Data sources

We draw on several categories of sources for the costs, earnings, timelines, and difficulty ratings on each business page. Specific sources are cited at the bottom of each individual business page. Broadly, we rely on:

Government and labor statistics

Public data such as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics provides grounding for self-employment incomes, wages in related occupations, and industry employment trends. These are useful for realistic baselines and sanity checks.

Industry and trade reports

Established companies, trade associations, and market researchers publish reports on specific industries — pricing trends, demand, and operating benchmarks. We use these for typical pricing and market context.

Reputable cost and pricing guides

Services that aggregate real quotes and consumer pricing help us estimate what customers actually pay for a given job or product, which in turn informs realistic revenue ranges.

Operator accounts and communities

We review firsthand accounts from people actually running these businesses — interviews, industry forums, and communities where operators share real numbers. We use these to reality-check ranges and to surface what people genuinely get wrong, not as precise figures.

How to read our numbers

All figures are presented as ranges and informed estimates, not guarantees. Sources sometimes disagree, data ages, and your local market may differ. When sources conflict, we lean toward the more conservative, realistic figure rather than the most flattering one. Always verify costs and regulations for your specific location before committing money.

Curious about the full process? See how we research businesses.