(Yes, these actually made cash. And no, you don’t need an MBA.)

“This is the Dumbest Thing Ever”… Said Everyone Right Before It Went Viral

Here’s a cold, glitter-covered truth: you don’t need a genius idea to make money. You need a stupid idea with excellent timing, a bit of boldness, and maybe a domain name.

Because in a world where people pay for bottled air, fart jars, and strangers to pretend to be their friend – your “dumb idea” might just be tomorrow’s viral cash machine.

Don’t believe me? Let’s dive into seven absolutely ridiculous businesses that turned “nobody would pay for that” into “I just bought a yacht.”

1. The Pet Rock: Peak Laziness Meets Peak Marketing

In 1975, Gary Dahl was tired of hearing his friends complain about their pets. So what did he do?

He sold rocks. Real ones. From the ground. Put them in a box. Added a fake care manual. Branded them as “The Pet Rock.”

That’s it.

Result? Over 1.3 million Pet Rocks sold in six months. That’s over $6 million back then – nearly $30 million today – for a product you could literally find in your driveway.

He made millions selling nothing. Welcome to capitalism.

💡 Money Takeaway: People don’t buy the product. They buy the idea. Sell the fun, not the function.

2. RentAFriend: Outsourcing Human Connection Since 2009

What if you could rent someone to go bowling with? Or pretend to be your BFF at a family reunion? Or just talk about anime for an hour?

Welcome to RentAFriend.com – a real website where people pay hourly to hang out with platonic strangers. No romance. Just companionship, forced laughter, and maybe some awkward silence over tacos.

Best part? Some “friends” on the platform rake in over $2,000 a week.

Yes, you can make bank by being a decent human with a good listening face.

💡 Money Takeaway: If people are lonely (and they are), there’s a market. And where there’s a market, there’s money. Don’t overthink it.

3. Bottled Air: Because Oxygen Is Better When It’s Expensive

Chinese tourists visiting Canada started buying bottled Canadian air to take home. That’s not a punchline – that’s a business.

A startup called Vitality Air began selling fresh Banff National Park air. In metal cans. With a plastic face mask. Each can costs up to $30 in China.

People bought it. It sold out. Multiple times. They even launched flavors. Not of air. Of mountain vibes, or whatever.

💡 Money Takeaway: If water can be bottled and branded, why not air? When something’s free, just add marketing and a price tag.

4. GlitterBomb Greeting Cards: Revenge in an Envelope

Imagine sending a card that showers the recipient in glitter the moment they open it. A little sparkly revenge, no mess on you-just on them.

Companies like Funky Delivery and Joker Greeting popularized these confetti/glitter-bomb cards, selling them for around $10–$11 each permanently onto people who deserve it. Etsy is full of them, too, with rave reviews:

“Perfect card and fun”-“Glitter bombs absolutely amazing” etsy.com.

No viral stunt here-just consistent sales of a hilarious, messy joke sent through the mail.

💡 Money Takeaway: Take a regular greeting card-add a prank. People pay for mischievous convenience and surprise.

5. Sell (or Send) Poop: The Poop Side Hustle Nobody Talks About

Yeah, you read that right.

Medical science needs it, and there’s real money in it-up to $500 per stool donation through services like HumanMicrobes.

If you donate regularly, that’s $25–$75 per visit, or up to $1,500 a month through programs like GoodNature.

That’s biology meeting business. Not sexy-but definitely profitable.

💡 Money Takeaway: In your bathroom lies opportunity. If it solves a real need (microbiome therapy), your gross can be great.

6. The MillionDollar Homepage: Selling Digital Dust

In 2005, 21-year-old Alex Tew launched a website of one million pixels, selling ad space for $1/pixel in 100-pixel blocks.

By Jan 2006, he’d pocketed over $1,037,100-including a final 1,000-pixel auction fetching $38,100.

No product. No physical inventory. Just a blank grid and a crazy, simple pitch.

💡 Money Takeaway: When everyone is stealing eyeballs, bold simplicity can win big. Sell space. That’s it.

7. Ship Your Enemies Glitter: Viral Marketing in a Sprinkle

In January 2015, Mathew Carpenter launched ShipYourEnemiesGlitter.com-an anonymous service to mail bags of glitter to enemies. It exploded online: 1.3 million visits in 24 hours, 300,000 social mentions.

He sold the site 10 days later for $85,000 on Flippa.

Carpenter admits it was a calculated marketing stunt, not a long-term biz-but it worked.

💡 Money Takeaway: Viral attention can be more valuable than product. Build a buzz, then cash out.

 

🚀 Why These Work: Breaking Down the New Playbook

Principle	What Died (Old Way)	New Way That’s Winning
Over-engineering	Hours building perfect tech/product	Launch the fun MVP-something pranks, sells
Targeted markets	Narrow, polished audience	Surprise the masses with absurdity
Long haul growth	Slow, steady scale strategy	Flash-bang virality + quick cash-out

Bottom line: It doesn’t take genius. It takes guts, bold simplicity, and a willingness to lean into the absurd. The funnier / weirder / grosser it is, the more attention you can cash in on.

 

How to Launch Your Own “Dumb Business” (and Not Die of Shame)

Let’s be honest.

You’ve read this far, which means somewhere deep down… you’re thinking about it.

That weird idea. That thing your friends would mock. That “surely no one would buy this” brain worm.

Let me hit you with a truth bomb:

The weirder your idea sounds, the more likely it is to go viral.

Why?

Because the internet doesn’t reward boring. It rewards curiosity. It rewards chaos. It rewards that moment of “WHAT AM I EVEN LOOKING AT?”

Let’s build your dumb business. Right now.

Step 1: Go Ultra-Specific or Ultra-Stupid

Forget “broad appeal.” That’s code for “no one cares.”

Pick something ultra-niche (e.g. romantic haikus for Star Trek fans) or ultra-stupid (e.g. edible business cards made of jerky).

Ask yourself:

• Does this idea make onevery specific person laugh, cry, or scream?
• Would this go viral in a screenshot?

If yes – keep going.

Step 2: Make It MVP-AF (Minimum Viable Punchline)

Don’t build an empire. Build a joke that works.

Remember:

• Pet Rock:polished stone in a box
• Million-Dollar Homepage:a single HTML grid
• Glitter Bomb Card:envelope + evil
• Virtual Screaming Guy:phone + bushes

Your first version should take one weekend or less to launch. No code? No problem.
Use:

• Canva
• Gumroad
• Shopify
• Fiverr
• TikTok

People aren’t buying a feature set. They’re buying a laugh, a feeling, a moment.

Step 3: Price Like a Maniac

Here’s the thing about “dumb” products: pricing isn’t logical. It’s emotional.

$4.99? Cute.
$49.99 for an autographed glitter-smeared potato? Genius.

When you price like it’s absurd – people share it. They brag that they bought it.

Pro tip: Add a stupid-expensive premium tier.
Example: “For $999, I will yell at your ex while wearing a Pikachu costume.”

You think no one will buy it… until they do.

Step 4: Use This Simple Framework

Every dumb business on this list follows one or more of these formulas:

Formula Name	Description	Examples
Trash to Treasure	Sell what people throw away	Pet Rock, Poop donations
Monetized Mischief	Prank-based revenue models	Glitter bombs, poop mail, yelling services
Virtual Emotion	Digital connection or absurdity	Rent-a-friend, fart jars, virtual partners
The WTF Factor	People don’t understand it, so they click	Million Dollar Homepage, Jarred Air

You don’t need all four. Just one. And guts.

Final Truth: Being Smart Is Overrated

“Smart” people are stuck trying to impress their LinkedIn connections.

Creative people with zero shame?
They’re bottling farts, renting companionship, and laughing to the bank.

You’ve got ideas. The only thing missing is action.

So here’s your challenge:

Launch one stupid thing. This week.
Even if no one buys it, you’ll learn more about business in 7 days than most people do in 7 months.

And who knows…
Maybe you’ll be the next person on a list like this – laughing, rich, and unapologetically ridiculous.