The Un-Dating Game
Making money from women who like to make fun of men
Cure for Cancer, World Peace and Other Great Ideas sits
on the shelf of 31-year-old comedians John Heffron and Joel Zimmer.
Of course you've never heard of it--it's the private
notebook where Heffron and Zimmer write down their brilliant ideas.
It's where, in 1997, they came up with the That Guy! Game. Made for women to play at girls-night-out type functions, the
That Guy! Game is a scavenger hunt. Players look for the guys on
their cards, like "Unibrow Guy" or "Tight Pants
Guy"--you know . . . the guys you generally avoid. The game
has taken off, and the pair expects 2001 sales of $250,000 to
$500,000. It's even catching the attention of TV producers, and
a game show for Paramount is in the works. Zimmer and Heffron's
company, Eleven Eleven Productions, also has plans for a wireless
PDA version of the game, along with greeting cards and a version
for teenage girls. The idea took nearly three years to come to fruition; it was
while they were both recovering from breakups that they decided to
really focus on it. Says Heffron, "I would recommend
sprinkling jealousy and 'I'll show you that you
shouldn't have broken up with me' into any kind of
motivation." Content Continues Below
Adds Zimmer, "I don't know if a lot of Fortune 500
companies were started that way, but we did."
| MOONLIGHTING | | Late-nighters prove the
moon's made not of cheese, but of money. If you're a night owl, check out this business trend and all
its possibilities. Time reports that 24-hour child-care
centers are gaining in popularity as more parents find
themselves working the graveyard shift. And, if you're in a
college town, look for ways to serve the all-night study
crowd. At least one business--chicken wing franchise Wing
Zone--is based on the premise that the college set seeks
late-night snacks. Even some university dining halls are taking
note and offering late-night meals, according to a
Newsweek report. Time for other bizzes to take note: There
can be profit in the midnight hour. |
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