Coming up with an idea for a new business is never easy. While most people choose the traditional route and stick to tried and tested concepts, only a few dare to think outside the box. This may not always be a good idea, as some of the most unusual business ideas in history have also been major commercial failures, although many have succeeded by creating their own market niches where none existed before.
10. Smell
In 1999, at the height of the dot-com bubble, two Stanford graduates, Joel Bellenson and Dexter Smith, set out to bring scent to the digital world. By breaking down scents into digital files that could be transmitted over the Internet and played back by a USB-powered device at the other end, their product, the iSmell, promised to change the way we consume things online.
It may seem strange today, but at the time it was the next big thing in Silicon Valley, raising over $20 million in venture capital from several investors. They envisioned an entire ecosystem built around iSmell and its parent company DigiScents Inc. that could be further integrated into other industries like gaming, film, and porn.
While the device itself worked well enough, it sold poorly and was eventually shut down in late 2001. There was also the whole question of whether anyone would want such a technology, since being able to smell through the internet no longer sounds as nice as it probably did in 1999.
9. Washboard
Washboard has also been called one of the worst startup ideas of all time, and for good reason. Launched in June 2014, the entire idea was based on the assumption that people would pay extra to get change at laundromats. For $15, Washboard would send you $10 worth of quarters, using a markup for shipping costs, operating expenses, and, obviously, a small profit. You could even buy their savings pack, getting $20 in change for the small sum of $26.99.
Of course, it was a ridiculous idea. Besides the fact that you can just walk into a bank and get change whenever you want, most people now have washing machines at home. Washboard's founder announced it was closing in July of that year, as they could barely find enough regular customers to keep it going.
8. Garbage
Justin Gignac, a New York-based artist, came up with the idea for NYC Garbage back in 2001 after an argument with someone about the importance of packaging design. While most of us would think nothing of such a trivial topic, Gignac decided to prove them wrong by finding the most unsellable thing in New York City—garbage—and began repackaging it into whimsical, limited-edition garbage cubes. Each cube is signed, dated, and numbered by the artist, presumably indicating when exactly the garbage was collected.
While it sounds absurd, the idea has taken off surprisingly. According to NYC Garbage's own website, more than 1,400 people around the world have already ordered it, priced between $50 and $100. The collection also includes special editions, such as the World Series at Yankee Stadium and New Year's Eve in Times Square.
7. Fascism
Launched in 2009, Fashism was a fashion startup based in New York City. Despite the terrible name, it wasn’t a bad business idea. Fashism was a kind of social network for fashion, where you could post photos of your outfits and get feedback from a community of users. At its peak, the service had over 80,000 unique visits per month from over 15,000 user accounts. It was even backed by some big-name investors, including actors Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore.
We’re not sure if the name had anything to do with its downfall, or if it was simply an unviable business idea. Fashism eventually closed in 2014 due to lack of growth and a small number of users. According to Crunchbase, the total funding for the outlet was around $1 million.
6. Blippi
Blippy launched as a private beta app in 2009 and quickly attracted the attention of venture capitalists around the world. It was essentially like a Twitter feed for your credit card transactions, allowing users to see and comment on other people’s purchases. Surprisingly, most people didn’t embrace it from a privacy standpoint, and the idea found plenty of investors. Overall, they managed to raise over $13 million in funding, and at its peak, the company was valued at around $46 million. Apple even launched its own service, Ping, to compete with Blippy’s business model.
Unfortunately, Blippy suffered from a classic flaw: no one wanted it. After all, there was no real use for social media for credit card purchases, even if it was integrated right into your phone. Blippy soon ran out of money, and in 2010 it shut down its core service, eventually morphing into a user review app.
5. Joke app
Although I Am Rich was created primarily as a novelty joke app, the fact that some people actually bought it makes it a business idea. Created by German developer Armin Heinrich, it was officially launched on the App Store in August 2008. At $999.99, it was one of the first apps in Apple's newly opened store, and also possibly one of the most expensive apps ever.
As for functionality, the app itself consisted of one big red button on the screen. When pressed, it would display a bunch of inspirational sentences like, you guessed it, “I’m rich” or “I deserve it,” which were supposed to prove to everyone sitting next to you that you really are rich. Although Heinrich has since admitted that he created the app as a joke, eight people bought it, and only two of them asked Apple to cancel the sale.
4. Potato parcel
On paper, Potato Parcel sounds like another wacky business idea with no long-term prospects. For $9.99, someone at the company can write a message on a potato and send it to anyone. In 2016, the company Shark Tank offered $50,000 in exchange for 10 % shares of the company. The offer was accepted in addition to a royalty-sharing agreement with one of the judges.
As it turns out, personalized potato messages are actually a viable startup idea. By 2018, Potato Parcel had sold more than 70,000 potatoes, generating six-figure annual revenue. The service has now expanded to include messages about other items, like socks and pillows, as well as more advanced potato messages, like images.
3. Who died in the house?
Founded in 2013 by software engineer Roy Condrey, DiedInHouse.com is perhaps the only business of its kind. It tells you if someone has died in the home you’re considering renting or buying, as long as it’s an address in the United States. It’s a paid service that uses information from death certificates, news reports, and police records to accurately determine whether your home is haunted. The website also displays any other serious criminal cases at a particular property, making it quite useful for potential homeowners and ghost hunters.
According to a 2016 Forbes article, the website DiedInHouse.com sold over 40,000 reports prior to 2016. Each report contains information such as deaths, meth operations, nearby cemeteries, registered sex offenders in the area, previous fire incidents, and other details about the property.
2. Air in bottles
Vitality Air began as a prank when two Canadians, Moses Lam and Troy Puckett, filled a ziplock bag with fresh Canadian air and posted it on eBay. It quickly attracted media attention and sparked a fierce bidding war, with the bag eventually selling for $130. Sensing a business opportunity, Lam and Puckett decided to look into bottled air as a potential startup idea.
As it turns out, that was the case, and Vitality Air was born in early 2015. They now export fresh air cylinders to countries around the world, including Mexico, India, Vietnam, and China. The operation has expanded significantly, now including huge air collection machines and a fully automated bottling plant. According to a 2019 report, Vitality Air has had annual sales of over $300,000 for two years in a row, making it quite a successful business idea.
1. Stop barking
No More Woof was a promising — if a little ambitious — crowdfunding proposal posted by several Scandinavian engineers on Indiegogo. They claimed that the device could accurately translate your pet’s brain waves into intelligible speech using EEG brain-scanning technology, which is now used in many brain-related medical procedures. No More Woof was successfully funded to the tune of over $2,001, and the story was picked up by several news outlets, including Mashable, CNET, and Engadget.
Unfortunately, while it was a good idea, it was too good to be true, as the technology to create such a device simply does not exist. While there have been significant advances in mind-reading technology in the last few years, it is still impossible to accurately translate thoughts into speech. No More Woof was shelved after the founders publicly admitted that they did not have the technology to make it work.
Оставить Комментарий