Everyone wants to figure out that one idea that will make them rich. The chances are always slim, but it does happen. Read on to find out about 5 surprising internet business ideas that made millions.
Entrepreneurs around the world ask themselves every day how to go about getting mega-rich. Affiliate marketing, ecommerce, membership sites, and information products are all popular ways to make money online. That being said, is it the platform that’s responsible for success, the genius idea behind it all, the determination of the CEO, or some combination of all these things?
The following businesspeople showed extraordinary cleverness, creativity, and drive – mixed with a little luck – when it came to pursuing their unique internet business ideas that made millions.
The Million Dollar Homepage
When college freshman Alex Tew needed a way to fund his education, he came up with an unusual idea: selling a million pixels’ worth of advertising on his webpage at just $1 per pixel. He sold the space in 10×10 chunks, netting $100 each – and wiped out his inventory in just 138 days. The site has been live for eight years, though 22 percent of the pixels are now dead, since not all of the original advertisers exist anymore. Who would have thought such a bizarre idea would grow into something so huge?
LaserMonks.com
When the monks at Cistercian Abbey of Our Lady of Spring Bank ran out of business ideas to support their monastery, they needed a new plan. They had tried flipping houses slated for demolition, developing a golf course and corporate retreat, and growing mushrooms. They soon found themselves with a fledgling startup that sold new and recycled printer cartridges. The operation now brings in more than $4 million a year in revenue. Eighty percent of that goes to expenses and operating costs, leaving 10 percent for the monastery and 10 percent for charitable donations.
Amanda Hocking
In 2010, an unknown writer named Amanda Hocking needed gas money for a trip to Chicago. She had been trying to interest publishers in her paranormal fiction without success, so she decided to strike out on her own and sell her work on Amazon instead. She sold 150,000 copies and made more than $20,000 in the first six months – but that was just the warm-up. Hocking ended up selling more than 1.5 million books and making $2.5 million by self-publishing, and she now has a multi-million-dollar deal with St. Martin’s Press. Sometimes being your own boss has some serious perks!
Nasty Gal
In 2006, Sophia Amoruso started an eBay page selling vintage clothing and using the name “Nasty Gal,” after a 1975 Betty Davis album. She styled, photographed and shipped all her merchandise herself, building the business until she eventually launched her own online store and opened a workshop in downtown Los Angeles. Today, Nasty Gal sells vintage-inspired brands as well as genuine vintage pieces, shoes and accessories, and is the fastest growing retailer in the country. In 2012, Nasty Gal made almost $100 million.
Doggles
When Roni Di Lullo noticed that her dog seemed extraordinarily sensitive to sunlight, she did what any crafty dog-mom would do: She made him a pair of sun goggles out of human sports goggles. Then she started a webpage to show off photos of his stylish eyewear, and soon she found requests pouring in from fellow dog owners. Doggles was born, and Roni and her husband pursued a manufacturing relationship with a company in Taiwan to make custom goggles. Today, you can buy Doggles at PetSmart, Petco, Amazon, Target and 3,500 other pet boutiques. The company made $3 million in 2012 alone!
If you find yourself wondering about selling online, just remember these five entrepreneurs who beat the odds to find success with unconventional ideas. If you want to jumpstart your digital marketing career, we recommend Spark, the only ClickBank-endorsed education platform. Spark has over 70 videos that harness the power of ClickBank’s two decades of expertise and is the best way to shorten the time between now and your first ClickBank paycheck.