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We live in a pretty boring world, especially when it comes to business. We live like that for a reason – the internet. The amount of data that is gathered, analyzed and transformed into actionable business practices, proven sales models and rules-based development cycles is just too much.
We’ve removed the guesswork from nearly everything by now and we are just at the beginning of our path to automation. Imagine what’s coming next!
Don’t get me wrong. Boring is good. Boring is safe. It is stable. What else can a small business owner desire other than a proven source of income and the ability to earn on the mistakes of others?
I, myself, would prefer the boring, data-driven route in a new endeavor. There’s nothing shameful in playing it safe.
And as for what to expect from the unexpected – we still have awesome people willing to take a chance and find their spot in the niche of extreme.
Who are those people and what did they do that’s actually crazy enough to work?
1 – Rent-A-Chicken
Did you ever think that your life would be better with a chicken but you were unsure if you could handle the responsibility? Worry not, because your pain is solved by the Rent-A-Chicken business.
Yes, I agree that the “problem” seems like something taken out of an anecdote, but it is indeed very real. Urban Farming is right now among small business owners and the buyers of their fresh products.
The niche is getting popularity in major cities by the hour, but opening a farm in, say, New York is expensive. Plus how on earth can you tell whether you can manage it or not?
Most importantly, what will you do with the chickens if you fail? Give them back, of course. That’s why you have the Rent-A-Chicken service.
2 – I Do, Now I Don’t
We’ve already covered the I Do, Now I Don’t business in our list of entrepreneurs who have turned failure into success, yet the business model is crazy and provocative enough to be mentioned here as well.
To make a long story short – what will you do with a wedding ring if your potential bride turns you down? You can return it to the store for a fraction of a cost or you can create a platform where people like you will be re-selling used jewelry.
3 – Hangover Helpers
We’ve all had that party that was too awesome to even remember what you did last night. So you wake up all zombie apocalypse like and then the world forces you to live like a normal person would.
Bummer.
“How can I clean the room if I can’t turn on the lights and lift the curtains without having a mini-nuke blowing up in my head”, you think.
“I will never drink a drop after this”, you lie to yourself.
Luckily, there are the Hangover Helpers at your disposal – two college students who chose to make a living by helping others crawl out of their hungover misery.
One call and a breakfast burrito paired with a rehydrating Gatorade are at your doorstep while two young men are cleaning the bomb site of an apartment you’ve got after yesterday’s party.
What else can you dream of?
Bottom line
What is the bottom line? There are no ideas too big or too small when it comes to business. Think of something crazy, write it down, sleep on the idea and take action.
Let’s make our world a crazier place together!