Why the "renting culture" is going to explode

GM. This is Work "After" Work, the newsletter that teaches you the 1-2 punch to knocking out your business competition.

(yes, this is my real body…)

It’s Taco Tuesday! Let's boogie:

• 📲 The rent everything movement

• 😂 Meme of the day

Have you always wanted to start investing in real estate, but don't have $100k lying around? Don’t worry you’re not alone…

I recently came across this company called “Arrived” -  they allow you to invest in real estate for a fraction of the cost. (Think $100 and you can own real estate!)

• They do all the work on finding profitable properties 

• They deal with all the maintenance, upkeep, cleaning, etc.

• They take care of all the legal jargon

All you have to do is buy shares of a home… kind of like a stock. And every quarter they’ll pay you on your investment!

It’s a great way to get exposure to real estate without having to put a lot of money down.  

Even if you’re not ready right now at least subscribe to their emails that way you can see potential deals that become available! (It’s completely free)

WELCOME TO THE RENT EVERYTHING ERA

You can now rent anything from the iPhone you use every day to the clothes you wear to work.

Our society is valuing flexibility and convenience over everything else and it's showing.

Two perfect examples:

#1 There are now 45 million renters in the US, up 10% over the past 10 years. People either don't want to own homes or can't afford to (I think it’s the latter).

This subreddit channel r/renting has grown over 900% these past 5 years despite it still being in its infancy stage with a little over 16k members.

#2 Uber, DoorDash, and Amazon are all multi-billion dollar companies that took what already existed (like shopping) and made it ultra-convenient with one click of a button.

Renting comes in all shapes and sizes. 

College students spend roughly $1,300/yr on textbooks.

Chegg saw this opportunity, started renting out books for as low as $6.50, and last year did $27 million off textbook rentals.

And from the looks of it, they're going to make a whole lot more. The e-textbook rental industry is expected to grow by 21% over the next 5 years to $535 million.

This is just one niche that's making millions.

This trend is so large, you can make money in a lot of different ways.

Here are two:

1. Jump into the travel game

For all the infrequent flyers out there who need a suitcase but don't want to buy one for a one-off trip... create a rental suitcase service.

How would it work?
Your customer needs a suitcase in 3 days. The day before, their suitcase gets dropped off for them to pack up.

They tell the app how long their trip will be and one day after their return someone comes to pick it up and brings it back to storage. A pretty simple service. Run it like an Uber (pay others to do the work for you).

You could even build a nice side data business (my favorite) off this and sell customer travel patterns/behaviors.

This business would kill it in somewhere like New York City where people literally live in 300 sq ft studio apartments that can barely fit a twin-sized bed, let alone an empty suitcase.

(yes, this picture is an actual apartment in NYC)

Bags4days does this in Portugal and charges $3 - $10 a day. Do the same thing and target big cities where space is limited:

• New York City

• San Fransisco

• Boston

• Philadelphia

• Chicago

• Washington D.C.

Once this service is nationwide it would also greatly benefit nomads (people who move from place to place frequently), a trend we talked about that is massively growing.

2. Rent out everyday items

Grover is doing this with tech items like headphones, PS5s, and Apple Watches and has secured a whopping $2.3 billion in funding.

How does the site work?
You can rent out the new iPhone for 12 months until you're ready for an upgrade. Then you return it and Grover puts it back on the site to be rented again. Simple, easy.

What's crazy is the site has 2 million registered users and 250,000 active customers (aka the people who are always on the site)

This is bonkers to me because at first, it seemed silly. Why would someone rent out a phone every month?

But when I started to think about all the people who always buy the new iPhone or simply can't afford one, it makes sense.

A new iPhone will cost over $1,000 but renting it out for $60/mo only brings you to $720 until you're ready for a new one again.

So, for someone who always has to have the latest and greatest tech, you’re actually saving a lot of money and that’s why these companies are doing so well.

Not to mention people just have less money right now with prices being so high.. another reason this renting everything cycle will continue.

So how can you profit from this?
Grover does electronics, copy their playbook but go after a different niche.

Here are 4 to consider:

#1 Designer Clothing

On average we declutter our closets at least 3 times a year.

Poshmark, a marketplace for buying other's used clothes, took this opportunity and now has 80 million users and had revenues of $350 million in 2022.

Do the same thing but only rent out expensive clothes people want to wear.

Example: A Supreme hoodie or Gucci Shirt

#2 Power Tools

United Rentals, an equipment rental company does this and makes $3.9 billion in revenue. But they primarily do this for heavy machinery like scissor lifts and forklifts.

They also do smaller items like drills but when I tried to rent a simple heat gun it said "unavailable in your area" and I live in a popular Chicago suburb.

Moral of the story: dominate your area and you'll beat the big guys.

Try saws, jackhammers, augers - all the things people need for one-off jobs, and won't make sense for them to buy.

#3 Outdoor Gear

Summer is just around the corner. Camping equipment, skiing gear, kayaks, and stand-up paddle boards will all be in high demand.

All these items are seasonal and hard for folks to store year-round. Provide a service where people can rent out a tent or kayak for $20/day instead of buying one for $300. Maybe it even gets delivered to them, you choose!

#4 Musical Instruments

Many people want to learn a new instrument but an electric guitar, for example, will run you $600 - $900.

Create a platform where people can rent out musical instruments and only pay $25 a month. Something that doesn't tug on their heartstrings (see what I did there 😏)

Rentmyinstrument does this and makes close to ~$6 million a year!

MEME OF THE DAY

😂😂 

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That's a wrap ladies & gents!

DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please be careful and do your own research.