3 Websites That Prove Even Ridiculous Ideas Can Become Online Money Makers Remember the one about shipping your enemies glitter?
By Jonathan Long •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
The Internet is amazing and has become something that we rely on for almost everything. Imagine going 24 hours without jumping online. No sitting down to surf your favorite websites, no pulling out your smartphone to look something up, no checking social media.
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Not only has the Internet completely transformed how we operate on a day-to-day basis, it's opened a whole new world of opportunities and possibilities to creative entrepreneurs. Yes, even ones with ridiculous and outrageous ideas.
Here are three examples of how almost any idea, regardless of how ridiculous, can be transformed into an online money maker, thanks to the Internet.
1. Ship Your Enemies Glitter
Last year, then-22-year-old entrepreneur Matthew Carpenter started this website as a joke playing off what people want to do to their enemies (Carpenter called glitter "the herpes of the craft world). But after iShip Your Enemies Glitter went viral, the site had approximately $20,000 worth of orders virtually overnight. So many, in fact, that Carpenter suspended new orders and decided to sell the website. It quickly changed hands for a cool $85,000.
A six-figure payout in less than 10 days wasn't too bad, considering the majority of that revenue was profit. The cost of goods sold was minimal, although the task of filling all of those envelopes with glitter must have been daunting.
Several other glitter-bomb websites launched after this success story, but they more than likely haven't experienced the same financial gains as the original. If you visit the website today you will see that the new owner has also introduced several additional gag products, further proving there really is a market for these ridiculous ideas.
This is an example that highlights an important point: If you have an idea go for it, regardless of how crazy it might be. The cost of entry when it comes to starting a business online is very low, so even if you flop, the financial loss is minimal.
Related: The 22-Year-Old Behind ShipYourEnemiesGlitter Sells the Site for $85,000
2. Di*k In Your Mailbox
One quick visit to this outrageous website will either make you laugh uncontrollably or click the back button while shaking your head. According to the website, "…our resident artist, Pablo Dickasso, will take your message and create a custom piece of di*k art and mail it to the a**hole of your choice."
So, "artwork" that would have resulted in disciplinary actions back in school is now a viable business, thanks to the power of the Internet. Shock factor and comedic value alone gives an idea like this traction. If you look at the popular viral stories on Facebook that receive millions of engagements, you will see that they all have an outrageous or over-the-top element to them.
Today's online generation thrives on sharing funny pictures and videos -- and this product is correctly aligned to command a piece of that attention.
3. Cat Facts
Want to bombard someone with 30 to 90 text messages containing random cat facts every month? If this is exactly what you have been looking for, your are in luck, because for as little as $2.99 per month you can make sure your friends (or enemies) receive at least one new cat fact daily. Yes, Cat Facts is a real service.
If you think this is a completely insane idea, do this for me: Go to YouTube and type "cat videos" into the search bar. The top organic result the day I'm writing this has more than 95 million views. Keep scrolling down and look through the first few pages of results. There are endless cat videos with millions of views, proving there is a huge market for cat-related services. Yes, even services that flood your cell phone with cat facts.
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The message here: The Internet provides entrepreneurs with endless possibilities, and you will never know if your idea is a stud or a dud unless you go for it. Do you have an idea for a business -- mild or wild -- and want some real-world feedback? Join the free online community for entrepreneurs and business owners I started here.
