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How to Start a Profitable Middleman Business From Scratch

by Mark Landrone

If you’ve ever thought about starting an online business but got overwhelmed by the idea of creating a product, finding suppliers, or dealing with shipping—take a breath. You don’t actually need to do any of that.

Look at Airbnb, Uber, Booking.com, and Amazon. They don’t own most of what they sell. Instead, they connect people to what they’re already looking for—and take a cut every time it happens.

"That’s the middleman model. And it works just as well for everyday people as it does for billion-dollar brands".

Step One: Think Like a Connector

Your job as a middleman isn’t to make the product or handle the messy stuff like shipping or customer service. Your job is to be the bridge—the person who helps someone find exactly what they need, faster and easier than they could on their own.

When you start seeing yourself as that trusted guide, the whole idea of business suddenly feels less overwhelming.

Want my free guide to starting your middleman business? Click here to get it now.

Step Two: Pick a Market That Pays

Some markets are just more middleman-friendly than others. Think about places where people are already spending big money—$500, $1,000, even $5,000 or more—and where they actually want expert advice before buying.

Luxury travel. High-end software tools. Investment platforms. Premium coaching programs. Health solutions that actually work. These are the kinds of areas where a well-placed recommendation can be worth a lot.

Step Three: Find Offers Worth Your Time

Once you’ve chosen your market, it’s time to pick what you’ll promote. Look for affiliate or referral deals that pay well enough that you don’t need hundreds of sales to earn a good income.

Maybe it’s a booking site like Booking.com, a software company like ClickFunnels, or an education platform like Kajabi. The right offers can pay you hundreds—even thousands—per sale.

Step Four: Show Up Where People Are Looking

Your “shop” doesn’t need to be a physical store. It could be a blog, a YouTube channel, an Instagram account, or an email newsletter. The point is to create a place where people know they can trust your advice.

It’s not about selling hard—it’s about helping first, recommending second.

Step Five: Get Eyes on Your Recommendations

Even the best advice doesn’t work if nobody sees it. That’s where traffic comes in. You can bring people in through Google search, social media, paid ads, or even partnerships with influencers in your niche.

The goal is always to get the right people in front of the right offer at the right time.

💡I teach my exact traffic system inside my free training—sign up here.

Step Six: Make It Run on Autopilot

Once you start making consistent commissions, you can put a lot of your business on autopilot. Email follow-ups can be automated. Your best content can work for you for months or even years. And you can outsource things you don’t want to do yourself.

That’s how you go from “side hustle” to something that runs without you needing to be at your desk all the time.

Final Word

The middleman business works because it’s simple. You don’t have to invent anything. You just connect people with the things they already want—and you get paid for it.

💡 Final: Your middleman business could be live in weeks, not months. Get my free starter guide here and start making connections that pay. Start now.

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