Surprisingly simple stupid businesses- that somehow work

[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!

 

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[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!

 

[RicardoGrande]

The oldheads on the forum always talk about domain experience, even if it isn't from a job. It can be anything, passions, hobbies, anything you've been cultivating enough knowledge/experience with to start to identify gaps and/or opportunities.

So for today's example of why you (me) are dumb and poor and deserve to stay poor for not USING YOUR BRAIN, we have..........
Bee cups!
(Not those ones, I know what you're thinking you dirty dog).

So, a teacher had a garden, and also loved bees.
Turns out, bees get thirsty, and with modern suburbia and a penchant for spraying the environment with toxic pesticides, there aren't a lot of flowers or places bees can get a drink.
You *could* plant flowers, but not all flowers collect waters or signal bees.

What did she do?
*Drum roll...*

Bee cups!
They go for about 30$ a pack on amazon, but they're into a few different offerings now.
The secret sauce is that it's a durable ceramic with a special UV impregnated pigment baked on- it shines in a UV spectrum that only bees can see, and it draws them in to get water... they also help your garden see a lot of pollinator action they may normally not see.

Looking at the reviews, everyone loves them and they're constantly out of stock on their main website.
Checking around, these have already been cloned by some chinese companies, but that hasn't seemed to have impeded the original seller from chugging along on their mission selling across the u.s. and even outside of it through the site and distributors.
She even got interviewed by her local news:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtyBcwVV3fY


Would you ever look at a garden and see a business (and conservation) opportunity?

 

[Andy Black]

Greg Isenberg on LinkedIn: I came across a good "little" $300k of profit per year business. And it…

I came across a good "little" $300k of profit per year business. And it could scale to $3M year of profit. This IRL startup idea will get your creative juices…

www.linkedin.com

 

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[RicardoGrande]

Oh Man... this one is a brain tickler:

HUNT BROTHERS!

View: https://youtube.com/shorts/lGeG_trG4Tg

https://www.inc.com/associated-press/the-amazing-way-hunt-brothers-has-built-a-pizza-empire.html

I've seen the signs on some shot-up, sketchy-@$$ looking gas stations, but I did not know they were one of the largest and most profitable pizza franchises in the U.S.

1) Establish brand name
2) Source equipment and ready-to-heat pizzas that can be prepped in tight areas
3) Call up gas stations and offer them an additional revenue stream (at very good terms)

This is the stuff I love to see, the things you may overlook but are done so efficiently they have hold in half the friggin' country.
Edit: I did do a google search just now and confirmed they 80% of them are still in the sketchiest or most rural areas in my region- but they're still pulling in the revenue regardless.

 

[WJK]

I keep watching this thread... and...
I'm starting a new side gig that looks stupid simple from the outside. From the inside, it's frustrating and complicated to set it up on a professional level. I'm actually happy to find all the twists and turns because that means significant entry barriers to others.

Some parts can be done at an elementary, limited level, but not profitably. Other people can try it, but I believe it will be a short-lived effort. My advantage is that I have the equipment, know-how, and I have other business interests so I don't have to live off of the profits.

The best ideas are elegantly simple.

 

[Vas87]

A common theme in these businesses - the person had a problem and solved it for themselves first. Whether it's the beecups or the handmade boots, or even the dude wipes.

 

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[RicardoGrande]

A common theme in these businesses - the person had a problem and solved it for themselves first. Whether it's the beecups or the handmade boots, or even the dude wipes.

Ryan Moran mentions this in his episodes or founder interviews.
One could spend years agonizing and chasing numbers trying to find something "ripe"... or just pick up an existing pain they already have, solve it, and put it out there for market feedback.
Smart sweets that sold for like 380 million was started because the founder liked candy but didn't want to get fat

 

[WJK]

Ryan Moran mentions this in his episodes or founder interviews.
One could spend years agonizing and chasing numbers trying to find something "ripe"... or just pick up an existing pain they already have, solve it, and put it out there for market feedback.
Smart sweets that sold for like 380 million was started because the founder liked candy but didn't want to get fat

You're right. The key is to start. You must do something to get any results. You have a 100% chance of failing if you never start or you quit. And when you do start, you never know where it will lead you...