🔥 How to Make a Few Million Bucks (Even in a Recession)

One of biggest epiphanies I’ve had in business.
The main one? Provide what the market needs.
Not what you wish they needed. Not what sounds cool. Just pure, obvious demand.

Now we’re heading into some kind of recession—but don’t click away or cry into your ramen noodles. This isn’t that type of party.

This is the get-rich-while-everyone-else-panics kind of party.

Let’s talk about what the market needs right now—and what it will need during hard times. If you’re bold enough to lean into the chaos, there’s gold in the rubble.

If you want to make real money, like a few million, you need to play by a different set of rules.

Here they are:

1. Your offer must be “cold-friendly.”
If you stopped five strangers on the street, could you explain it in 10 seconds and get a bite?
If not—it’s too complicated or irrelevant. Fix it.

2. Your offer must be high-ticket.
You don’t get rich selling $7 PDFs. Sorry, not sorry.
Aim for $3k+ offers. $10k+ if you’re bold and deliver value.
More revenue per sale = less effort to scale.

3. The market must be begging for it.
No more “build it and they will come.”
Only build what they’re already asking for. Solve pain. Fill desire.

4. It must be simple to scale.
Complex businesses crush their founders.
You want plug-and-play systems, clear delivery, and clean operations.
If you need a 90-page manual to explain your offer—it’s not it.

Break these rules, and you’ll spend years in “almost-success.”
Follow them, and yes—you can make millions even when the rest of the world is tightening their belts.

So…

If you’re looking to build something simple, scalable, and stupidly profitable, here are the recession-proof money makers worth betting on:

People will be scrambling for income. Most online side hustle advice is trash or outdated.
If you put in the work to test real, working models—then package them up clearly (course, Skool group, coaching, content funnel)—you can become a lighthouse in the storm.

Opportunity:

Think of the rising cost of daycare, people working from home with newborns, or delaying traditional schooling.
Smart plays here:

Bonus: Gen Z parents want convenience + aesthetics. Lean into both.

People are downsizing. Moving. Living mobile.
Others are hoarding stuff with nowhere to put it.

Money moves:

U.S. labor is expensive. Recession = lean teams.
Be the connector between global talent and local demand.

Ideas:

Laid-off people still need purpose, income, and identity.
Give them the roadmap back to income.

Examples:

When life sucks, people escape.
Gaming is the entertainment drug of choice.

Options:

Small biz owners don’t get AI. You do.
Bridge the gap.

Build:

Forget hype. Think utility.
Help people use, understand, or track their crypto.

Ideas:

People are scared. Make them feel safe.

Opportunities:

People still need things fixed.
But they don’t trust Craigslist randos.

Build:

Recession = resale boom.
Flip furniture, collectibles, liquidation pallets, gear.

Or…
Teach flipping.
Build a newsletter, community, and flipping challenge.

Not more info—more transformation.
Teach a skill that leads to a paycheck in 30-90 days.

Great bets:

“Live like royalty for $1,500/month in paradise.”
People are out. Help them make the leap.

Monetize:

Chaos outside means people are searching for peace inside.

Start:

Debt is the new pandemic.
Be the solution.

Offers:

People aren't looking for magic.
They’re looking for help. Stability. Momentum.

You give that to them—simply, clearly, confidently—and you'll make a lot of money while others are still panicking, scrolling, or waiting for the "right time."

The recession is coming. The opportunity is here.

Pick one. Execute relentlessly. Don’t look back.

See you at the top.

Robert Lyon
CEO & Founder, The Lion’s Den
Go. Fight. Win.