered a crisis-free activity. But mind you: only in certain sectors and with specific production and sales methods.
Sale of wine, oil and local quality products
Previously, within this guide dedicated to the most profitable and stable business ideas in 2025, we talked about the fact that the agribusiness sector knows no crisis. Having reached this point, however, it is important for you to do some further thinking.
The demands of consumers who are increasingly concerned about the environment and healthy, sustainable eating have increased the demand for quality organic and, where possible, zero-mile products. All this, in recent years, has spurred the emergence of organic farms, farmers’ markets and stores specializing in the sale of quality local produce.
Italian extra virgin olive oil is among the most appreciated in the world and investing in this field, starting to produce and sell the so-called “green gold,” could also open wide the doors of the international market. If you own a few hectares of land or have the possibility of coming into possession of it, consider this opportunity, but pay attention to recent climate changes that could lead you to exclude certain production areas that are more “critical” from this point of view.
What was said earlier for oil applies to wine, which is another of the flagship products of “Made in Italy,” appreciated all over the world: There is another aspect that tips the scales on the side of the “pros”: the bottles lend themselves well to being marketed online and shipped even many kilometers away, without particular repercussions on the quality of the product.
Online stores for unique and handcrafted products
We just mentioned online commerce, a trend that the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated exponentially, leveraging its ability to adapt quickly to new consumer needs.
Today, buying online is an established practice for many, and the “secret,” therefore, is being able to identify the right niche to fit into in order to achieve success with eCommerce.
Selling unique handcrafted products (perhaps customizable on demand) could be a very interesting solution in this regard, and as mentioned, you could combine this activity with the recovery of waste materials destined for the landfill.
Final tips for choosing the right business
In the previous lines we have made a quick roundup of businesses in which to invest today. Now, however, it is time to talk about how to choose the right one for you.
Let’s start at the beginning: before starting any kind of business, you should always ask yourself how that business may evolve in the future and ask yourself whether you might be able to cope with any crises.
Choosing the right business, then, in addition to understanding one’s skills and resources, involves good market knowledge and careful investment planning.
How to assess market demand
In order to understand which businesses you could focus on and which ones you should absolutely discard when you decide to start a new business, as mentioned above, you need to have a thorough understanding of the market and consumer demand.
In more practical terms, before launching your business you need to calculate the so-called market potential, that is, you need to estimate the potential demand for the product or service you plan to offer customers.
Without going too much into the specifics of the issue, you should be clear from now on about the difference between the potential market, which is the set of consumers who are interested in the supply, and the available market, which is the set of consumers who are interested in the supply and who also have the income and opportunity to access it.
Another concept you need to make your own is that of market demand: it is the total volume of product or service that would be purchased by a given group of consumers, in a specific geographic area and over a defined period of time, within a given marketing environment and program.
To make a faithful estimate of market demand there are a number of basic questions that you must answer: who are the customers? What are they looking for? What are their buying habits? Who are they and how are competitors performing?
The tools at your disposal to find answers to these questions are diverse: from consumer reviews to specialized magazines and blogs, via social media, questionnaires, and online and offline surveys.
Define the necessary investments
Knowing the market, however, is not enough because knowing which businesses know no crisis is of no use to you if you do not have sufficient resources to start such a business.
The sectors we have within this guide have proven over the years that they can withstand various economic fluctuations and appear destined to remain stable or, even, grow in the coming years. They represent, therefore, very tasty business opportunities, but they are not a 100 percent guarantee of success.
Even within this positive starting context, in fact, it is the ability to adapt to changing times that makes all the difference over time. Learning to adapt, after all, is the key lesson to be learned by new entrepreneurs who, like you, are launching a business. But what does it mean to adapt?
It means understanding new consumer needs early on and unearthing potential opportunities that had never been considered until then. Not only that, it also means accepting that you have to change business processes on the fly and, in the worst case, totally disrupt the business model, with all that that entails in terms of economic investment. Remember, in this regard, the words of Newt Gingrich:
“Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of the hard work you have already done.”
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