Here are some examples of crazy ideas that
turned into serious cash:
How many times have you thought, "if
only I had a nickel for every (fill in the blank)?" Alex Tew took that
concept and turned it into an advertising bonanza. He set up a webpage which
was a kind of virtual click-through billboard. There were 1,000,000 available
pixels on the page that he was selling for $1 a pop. It took him just over a
year to reach his target goal. The billboard is still up and drawing new
visitors every day. Not bad for a crazy idea.
If there is one thing folks love to do it
is pamper their pets. When Roni Di Lullo noticed her dog squinting up at bright
sunlight she thought he might benefit from the same item she used: sunglasses.
All it took was a little product development experimentation and Doggles were
born. So was another million-dollar business.
Speaking of dogs, there is always a daily
cleanup that occurs when you've got a pup around the house. Well, it's supposed
to be a daily cleanup. In some cases, folks let their dogs do their
"business" in the backyard and hope that it will somehow disappear.
It won't. That's good news for Matthew Osborn who created a company that
offers full service dog poo removal services. That local homegrown business
turned into a national franchise which is now the largest pet waste removal
company in America.
Throughout history, monks have been known
for their studious nature. It seems as though every monastery has their own
cottage industry used to raise money for the poor and for the upkeep of the
brothers. Back in 2002, Father Bernard McCoy was shopping around for cheap
printer ink and decided to make his own from recycled cartridges. Thus it was
that Lasermonks was born. From first year earnings of $2,000 the company has
gone on to make over $4 million annually. Not bad for some reused ink.
So what is your crazy idea? Maybe it's not
that crazy after all.
