A Business Idea Doesn’t Have to be Traditional

The internet is inundated with business ideas for the entrepreneur. From box subscriptions to dropship websites to virtual services, you can find a niche to fit your personality and abilities.

With online stores becoming more mainstream and start-ups being open to the idea of contracting remote workers, it is no longer a necessity to join the 9-5 traditional business set-up, unless that’s what you’re most comfortable with.

There is a market out there ready to embrace your ideas, whether you are more the traditionalist, or you are the type of person that likes to think outside the box. When I say outside the box, I don’t just mean a virtual position or an online store. People are setting up businesses with some unique ideas these days.

Are you looking for some inspiration to help you decide what type of business to create? Or would you like validation that your crazy idea just might work? Take a look at my top ten picks for unusual businesses making a splash in the market:

Top 10 Unusual Business Ideas

I scanned the internet to find businesses that are offering unique products or services that people are embracing. While there are some fun ideas out there, these are my top ten finds:

10) Thankster.com

Thankster.com offers “handwritten” thank you or other types of cards you can order online. You can set up an integration program such as Infusionsoft to add the cards to an email campaign, or you can import the contact information for individuals to create the desired cards.

There are many designs and styles to choose from, and all that’s required of you is to add the contacts and type out the message. The message you type will be converted into a handwritten font and you can set up the desired formatting.

Once you are happy with the cards, just submit and they will be distributed. This is an easy way to send out individualized, handwritten cards without the hand cramps that can come from writing those cards one at a time.

9) Somethingstore.com

Just as the name implies, somethingstore.com allows you to purchase something, of an unspecified nature. For $10 each, add as many random “somethings” into your cart as you want, and they will be shipped to you.

If you like surprises, you would enjoy this store. You won’t know what you are getting until you open the package.

For instance, the website shows they recently shipped a desktop drum-set, a pair of sunglasses, and a watch.

8) Designatea.com

If you are a tea lover, you will love this idea.

This site allows you to create your own tea blend or order one of their signature blends and have it shipped to your home. All you have to do is pick your favorite base (black, oolong, green, or rooibos), choose your favorite flavors or herbs to compliment the base, determine how you want it packaged, and get it shipped.

This gives the customer the chance to create their own, unique blend, and who doesn’t want to say they have a signature blend of tea?

7) The User Is My Mom

If you want to make sure your website is user-friendly, what better way than to have someone not technologically savvy analyze it for ease of use.

This website claims an unbiased evaluation of your website’s ease of navigation by a non-professional, internet naive user. This is an amusing concept, but honestly, sometimes it’s good to get feedback on these issues.

If you don’t have your own non-techie mom or even grandma, this might be just what you need.

6) Cap-sac.com

Do you want the convenience of a fanny pack without having to wear it around your waist? The cap-sac offers the use of an extra pocket, inside your cap.

There is definitely an 80s feel to the design of these caps, but hey, it’s an extra pocket for ease of travel. Some people may even believe it’s less cumbersome than carrying a fanny pack.

5) Ship Your Enemies Glitter

Looking for a creative way to get back at your enemies, or just want to make someone spend an eternity cleaning glitter out of everything? Why not send them a glitter-gram?

The website guarantees the package will be sent in a way to maximize the glitter spillage. I’m not sure how that would work, but you can guarantee your victim cannot escape the glitter wrath. You can even send a note explaining exactly why they are deserving of this twisted revenge.

4) Lucky Break Wishbone

Have you recently gone vegan, but don’t like missing out on the wishbone? Or are you just the unlucky one at gatherings that never gets a crack at it?

If you are felling wishbone envy, you can purchase a set of plastic wishbones that allow you the chance to make your wish and hope the imaginary wish-givers hear you.

I can even see the possibilities of creating a game with this. Maybe the creator of these plastic wishbones can make that their next product campaign.

3) Virtual Dating Assistants

If you are looking for a relationship, but either don’t have time to go through dating sites or are unsure about how to maximize those sites to fit your needs, you can hire a personal assistant to do all the online dating work for you.

They will set up your profile to give you the best image possible, go through the process of elimination on your dating “pings”, and help you find your best matches. In fact, there is no work on your part to find the perfect date, you let your personal assistant take care of everything.

On the website, they claim a 99% success rate on their clients finding dates, and a 63% success rate on these interactions turning into a serious relationship. This is based on clients who are legitimately looking for relationships.

They do not want to work with people who are looking to be casual daters or who are cheating spouses. For those options, you have to stick to the traditional methods.

2) Neuticles.com

I honestly had a difficult time determining between the number one and number two spots. I’m still not sure which one should win, but I had to finally decide, so for honorable mention in the weirdest business we have testicular implants for your pet.

This is for the pet owner who is convinced of the need to neuter their animal, but don’t want them to feel unbalanced or self-conscious about their lack.

I suppose if there are men who feel this type of insecurity, there are bound to be male animals who do so.

If you are worried about your pet’s reaction to being neutered, or you just don’t like the look of the missing appendage, you can order a fake testicle to take the place of what you are removing.

(Honestly, this may need to be moved to number one, but I’m going with my original decision.)

 

And, for our number one spot for unusual businesses, we have:

1)Eternal Reefs

Eternal reefs are memorials for dead loved ones. If you want a unique way to remember those who have passed, while being able to help preserve the natural balance of the underwater world, you can turn your loved one’s ashes into a reef ball that will be placed in the sea to help restore the balance of reefs on the ocean floor.

You’ve probably seen the tree pods which use your deceased loved one’s remains to grow new trees, and this is the same idea for the preservation of ocean life.

If you or your loved one has a love for marine life or you just want an environmentally friendly way to memorialize someone you care about, this is an option you might want to investigate.

You can turn grandma, great-aunt Mildred, your recently departed best-friend, or even Fluffy and Fido into a reef. Another chapter in the circle of life.

What Does This Mean for You?

As you can see, there is a market for just about anything you can think of out there. If you can think of it, chances are someone will want to spend money on it. The trick is figuring out your ideal consumer and how to get their attention.

Don’t let traditional ideals be a barrier for you. If you want to build a brand for yourself, be ready to entertain any ideas that come to your mind.

If the people who created the above businesses had rejected their ideas because they seemed too wacky, they would have missed out on an interesting money-making option.

Instead, they dared to dream. They dared to believe that someone out there would be just as interested as they were. Give yourself that same opportunity.

After all, if someone can make money with fake animal testicles and human reefs, your idea may not be as crazy as you thought.

Do you have a fun or unique business idea you are toying with? Tell us about it in the comments.