Editor’s note: This article was first published in August 2013. The sales figures, including Crocs at 200 million pairs in 90 countries, Kleenex at over 6 billion “last year” and Post-it sales “last year”, are as of 2013.
Great inventions are found in the simplest products. Every day we see dozens of products in our own home without wondering how they were invented or who came up with them. An infographic created by Grow America shows 10 simple ideas that bring in millions of euros. Some are fairly recent, while others are almost 100 years old. Below is a brief summary of these businesses.
1. Crocs
You may know these shoes “with holes” that let your feet breathe and are sold as comfortable footwear. They were created in 2002 and managed to bring in 900 million in their first year. The secret of this business’s success was undoubtedly how the product was positioned. At first it was recommended to shop assistants and waiters, who have to spend a lot of time on their feet, and in the end, if it was comfortable for those workers, it was comfortable for everyone, even just for going out for a walk. They expanded quickly and have sold more than 200 million pairs in 90 countries.
2. Post-it notes
These little pieces of paper are probably the simplest invention in the whole history of inventors, but they made more than 2 million in revenue in their first year, and it’s said that last year, despite all the advances in technology, they sold more than 1 billion in a total of 100 countries (that’s a lot of little notes sold). The secret of this business’s success… I have no idea, although I imagine that something that started with the simple idea of putting notes somewhere ended up having countless uses, including leaving love notes for your partner on the fridge, the shopping list, and so on.
3. Frisbee
Who doesn’t remember these flying discs that, when we threw them, went everywhere except where we wanted? Incredible as it may seem, they were invented in 1937. It’s said that more than 300 million have been sold worldwide, although, frankly, if it weren’t for the hundreds of imitations, the figure would be even higher.
4. Band-Aids
Where I’m from, they’re called tiritas. The story of these plasters dates back to 1921, and the business wasn’t very well received at first. After their founder died in 1961, they began to be sold by Johnson & Johnson. Whatever the brand, everyone has used this simple product at some point. The secret of its success… it simply protects and “heals” a wound, which is no small thing.
5. Kleenex
This product has been so successful that most people don’t ask “Do you have a tissue?” but “Do you have a Kleenex?” They were invented in 1920 and have been sold in every size and format. Last year they brought in more than 6 billion. The product’s secret would be that it’s disposable, it’s cheap and it seems like it will never run out.
6. Kellogg’s
Invented in 1894, it is today the world leader in cereals and frozen foods. In its early days it earned a place on the table of every family that wanted a healthy cereal breakfast. Its success came above all from the clever marketing campaign that made it known. If you didn’t have Kellogg’s on your table, you weren’t a complete family.
7. Spanx
Perhaps one of the most recent successes, and one of the fastest-growing and most predictable. We already covered entrepreneur Sara Blakely, the creator of Spanx, in our article 4 business ideas worth 100 million: a young woman who decided to cut up a pair of ordinary tights and ended up building an empire with all kinds of textile products.
The rest of the products named in the infographic are Velcro and Under Armour, perhaps a little-known brand in Spain but a benchmark in the world of sport. And of course the Slinky, that metal “spring” that seems to have a life of its own and in recent years has been sold in different colours and is now even combined with other toys. The point is that all these products have been very profitable businesses despite their simplicity.
That said, as I’ve always said, I personally think one of the simplest, most absurd businesses, whose success has no explanation, is Silly Bandz bracelets, which we discussed in our article 4 amazingly simple ideas with millions in sales.
Further reading
- The worst business ideas in history that somehow made their creators millionaires
- 4 business ideas as simple as they are brilliant
Featured image: Roger McLassus, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
