Crazy business ideas are one of the best ways to stand out in a crowded marketplace. While traditional business plans may be tried and true, being creative can provide your venture with an edge over the competition. Crazy ideas, when done right, have the potential to revolutionize industries and create waves of new customers.
Read these 5 start-up stories and you will be amazed by how 5 really simple business ideas were turned into multi-million dollar businesses.
1. The Slinky
($250 million worth)
Everyone should be familiar with the slinky toy and how it can keep even grown-ups entertained for hours. To this day nobody can explain the magic of shoving a spring’s weight from one side to the other, or how it became a multi-million dollar product in the first place. Thanks to the clumsiness of a naval engineer the world has been living with this phenomenon for more than 50 years. While working, Richard James just happened to drop a tension spring that literally kept walking away from him. Hence, the slinky was born and in 1945 it was presented for the first time to Gimbals. Within the first 2 hours after it landed in stores 400 units were sold. Despite the fact that James went off the wagon after making millions the slinky has an estimated worth of $250 million.
2. The Pet Rock
(brought $15 million in first 6 months)
If I were to make you an offer to buy an ordinary rock for $3.65, you would think I’m crazy right? Gary Dahl didn’t think it was such a crazy idea and he managed to sell $15 million worth of rocks within just 6 months. This begs the question, how can he possibly accomplish such a feat? He gave something as simple as a rock a great deal of personality by placing it on a straw bed and putting it in a cardboard box that resembles a pet carrier case. He gave it the name Pet Rock. Dahl also included a small manual on how to take care of the pet while marketing it as a pet that will never give you any problems. He only paid for the packaging and manual, which came to about 65 cents per unit. This left him with a rough profit of $3.
3. Icanhascheezburger.com
($2 million in sales in 2007)
Technology has also opened the doors for crazy business ideas that led to frenzies. One website, in particular, created by Eric Nakagawa and Kari Unebasami (also respectfully known as Cheezburger and Tofu Burger), made it into the history books. All they did was take a picture of a cute fat cat and added a caption on top stating “I can has cheezburger?” According to their own account of the situation, they laughed for more than an hour. The domain name was the same as the caption that they used and the first picture was followed by a series of other pictures where the cat actually gets hold of that burger. Who would’ve guessed that this website would spark a traffic count of 35 million hits a month and 8000 daily submissions? But what you really want to know is how much they made through this site right? They sold in 2007 for $2 million. If you need to have a dose of fun, you can check the site out here: Icanhascheezburger.com.
4. Beanie Babies
(a franchise worth around $3 billion)
Last but not least we have Ty Warner and his Beanie Babies franchise. All he did was take some beans, stuffed them into fluffy animals, and gave each a cute little name. Obviously, he didn’t receive the support he anticipated. In fact, many people referred to his creations as road kill. Warner wasn’t discouraged and continued his venture. The first showcase of the Beanie Babies in Atlanta generated sales of 30 000 units. But Warner had more tactics up his sleeve. Instead of making it available in major chain stores, he kept them exclusive, which boosted the value of course. He didn’t spend one dime on advertising and if one particular Beanie Baby went out of stock it didn’t go back into production, resulting in collector’s items. The best year Warner had in terms of sales was about $700 million and this was at the height of the frenzy. The ultimate worth of the Beanie Babies franchise is more than $3 billion.
5. iFart App
($400k worth app)
Joel Comm decided that the whoopie cushion needed a serious makeover so he designed an app that did exactly that. But instead of just giving the app one specific sound he implemented no less than 26 different fart sounds and added names like “Sneak Attack”. His initial intention was to sell the app and make money while everybody else thought it was more dumb than crazy. Nevertheless, it was a combination that worked because the last estimation of what this iPhone application is worth reached the $400 000 mark. Given that he is only selling it for 99 cents a pop you can imagine how many pranksters went bonkers for it. Whether you love or hate the idea, it’s given Joel Comm a very strong bank account.
Being a little crazy can be really helpful sometimes. If you enjoyed our article, please share it with friends and help us write many more like it. For some more crazy ideas like this, you can visit our crazy section of the site: The Craziest Business Ideas.
The possibilities are endless when it comes to coming up with crazy business ideas but at the end of the day it all boils down to creativity and implementation. Don’t let anyone tell you that your idea won’t work because even if it seems offbeat today – tomorrow might prove differently!
The importance to think differently
The importance of thinking differently is something that is often overlooked in today’s world. We live in an era where conformity is becoming increasingly valued and accepted, but it is essential to challenge the status quo by embracing creative, unique thoughts. Thinking differently can lead to new insights and help you find solutions to problems that others may not be able to see. It can also help you stand out from the crowd and allow you to pursue opportunities others are unable or unwilling to take on.
Thinking differently can have a positive impact on your career, particularly when dealing with complex tasks or tough challenges. Instead of going along with what everyone else has already decided upon, try coming up with your own approach; this could involve looking at issues from different angles or creating innovative solutions that weren’t previously considered. Creative thinking like this allows for fresh ideas and perspectives, which could eventually lead to greater success and achievement in whatever field you’re working in.
In conclusion, thinking differently is an incredibly valuable skill that should not be underestimated; its ability to broaden perspectives whilst encouraging exploration ensures that both personal development & career advancement remain possible long-term goals regardless of how far one may be currently stuck in their current situations… So don’t just follow along – make sure YOU remain aware & actively engaged when considering different options moving forward!
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3 Internet Start Up Ideas That Were Turned Into Multi-Million Businesses
