Britain’s 6 dullest jobs — and why you should do them too

Forget unicorns, fintech ‘disruptors’, billion pound IPOs and firms with dreams of listing on the FTSE. Meet the businesses who are happy to stay small, the directors who run businesses that, even they admit, are as dull as ditchwater.

But these business owners are happy, manage to pay the bills and love their work/life balance. Welcome to real Britain. A country where scale doesn't matter, but is often scoffed at — and where's there's no risk of venture capital-backed ‘burn rates’ resulting in burnout.

While the tech world chases billion-pound valuations, these entrepreneurs are happily plodding along with jobs many would consider mind-numbingly dull – cleaning ovens, ironing clothes, writing CVs and making stained glass. And they say they’re happier, healthier and more in control of their lives as a result.

They’re the quietly content business owners the media usually ignores – because they’re not building empires, scaling fast or trying to be the next Zuck, Bezos or Musk, working from dawn to dusk. But they are, in their own words, living better lives by embracing the mundane.

Cleaning, ironing and total life control for south coast-based Sam Acton

Samantha Acton runs Domestic Angels, a Bournemouth-based nationwide cleaning franchise, and proudly describes her work as “INGing” – as in domestic cleaning, spring cleaning, ironing. She knows it doesn’t sound sexy, but says it transforms lives.

According to Acton, her team of ‘Angels’ provide the kind of routine domestic support that gives working families their sanity and older people the energy to do something more interesting. The staff – who are employed rather than self-employed – work flexible hours to fit around school runs, caring duties and family life.

Even her franchisees benefit. They’re not chasing massive profits, she says – they just want control over their time and money. INGing, as she puts it, “smashes work-life balance” for everyone involved.

Just boilers and bills for London-based Jonathan Moser

In North London, Jonathan Moser spends his days dealing with broken boilers, leaky roofs and rent arrears. He runs Mo’Living, a property management company that people constantly mistake for a wellness brand – thanks to the slogan, “There’s no living like Mo’Living”.

Moser says people expect yoga mats and motivational quotes, but instead get a straight-talking firm that fixes what needs fixing and makes sure homes work. “We’re not here to change your life,” he says, “just quietly keep your lights on.” He’s totally fine with being unglamorous – it’s grown-up work, and someone’s got to do it.

Grease-scrubbing Graham Rogers in Bristol

If cleaning ovens sounds like one of the dullest jobs imaginable, Graham Rogers would agree – on the surface, at least. But the founder of OvenGleamers says there’s serious sparkle under the grime.

His South West-based franchise network has been scrubbing grease for over 20 years, and now supports dozens of franchisees, many of whom left corporate life to get off the hamster wheel. It’s not about scale, disruption or investors – just a proven business model, national marketing, and the backing of a dedicated bookings team that lets people be their own boss without going it alone.

Customers love the gleam. Franchisees love the freedom. Dull? Only if you ignore the life satisfaction that comes with it, says Rogers.

No scaling for Alton-based Esme, just stained glass

After the Covid microbusiness boom, stained glass maker Esme Marshwitch found herself one of many artists in her small town – but she couldn’t care less.

She’s not chasing what sells, she says. She’s not desperate to grow. She’s simply making what she loves and staying out of the hustle-heavy craft circuit.

Her hobby is still her hobby, not a brand, and she’s found small, reliable outlets that suit her quiet pace. "I think that's about as dull as it can get," she says, "and that's okay."

Jen David perfectly happy in her Croydon CV shed

For most people, writing a CV feels like revising for an exam – tedious, stressful, and to be avoided at all costs. But for Jen David, who runs CV Shed, that’s exactly the appeal.

David says she loves untangling the “spaghetti” of people’s work histories and helping them get their next job. She admits she even enjoys revising for exams – and says while her business isn’t a unicorn, her CVs do have a degree of magic.

It might be low-key, low-growth, and mostly under the radar, but it’s work she finds deeply satisfying. And no, she doesn’t want to scale.

Londoner, Jenny Blyth, doesn't want to be the next John Lewis

Jenny Blyth has been running Storm in a Teacup Gifts for over a decade. She’s not trying to be the next John Lewis. She’s not even looking for a shop – the high street is dead, she says, and she couldn’t afford one anyway.

Instead, she runs her online gift business from home, sells items made by other small businesses, and uses her stall at local events to campaign for better mental health care and fight for equality. She jokes that she can flog mugs one minute and give her MP an earful the next.

Despite being penalised by everything from postage costs to government policy, she’s stuck with it. If her customers can stick by her for 10 years, she says, she can stick by them.

Borking works for most Brits

So while the headlines are full of flashy start-ups chasing millions in venture capital, these down-to-earth Brits are quietly proving that boring works. They’re not chasing growth targets, pitching to investors or dreaming of Silicon Valley – they’re earning a steady income, enjoying a better work-life balance, and clocking off in time for the school run.

They don’t want to scale. They just want to live. And in a country tired of overhype and burnout, boring might just be Britain’s best-kept secret.