Here is an article from moneyloo.com that will come like a kick in the nuts to those of us who spend the customary 9 to 5 slaving away at our desks:
How do these crazy ideas actually work? I’ve put together a list of 10 (and one for good measure) of the wackiest, weirdest, craziest ways that people are making good money.
1. Pickle Sickle – Texas roller rink owner John Howard sells frozen treats made from freshly squeezed pickle juice to pregnant women and schools across the country.
2. My Yearbook – Oh to be in high school and be a millionaire. Catherine, only 16, convinced her older brother to help her start myYearbook.com which now has growth spurts that have outpaced both Facebook and MySpace.
3. Origami Boulder – This has got to be the dumbest idea of all, but made it to number “3″ just because it’s so dumb it’s genius. This person sells “Origami Boulders” online which isn’t origami at all. It’s actually a wadded up piece of paper that they somehow convince people to buy. Very bizarre, but works.
4. Cameron Johnson – This young entrepreneur got his start at the age of nine making greeting cards, expanded into reselling Ty Beanie Babies on eBay by the age of 12 and finally sold his online advertising company for an undisclosed sum after making $3 to $4 million a month. His latest venture, CertificateSwap, that allows people to swap out unwanted gift certificates just sold for six-figures. He’s now working the lecture circuit and focusing on helping others strike entrepreneur gold.
5. Edible.com – This business is simple, just cook up some giant toasted leaf-cutter ants and reindeer pate and wash it down with some lizard wine or monkey-picked tea wash and you’re all set. Seriously, they have a whole product line of this stuff.
6. Banana Bunker – Now be careful, don’t bruise your banana! It’s like a plastic storage container to fit any size banana and keep it safe while you’re on the go. The Banana Bunker has been very successful with it’s call to providing protection for soft fruit.
7. Post Secret – Frank Warren has mastered the business of taking something so personal, making it so public and in return becoming sooo successful. He has a blog where people post a personal secret in an artistic way, and then he compiles them as best selling books.
8. Lucky Wishbone – “Lucky” is right. Taking advantage of the people who can’t wait until Thanksgiving for a wishbone, this company is producing 30,000 plastic wishbones per month and sales have exceeded one million dollars.
9. Whatever Life – A teenage girl started a website offering free layouts for MySpace that is now worth more than $1.5 million.
10. Rent-A-Cow – Yeah, these people really rent out cows for the purpose of making cheese. A good healthy cow goes for about $280.
11. Fit Deck – How this worked I don’t know, but Phil Black has made $4.7 million off of these playing cards with an exercise theme. They sell for $18.95 a pack and obviously, people are interested.
6 comments
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July 24, 2008 at 8:11 pm
Advice for New Entrepreneurs: So You Think You Can Sell Banana Peelers? | Personal Finance Analyst
[…] successful entrepreneurs can tell you what to do to succeed. But you also need to know what not to do so that […]
September 10, 2009 at 9:33 pm
sandrar
Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog. 🙂 Cheers! Sandra. R.
April 30, 2010 at 6:20 pm
MYyearbook Layouts
Thank you very much for this great resource.
keep up great work.
January 1, 2011 at 1:04 am
Ted
very entertaining! forgot to include one:
http://www.personalautograph.com
people are knowingly buying FAKE autographs from celebrities.
April 11, 2011 at 12:12 pm
Wacky But Wealthy | sillypreneur
[…] Banana Bunker – Now be careful, don’t bruise your banana! It’s like a plastic storage container to fit any size banana and keep it safe while you’re on the go. The Banana Bunker has been very successful with it’s call to providing protection for soft fruit. culled from Allentrepreneur. […]
September 28, 2011 at 5:43 pm
Brian Joyner
I’m going with Japanese Maples… if you have an extra acre, it’s crazy how profitable these trees are!
http://www.briandavidjoyner.com/business/2011/silly-goose-money-doesnt-grow-on-trees