Surprisingly simple stupid businesses- that somehow work

[Bearcorp]

This $25M+ business was validated in 3 hours for $5: Problem: You’re stuck in NYC with all your bags, but no hotel Solution: Bag storage as a service. How the founder validates: 1. DOES NOT write a single line of code 2. Creates a BASIC landing page w/ Typeform (see image) 3.…Pat Walls (@thepatwalls) on Xx.com

Cool story about this company.

 

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[ZackerySprague]

This $25M+ business was validated in 3 hours for $5: Problem: You’re stuck in NYC with all your bags, but no hotel Solution: Bag storage as a service. How the founder validates: 1. DOES NOT write a single line of code 2. Creates a BASIC landing page w/ Typeform (see image) 3.…Pat Walls (@thepatwalls) on Xx.com

Cool story about this company.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Bearcorp]

Thanks for sharing!

Pat Walls is good one to follow on X for more stories like this one.

 

[ZackerySprague]

Pat Walls is good one to follow on X for more stories like this one.

Just did

 

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[Bearcorp]

https://x.com/mhp_guy/status/1752831641532137634?s=46&t=ZkVal8I0jkqyWWzuF2m7FA

Another one from X

 

[RicardoGrande]

Here's a treat: Thursday Boots.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsoaAy3QWPg


Two friends: "Hey, boots are either stupid expensive or really suck... can we do something about it?"
So they went down to Guatemala with a design in mind and had some cobblers make just 20 pairs, aiming for an affordable price point while paying fair rates for labor.
They then put them up on Etsy and they sold like hotcakes to great reviews.

Now? In 2023 they did 145 MILLION in revenue.
This is from a 250,000$ gamble on a business loan they were barely qualified for with a factory they had to start on their own down in Leon, Mexico from just 20 boots they validated a market need for from etsy. They're also known for paying more than any of the other shoe factories in Mexico, including common name brands like nike.

 

[ZackerySprague]

Here's a treat: Thursday Boots.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsoaAy3QWPg


Two friends: "Hey, boots are either stupid expensive or really suck... can we do something about it?"
So they went down to Guatemala with a design in mind and had some cobblers make just 20 pairs, aiming for an affordable price point while paying fair rates for labor.
They then put them up on Etsy and they sold like hotcakes to great reviews.

Now? In 2023 they did 145 MILLION in revenue.
This is from a 250,000$ gamble on a business loan they were barely qualified for with a factory they had to start on their own down in Leon, Mexico from just 20 boots they validated a market need for from etsy. They're also known for paying more than any of the other shoe factories in Mexico, including common name brands like nike.

Funny! I have a friend who bought some this week!

 

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[RicardoGrande]

Another case in point: These guys at Dude wipes - About Us

You can see it in plain english in their timeline.
View attachment 51104

Update: These guys are in Costco now

 

[WilliamSherman]

The stories behind those simple products like motivational water bottles, Dude Wipes, and snacks for late-night cravings really hit home a big point for me. What really matters is how you bring that idea to life, making sure it fits what people want and need. It's all about getting out there and giving it a go, even if the idea might seem a bit silly or too simple at first.
I've seen a lot of folks get stuck because they're waiting for that one big, earth-shattering idea or they're trying to get everything absolutely perfect before they even start. But looking at these businesses, it's clear that you can find an audience for almost anything. Often, it's the simplest ideas that people really connect with.
So, in my view, the big lesson here is to just start. If you see a small problem you can solve or something you can make a bit better for people, go for it.

 

[RicardoGrande]

Just posted this in another thread but it should go here:

On Starting A Side Project Selling Custom Printed Candy Hearts - Starter Story

My name is Sarah Hannington. I work (part-time now) in a full-time marketing role for a large company and started MyCustomCandy as a side project 5 years ago. We custom print candy hearts and mints for large brands, celebrities, and influencers. MyCustomCandy started as a side project a...

www.starterstory.com

- "Hey, those cruddy little candy hearts with messages, but like, funny and rude ones would be awesome, but no one makes them?"
- "Hey, I found a company that I can contract to make my hearts!"
- "Hey, I can make a website, make some videos to get the word out, and rank my site with SEO!"
- "Hey, I'm making over 100,000$ a year from this thing I set up in just a few weeks!"

Again, and this is the point of the thread, some of these things seem so blunderingly simple in hindsight and I just want to facepalm my self- this is just like the chocolate cocks to-your-door guy.

 

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[RicardoGrande]

Guys I can't stop finding these and hating myself for overthinking product ideas


This is one I ran into from the startup CPG group- Unbooze:



So- it's another rehash of "hangover prevention supplements" but they seem to be blowing up.
It's a small handfull of supplements (napkin math shows it's about 60 cents worth of pills assuming retail) you can take as you drink. They're selling them DtC for a whopping 35$ for 10 packets. More napkin math and I'm assuming they're hitting around 15-20$ in margin.
They've also been really playing the social media game across instagram and tiktok and they've started putting vending machines in bars in Austin and... Scottsdale, maybe someone here's seen them in person

I couldn't find any revenue information yet but they're putting out the vending machines, running an influencer/partner program and are getting ready to launch more products, so I'm assuming they're getting close to 1M in revenue.

Still astounded because I've seen at least 8 different brands and takes on "stop hangovers/prevent hangovers" over the years but I don't think any got to this level or didn't die out within a year or two. Reached out to their COO to see if I can hear more of their story.

 

[ZackerySprague]

Guys I can't stop finding these and hating myself for overthinking product ideas


This is one I ran into from the startup CPG group- Unbooze:

View attachment 55445

So- it's another rehash of "hangover prevention supplements" but they seem to be blowing up.
It's a small handfull of supplements (napkin math shows it's about 60 cents worth of pills assuming retail) you can take as you drink. They're selling them DtC for a whopping 35$ for 10 packets. More napkin math and I'm assuming they're hitting around 15-20$ in margin.
They've also been really playing the social media game across instagram and tiktok and they've started putting vending machines in bars in Austin and... Scottsdale, maybe someone here's seen them in person

I couldn't find any revenue information yet but they're putting out the vending machines, running an influencer/partner program and are getting ready to launch more products, so I'm assuming they're getting close to 1M in revenue.

Still astounded because I've seen at least 8 different brands and takes on "stop hangovers/prevent hangovers" over the years but I don't think any got to this level or didn't die out within a year or two. Reached out to their COO to see if I can hear more of their story.

Maybe things are really just that simple. Haha.

 

[RicardoGrande]

Everytime I come here with one of these, I feel like I just walked out of a boxing match with Mike Tyson
What's on the table this week?
So, everyone nowadays is a bit of a health nut, I see a lot of ads and discussion on twitter, one thing that popped up a lot were people discussing the health benefits of... baking soda. Even my friends are talking about it, and one of my buddies ordered a specific brand and was hyping up the baking soda and waiting for the delivery all week.
Ok, no problem, baking soda is like what, 3$ for a pound or two from the store?

NO
You see, not all baking soda is equal, according to gurus on the internet.
What they're recommending, is either aluminum free, or naturally mined baking soda.
Ok, let's take a look at one of the more recommended brands:


Huh, so this is a natural health brand selling aluminum/gluten-free [] baking soda for baking, cleaning, or supplementation.
13$ for a tub Though? Surely this company can't be doing too much in business right n-

Millions of dollars per year, from slinging baking soda at a 400% markup on amazon by posting tiktok/instagram videos.

I see a lot of people march onto TFF asking how to start a million dollar businesses and agonizing why no ideas are good, why not just take a page from these guys and sling some white powder

(Disclaimer: they do sell other things on the store, but it's all bulk and I'm betting bought from a co-manufacturer or bulk-distributor and repacked- either way they're doing nothing anyone else here couldn't do, they just started.)

 

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[EssexCase]

Like any good TFF member, I spend any possible downtime listening to talks with founders. I like hearing about people getting off the ground and getting started, and how quickly (or not) they were able to take off.
A big, painful recurring theme is that there seem to be a lot of what I call "simple, stupid businesses" that execute on something I or probably any other sane person I know wouldn't think about, or write off as being dumb... but they appear to take off anyway. I don't have the time at the moment to go back and look but Ryan Moran has a lot of people from his community stepping forward reporting how their items crossed the 1m/yr revenue mark doing simple things like selling water bottles with inspirational messages on them (I believe she told Ryan she had a 3m$ exit selling these things which are just water bottles: https://www.liveinfinitely.com/)

Another case in point: These guys at Dude wipes - About Us

You can see it in plain english in their timeline.
View attachment 51104
What I read: We were absolutely blowing out our bowels due to horrendous diets. We got hooked on using baby wipes to save our tender sphincters, liked it, and decided to white label our own for men and just sell them.

Granted, that's not the full situation and I haven't listened to anything from the founders, but I almost fell off my chair reading that and exploring their offerings. Now, I'm one of those people that follow Ryan Moran's content and see people building audiences and pull it off with surprisingly simple stupid brands like "chocolate chip cookies for late snackers" or "Matcha tea for young professionals". Having read TMF /US and then looking back and seeing people do this just makes my head spin. Some of them make marginally more sense like a tool for woodburning hobby or the guy that makes extender plates porsche spoilers- but even those required barely anything to get off the ground, just an audience (or willing to try ads) and some money to directly order or have someone fabricate the first batch of product.

I guess in the end, there's probably a broader message about executing and just seeing what works- not getting hung up on the "perfect idea" or the "lifetime value" (especially if this is your first go around with a business that seems to be running reasonably well). Just picking something you feel and can confirm a need for, and getting off to the races.

What do y'all think?

This is the sort of thing I think I need. Stop worrying about what the perfect product or idea is and just learn by failing/trying!

Now I just need to work out how to go from a construction worker to e commerce!

That's all part of the fun though!

 

[unknown1.0]

I actually just watched a few videos on Ryan's channel because you mentioned him, And it's super inspirational to hear some of these stories.

Hey man, if you dont talk about it i did not search his channel, one video of him was a master piece for my business growing, so thank you!