The 15 Strangest Entrepreneurial Ideas That Just Worked

Do you have a business idea that just seems too simple or outrageous? Don’t be discouraged to give it a go!

For every great business idea that battles it out in boardrooms for a green light or entrepreneurial ideas that enter the depths of the 'Shark Tank' or 'Dragon's Den' in order to find investors - many never see the light of day. For those that do, they still run the risk of becoming a frightening statistic - with over 50% of businesses expected to fail within the first 5 years.

If you are thinking about your next big entrepreneurial idea, take some inspiration from this list of the strangest ideas that beat the odds and somehow just worked to make their entrepreneurs millions and billions of dollars.

Pet Rocks
In 1975, people who didn't want the hassle of a living and breathing family pet, instead purchased a Pet Rock. You are not mistaken. People unbelievably paid for over 1.5 million rocks! Creator Gary Dahl earned an estimated US$15 million in the first 6 months of sales. While you might be thinking those parents had rocks in their heads, Dahl laughed all the way to the bank.

Tamagotchis
Speaking of 'unreal' pets, the first virtual pet - the Tamagotchi - not only enthralled kids throughout the 90s, but earned their creators a very cool US$900 million.

Snuggies
A couch potatoe's best friend, a Snuggie which is basically just a fleece blanket with sleeves in it for your arms, was a simple idea that just happened to net its creators Allstar Products Group, over $US500 million. I bet you're kicking yourself you didn't think of it first!

1-800-GOT-JUNK
In Australia, when you want to get rid of junk you hold a garage sale or put it along the side of the road for neighbours to go 'dump shopping' before the city council takes it to the tip. Yet for savvy Canadian, Brian Scudamore, taking away someone else's trash (stuff) became his US$148 million treasure.

Wacky Wall Walker
When Ken Hakuta's mother returned from China, she brought him back a sticky toy that when thrown against a wall would begin to walk down the wall. Since purchasing the rights for US$100,000, Hakuta has gone on to sell over 240 million, making him over US$80 million.

Slinky
Who never played with some kind of Slinky as a kid? Naval engineer Richard James accidentally invented the toy that has appeared in pretty much every child's toybox, and since then that springy piece of metal has earned over US$3 billion in total sales.

Beanie Babies
Believe it or not, those barely stuffed little toy critters earned their owner more than Hasbro and Mattel combined. In fact, you would think they are made of gold because they are estimated to have made their creator Ty Warner between US$3-6 billion.

Furby
Kids must really love strange, electronic toys because the Furby, which has been a staple Christmas and Birthday present for kids since the late 90s, reportedly earned its creators over US$500 million in annual revenue during the peak of its popularity.

Flappy Bird
Apps could very well be the 'toy' of the 21st century, and the proof is in the pudding with Flappy Bird earning its developer Dong Nguyen US$50,000 a day in ad revenue. Nguyen famously pulled the app, fearing it had become too addictive, and he may have been right with the app downloaded over 50 million times.

Icanhascheezburger.com
If you have never wasted hours online looking at funny cat videos and memes, then you have never lived! Erica Nakagawi and Kari Unebeasami captured this market early on and in doing so, sold their website to investors for a purrrrfect US$2 million.

Billy Bob Teeth
Everybody loves a dress up party, and if you were going in a costume that involved 'uglifying' yourself, then you would have started with a set of Billy Bob Teeth. You know the ones that make you look like you have never heard of dental hygiene. As gross as they are, this simple idea made its creator Jonah White, a very handsome US$50 million in profits.

Crocs
Speaking of ugly, the shoe that has often been deemed the biggest crime in fashion ever, Crocs, also managed to earn its developers a very comfy US$1 billion in annual revenue during the height of their popularity. Thankfully, people have realised that comfy doesn't equal style, and the company has found sales declining in recent years.

Post-It Notes
Romy and Michele may have claimed to have invented post-it notes in the movie Romy and Michele's Highschool Reunion. Yet the real 3M scientist that invented this staple of every office around the world, earns the parent company US$1 billion in annual revenue.

Bottled Water
Just like Pet Rocks, bottled water companies such as Evian, Aquafina, Perrier and Dasani have encouraged people to buy something that is readily available for free. In doing so, bottled water companies are earning an estimated US$60 billion in global annual sales combined. I bet they're drinking to that!

Kleenex Tissues
What was originally sold as a disposable face towel, the Kleenex Tissue was later rebranded as a disposable handkerchief, going on to earn over US$1.7 billion in annual revenue. That profit is nothing to sneeze at!

These weird and wonderful products and services go to show that no idea is too weird that it couldn't turn you into a millionaire.

If you need more inspiration to go the distance with your entrepreneurial idea, learn from the best with this article Apple: The Little Company That Could.

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