Editor’s note: This article was first published in April 2012, and its revenue figures for Doggles, Clocky and FitDeck, along with Robert Croak’s age of 47, are as of 2012.
Some companies grow out of a long market study, others out of an idea as simple as it is absurd. Of course, when we see a product that once crossed our mind bringing in millions on the market, we cannot help feeling a pang of regret. Even worse, though, is seeing products that we never even imagined could be sold, because they are so absurd and simple.
1. Doggles: sunglasses for dogs
The eyewear market was saturated and, in fact, dominated by the big brands. One afternoon Roni Di Lullo was throwing a disc to her dog when she noticed that if she threw it towards the sun, the dog could not catch it. As an experiment she put her sunglasses on the dog, but with a single sudden movement they fell to the ground. Why not make special sunglasses for dogs? That is how Doggles was born in 1997, a company devoted to dog goggles, adjustable and in different models depending on the breed. It reached a million in revenue in less than three years. Today the business sells all kinds of gear for dogs, and even toys for cats. Its annual revenue is 3 million dollars.
2. Clocky: the alarm clock that moves
Gauri Nanda was a very heavy sleeper, and like many people loved hitting the snooze button over and over again. One day Nanda hit the alarm clock so hard that it fell to the floor, leaving no choice but to get up to switch it off. That is when the idea of a mobile alarm clock came about. When the time comes, this alarm clock starts ringing while it wanders around the room, so you have to get out of bed to switch it off. Let’s say it is the alarm clock for the laziest among us. There must be plenty of them, because the invention is sold in thousands of shops in more than 45 countries around the world, with revenue of over 10 million.
3. FitDeck: a deck of cards to keep you fit
There are plenty of card games. Just as the inventor of “Strep Poker” has a success story behind him, young Phil Black had a great business idea. He joined the US Navy SEALs and later went to business school, so he combined the two main things he had learned and invented FitDeck, a deck of cards showing exercises, some simple and others tougher. Phil Black claimed that the game made players lose weight and stay fit, and so it did. This business idea is very recent, so although there are no sales figures yet, it is said to have already passed a million euros in revenue.
4. Silly Bandz: bracelets made of… plastic?
Probably the most absurd business idea ever invented, and probably the most unexpected success in history, in both size and shape. Robert J. Croak, aged 47, took a trip to the East, where he saw rubber bands shaped like animals. He had the idea of doing the same with bracelets in different colours and shapes. He put them online, and in less than three months he was already selling bracelets all over the world. So far nobody has managed to explain this success story: of all the simple and absurd ideas, it has also been one of the most profitable of the past decade.
Further reading
- 9 profitable business ideas that don’t need commercial premises
- Nap bars: very profitable businesses outside Spain
- The legal business of selling cannabis seeds
Featured image: Artur Tarwacki, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
