Imagine turning £700 into SEVEN THOUSAND pounds per month.

That’s what a former finance worker has done recently.

Megan Healey bought an outdated Necta vending machine on eBay for £700.

Then she found a shop owner in Barnsley who was happy to place it outside his premises on the high street.

At first, it was only earning her £30 a month.

But she eventually sold the machine for a £300 profit…

…and used this money to buy a new machine in a Manchester care home, which started to generate £300 per month.

“I did some sales analysis from the card reader, and I was able to determine what people actually wanted,” she said. “They were just drinking so much Coke, so I then bought another machine exclusively for Coca-Cola.”

Now that care home makes her £1,500 a month.

She went on to buy more machines in other locations, which now make her £7,000 a month.

So could you do this, too?

Well, if you happen to have the upfront investment, along with the time and physical capability to manage multiple machines (and the clients who host them) then this could be a great business idea.

But this story got me thinking about a more hands-off digital approach that you could follow.

One that requires less risk, less time, and no need to run around town dealing with machines or handling clients.

A Digital Way to Profit from Physical Businesses

Vending machines used to be big business, and usually they were sold as franchises that you could buy into.

Alternatively, you could create your own franchise, letting other people take on your business model, including branding, marketing and support.

In the early days of writing about business opportunities (back when the internet was a baby) I covered this idea in an article, based on a subscriber who created a roadside snack van franchise.

But digital and online ideas have become my focus since then, so it’s not something I’ve kept my eye on.

So last week, I visited a franchise website to see what was new…

Clearly, it’s still a growing sector.

As of 2024, the UK had 1,009 franchise systems (an 8% increase since 2018) with 50,421 franchised units in total (a 4% rise over the same period.)

As well as vending machines, other popular franchise types include:

• Travel agencies
• Consultancy services
• Domestic cleaning, services
• Property maintenance
• Garden maintenance and landscaping
• Tutoring and education
• After-school activity clubs
• Food and drink kiosks or mobile units.
• Senior support or therapy services
• Remote admin support
• Yoga, Pilates, fitness or boxing studios

As I read through a few of these websites, I had an epiphany!

I realised there was a way you could profit from successful franchise ideas – like vending machines, cleaning services, tutoring, or gardening…

But without buying into a franchise yourself, which requires £3,500 or more in savings…

And without starting your own franchise, which takes a lot of time, risk and work, including training yourself in multiple aspects of running a business.

I went back to the original article in the Mirror about Megan Healey – the woman who makes £7,000 a month from vending machines – and I noted TWO important things:

1. She says that when she bought her vending machine, she needed to do lots of preparation, which included watching videos about vending machine repairs and running the business side of things.
2. She also told the reporter that she is now in the process of setting up a course to help others set up similar vending machine businesses.

So firstly, Megan needed to access digital educational content in order to learn what she needed to know about the business.

Secondly, she is taking her physical, offline business idea and turning it into a digital passive income product that can sit online making her money.

In other words, there are digital information businesses that can feed into – and out of – the franchising industry,

And that’s what I want to show you today.

It’s a way you could reverse engineer proven, successful franchise ideas and turn them into digital products…

Why Franchises Are Hidden Idea Goldmines

Most people see franchises as business investments. But you could also see them as proof of strong market demand.

These are ideas that clearly have a hungry audience – both for those who want to set up franchises, but also for the end users that the franchise businesses are servicing.

For example, schools who want to provide extra clubs, people who want their lawn improved or pet owners with scruffy, smelly dogs.

So you could use these proven franchises as the basis for a digital product or service.

There are two ways you can do it:

1. The Business Builder Angle

You can show people how to start a similar business (without the massive franchise fees)

Examples include:

• How to grow a vending machine business
• How to start an after-school club
• How to become an online tutor
• How to start a mobile power-washing business
• How to become a pet groomer
• How to market a coffee kiosk online

These could be guides to starting a whole business or simply guides to elements that someone might need help with, like marketing, goal-setting or bookkeeping.

2. The Problem Solver Angle

Alternatively, you could create products that show potential users of franchise-based services how they might solve the problem themselves

Examples include:

• Home organisation: Teach decluttering methods
• Tutoring: Teach courses in a specific skill
• Pet services: Share grooming techniques
• Garden maintenance: Reveal how to keep a lawn healthy
• Domestic cleaning: show busy parents how to cut the time they spend cleaning the home for the same results

Whatever angle you choose, there are multiple products you could create, ranging from simple digital downloads… to guides and reports… to fully fledged courses.

For example…

PDF Guides

You might recall my newsletter about PDF Farming where you create ‘Micro Manuals’ that take the form of a simple digital document.

The idea is that you take one specific problem or goal and solve it in a short, easy-to-digest way.

They work as standalone products that sell for £5-£50 depending on the life outcome they deliver. But they can also be ‘lead magnets’ that draw people into your business, so that you can sell them higher priced products and solutions.

eBooks

You could put practical information into a long guide, around 8000-20,000 words, which you sell as an eBook or eManual.

They can be listed on Amazon KDP. Or you can sell them at a higher price via a website or Shopify site, where you ramp up the value of the information – ie, you’re not selling a £10 eBook, you’re selling a £47 solution to an urgent problem.

Digital Printables

Another low-risk, easy entry approach is to use AI to create and design digital files that people can use to solve problems and achieve goals. They can include planners, goal setting tools, habit trackers and checklists.

These can be sold on Etsy for £3-£10. The idea is that you create a lot of them, covering multiple different solutions, to generate multiple income streams.

But also they can be tools that you sell to people who are setting up a business, for example: product labels, thank you cards, excel spreadsheets, invoice templates, social media banners, loyalty cards, menu designs…

The idea is that new business owners who lack skills, time and resources can quickly download these, add their details, then print them out or integrate them into their online content.

Online courses

There are platforms designed for people with no tech or design skills to create, deliver and market a course.

For example, Kajabi, Podia and Teachable allow you to create slick modules using pre-existing templates and drag ‘n’ drop tools. You can also add audio, video, pdfs and quizzes.

You can do ‘face to camera’ presentations using a smartphone…. or a slide deck presentation where you record your voice over the screen.

If you are shy about using your voice you can also now use AI voiceovers. And you don’t need special skills because you can also use AI to structure and write the content.

There are three levels of course to consider…

The ‘Quick Start Course’ focuses on key essentials and is priced anywhere from £7.99-£99

The ‘Spotlight Course’ hones in on one step in the process, and can cost from £99 to £449.

The ‘Signature Course’ covers a whole subject, with multiple topics, from start to finish. For this you can charge anything from £449 to £4,999.

Email newsletters

You could send valuable free content twice (or more) per week, helping your readers to grow their business or solve their big problem. Your emails might include recommendations, insights, tips and links to resources.

By offering something useful you build a reciprocal relationship in which they get information in return for their attention – which means high open rates and engagement.

After you have more than 100-500 subscribers, you can monetise that readership by promoting your own guides and courses, or affiliate products on a commission basis.

How to Get Started

Okay, so here’s the idea in a nutshell…

Find franchise ideas, and let them inspire a digital information product.

That could mean you help entrepreneurs launch their own business (instead of buying a franchise)…

Or that you teach people skills and knowledge that solve the same problem that these franchises are designed to solve.

The key is that you package the knowledge, rather than delivering the service itself.

To find franchise ideas, try these websites:

• Franchise Direct UK https://www.franchisedirect.co.uk/
• What Franchise https://www.what-franchise.com/
• Franchise Supermarket https://www.franchisesupermarket.co.uk/
• Franchise Local https://www.franchiselocal.co.uk/

Once you find an idea, work backwards:

• What problem is this franchise solving?
• How can you help someone solve that problem in a digital way?
• And if someone were to set up that business WITHOUT buying into the franchise, what would they need in terms of knowledge, skills, tools and resources?

You can also ask an AI tool like ChatGPT Pro or Perplexity.ai to do some research.

“What are the most in-demand UK franchise trends in 2025 under £10k?”

Then find a category you like then look of then try this question to narrow it down.

“Give me 10 small-scale franchise types related to pet services.”

You can also pick one of the franchise ideas and get AI to give you a list of skills, training and knowledge that someone might need to set up that business on their own.

“Give me 20 ideas for specific skills, knowledge or training that someone would need to set up a cat sitting service might need were they to go it alone.”.

AI will give you a list of things you could provide in the form of PDFs, printables, eBooks, newsletter editorial or courses:

• Basic Feline Care Knowledge – Understanding cat feeding, grooming, and litter box maintenance.
• Safe Handling Techniques – Methods for picking up, restraining, and calming unfamiliar cats.
• Time Management Skills – Organizing multiple daily visits and managing a schedule efficiently.
• Business Licensing and Insurance AwarenessRecord Keeping – Tracking appointments, special needs, and veterinary information.
• Marketing Basics – Strategies for setting up a website, using social media, and local advertising.
• Pricing and Bookkeeping – Setting rates, invoicing, accepting payments, and managing finances.
• Understanding Cat Nutrition
• Allergy Awareness
• Contract Writing – Preparing service agreements and terms and conditions.

So can you see how this works?

Franchises could be the inspiration for your own digital products and services, ranging from short guides to ongoing newsletters and courses.

Anyway, see what you can find when you visit my list of franchise websites.

And because this is a fresh digital approach to an old analogue business model, I’d love to know what you think!