So you had a few drinks last night with your mates down the pub, coming up with all sorts of weird and wonderful ideas for this business you’re supposedly going to start together in attempt to become billionaires. Usually you would expect to forget them all by morning. But you’ve just woken up, and one of them has stuck. And now it’s going to plague you for the rest of the day… “Am I a genius, or still a little intoxicated from the night before…?”
A Lot of Good Business Ideas are Actually Really Dumb
This is where you want to be. Somewhere in between a good idea and a bad one.
Face it, a lot of the stuff that we buy on a monthly basis we don’t really need. How many things do you own that you just sort of bought on a whim, that has served its novelty purpose and now just sits there. On the other hand, how many really useful things do you have lying around that you completely take for granted? Someone at some point had to have the courage to publicly own their stupid idea despite how ridiculous it might have sounded if pitched on Dragons’ Den…
Don’t believe me? Read on!
5 Stupid Business Ideas That Didn’t Fail
Square Watermelons
The Japanese have been popularising square watermelons over the years, boasting the highest levels of efficiency in watermelon stacking supermarkets have ever seen. But at one point, you know that the life-changing question came up over a round of sake: “What if watermelons were square?”
Some of the dumbest sounding questions prompt some of the most ingenious inventions. “What if wheels were round?” Square watermelons seem so simple, so silly, but they allow for more convenient stacking of the products in supermarket shelves whilst also saving space. Why would you not choose them if you had a choice between round or square?
Pet Rock
The pet rock of the 70’s proves that people will buy anything if packaged and marketed properly. Marketed like living pets, without the responsibility of having to feed and walk them, pet rocks became a huge success. And they are still popular novelty gifts even now! (You can buy them off Amazon.)
The idea was conceived in 1975 by Gary Dahl after listening to his friends complain about their pets – in a bar, nevertheless! By 1976, Gary Dahl had sold 1.5 million Pet Rocks for $4. And became a millionaire. After all, the straw was pretty much free and the rocks cost no more than a penny each. And with only $1 spent per box (it’s all about how you package your product!), there was nothing to do but profit really.
Doggles
What do you want to bet that this stupid business idea started on nothing but a joke and a name.
“Hey, guys! What kind of eyewear does a dog wear? Doggles!”
This stupid business idea makes approximately $3 million a year.
Seems stupid, right? I mean, dogs have been wandering the planet for quite a while without ever needing eye protection from the sun. But then, so did we humans. Now look at how much we are willing to spend on a pair of Ray Ban sunglasses. Despite it starting off as a trendy accessory for spoilt dogs, Doggles are now available with prescriptions lenses for vision-impaired pooches. Doggles have even been shipped out to U.S. Army dogs to help protect them from the harsh sunlight and prevent debris from getting in their eyes during sandstorms.
Snuggie
Why did nobody think of this before? A blanket with sleeves? It seems so logical. Doing stuff while wrapped in a blanket has never been so easy!
Now available in any number of different colours, patterns and themes, Snuggies have gained a dedicated fanbase over the years that has resulted in numerous Snuggie world records and charity events. Including a series of mass pub crawls wearing Snuggies to raise money for an African orphanage, and large gatherings of tens of thousands of people wearing Snuggies together (the world record is over 40,000).
Strapzy
All about selling it to right people. Every Joey Essex fan in the world is going to buy, if they haven’t already bought, his latest “invention” – the Strapzy!
But, even though admittedly it is a good idea, his affiliation with the product will deter a few potential customers. But, if you have an existing audience then you already have a customer base waiting for your call to action! They are your influencers. Once the brand or the product has already been established, you can open yourself up to the masses who will no longer care as much who’s endorsing it.
Does it still seem like a stupid business idea?
It can’t be any more stupid than a pet rock, can it?
So don’t be so quick to cast off your stupid business idea or inventions as the ramblings of a drunken idiot… Who knows? It might be worth millions.
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