Bad Ideas With Surprisingly Good Scores

This page started as a hunch: plenty of ideas that sound like jokes are actually small, solid businesses. So we wrote 24 of them, ideas that would get a laugh if you said them at a dinner party, and asked the judge.

Nineteen came back not stupid. The common thread is a high Need score: someone has an annoying, specific problem and would pay to make it go away. The usual weakness was originality, because when an odd idea works, somebody has often already noticed.

We wrote 24 odd-sounding ideas for this page and ran all of them through the live judge on 10 October 2026. The ones that scored badly are included at the end; nothing was left out. Checks used: Is My Idea Stupid?.

Surprisingly not stupid

The judge’s highest band. These sound silly and score well.

• A service that comes to your home and assembles flat-pack furniture for you. SURPRISINGLY NOT STUPID. 81% not stupid

  Great idea. Several companies agree.

  Biggest risk: Already exists, with little to set it apart. · Need 9/10 · Clarity 10/10 · Money 10/10 · Originality 3/10 · Difficulty 1/10

  The best score on the page at 81% not stupid, with need, clarity and money all at 9 or 10. Anyone who has stared at a bag of identical screws understands why.

• A shop that resells second-hand wedding dresses. SURPRISINGLY NOT STUPID. 79% not stupid

  The idea has customers. So do your competitors.

  Biggest risk: Already exists, with little to set it apart. · Need 9/10 · Clarity 10/10 · Money 10/10 · Originality 3/10 · Difficulty 1/10

  79% not stupid. An expensive item worn once is a classic resale opportunity, and money potential scored a perfect 10.

• A graffiti removal service for small shop owners. SURPRISINGLY NOT STUPID. 77% not stupid

  The idea has customers. So do your competitors.

  Biggest risk: Already exists, with little to set it apart. · Need 8/10 · Clarity 10/10 · Money 10/10 · Originality 3/10 · Difficulty 0/10

  77%. Need 8/10 and money 10/10: shop owners lose customers when a storefront looks neglected, and they pay to fix it quickly.

• A hotel just for dogs while their owners travel. SURPRISINGLY NOT STUPID. 76% not stupid

  Great idea. Several companies agree.

  Biggest risk: Already exists, with little to set it apart. · Need 9/10 · Clarity 10/10 · Money 10/10 · Originality 3/10 · Difficulty 3/10

  76% not stupid. It sounds like a joke and describes one of the oldest pet businesses there is. The judge noted that several companies agree.

• A tool library where neighbours borrow drills and ladders instead of buying them. SURPRISINGLY NOT STUPID. 76% not stupid

  Irritatingly reasonable.

  No obvious dealbreaker. Now do the hard part. · Need 9/10 · Clarity 10/10 · Money 6/10 · Originality 6/10 · Difficulty 1/10

  76%, and the only idea here with no obvious dealbreaker; the judge called it irritatingly reasonable. Most drills are used for minutes in their whole life.

• A discount subscription box of ugly, misshapen vegetables that supermarkets reject. SURPRISINGLY NOT STUPID. 73% not stupid

  The idea has customers. So do your competitors.

  Biggest risk: Already exists, with little to set it apart. · Need 7/10 · Clarity 9/10 · Money 9/10 · Originality 5/10 · Difficulty 2/10

  73% not stupid. A wonky carrot tastes the same as a straight one, and the discount gives people a reason to try it.

• A company that writes handwritten thank-you notes on behalf of small businesses. SURPRISINGLY NOT STUPID. 73% not stupid

  The idea has customers. So do your competitors.

  Biggest risk: Already exists, with little to set it apart. · Need 7/10 · Clarity 10/10 · Money 9/10 · Originality 6/10 · Difficulty 1/10

  73%, with originality 6/10, among the highest in this section. Handwriting is rare enough now that a real card stands out.

• A clothing rental service for babies who grow out of clothes every few weeks. SURPRISINGLY NOT STUPID. 73% not stupid

  Great idea. Several companies agree.

  Biggest risk: Already exists, with little to set it apart. · Need 8/10 · Clarity 10/10 · Money 8/10 · Originality 5/10 · Difficulty 2/10

  73%. Need 8/10: parents know exactly how fast a baby outgrows a onesie.

Probably not stupid

Good scores with a catch, usually that somebody already does it.

• A service that photographs homes for sale using drones. PROBABLY NOT STUPID. 72% not stupid

  Great idea. Several companies agree.

  Biggest risk: Already exists, with little to set it apart. · Need 8/10 · Clarity 10/10 · Money 10/10 · Originality 3/10 · Difficulty 1/10

  72% not stupid, money 10/10, originality 3/10. Aerial listing photos sell homes, which is exactly why the category already exists.

• Packing a healthy lunch for office workers and delivering it before they leave home. PROBABLY NOT STUPID. 70% not stupid

  The idea has customers. So do your competitors.

  Biggest risk: Already exists, with little to set it apart. · Need 8/10 · Clarity 9/10 · Money 8/10 · Originality 4/10 · Difficulty 1/10

  70%. Need 8/10 and execution difficulty only 1/10, though anyone who has run a food business would probably dispute that last number.

• Socks sold in packs of three identical socks, so losing one doesn't ruin a pair. PROBABLY NOT STUPID. 69% not stupid

  Great idea. Several companies agree.

  Biggest risk: Already exists, with little to set it apart. · Need 8/10 · Clarity 10/10 · Money 8/10 · Originality 3/10 · Difficulty 0/10

  69% not stupid, with clarity 10/10. The washing machine’s appetite for single socks is universal; this is the rare joke idea that is mostly just good packaging.

• Bagged ice delivered to house parties within 30 minutes. PROBABLY NOT STUPID. 69% not stupid

  The idea has customers. So do your competitors.

  Biggest risk: Already exists, with little to set it apart. · Need 8/10 · Clarity 10/10 · Money 8/10 · Originality 3/10 · Difficulty 1/10

  69%. Need 8/10: nobody remembers the ice until the drinks are warm.

• A service that waits in line for you at government offices. PROBABLY NOT STUPID. 67% not stupid

  The idea has customers. So do your competitors.

  Biggest risk: Already exists, with little to set it apart. · Need 9/10 · Clarity 10/10 · Money 9/10 · Originality 5/10 · Difficulty 3/10

  67% not stupid, need 9/10. Waiting in a queue is a problem people would happily pay to skip.

• An app that reminds you when your passport is about to expire. PROBABLY NOT STUPID. 67% not stupid

  The idea has customers. So do your competitors.

  Biggest risk: Already exists, with little to set it apart. · Need 7/10 · Clarity 10/10 · Money 6/10 · Originality 3/10 · Difficulty 0/10

  67%, with difficulty at zero. Useful, simple and easy to copy, which is why originality scored only 3/10.

• Weekend classes that teach adults to ride a bicycle. PROBABLY NOT STUPID. 62% not stupid

  Great idea. Several companies agree.

  Biggest risk: Already exists, with little to set it apart. · Need 6/10 · Clarity 10/10 · Money 7/10 · Originality 3/10 · Difficulty 0/10

  62%. A real need for adults who never learned and would rather not practise in public.

• Dog treats made from farmed insects. PROBABLY NOT STUPID. 60% not stupid

  Great idea. Several companies agree.

  Biggest risk: Already exists, with little to set it apart. · Need 6/10 · Clarity 8/10 · Money 8/10 · Originality 6/10 · Difficulty 4/10

  60% not stupid. It sounds strange to people, but dogs are unlikely to object, and money potential reached 8/10.

• Renting out a pair of chickens for a season so families can have fresh eggs. PROBABLY NOT STUPID. 59% not stupid

  Great idea. Several companies agree.

  Biggest risk: Already exists, with little to set it apart. · Need 6/10 · Clarity 9/10 · Money 7/10 · Originality 6/10 · Difficulty 1/10

  59%, need 6/10. A trial run of backyard chickens without committing to them for years is an oddly sensible offer.

• A cafe where you pay for the time you spend there instead of the coffee. PROBABLY NOT STUPID. 57% not stupid

  The idea has customers. So do your competitors.

  Biggest risk: Already exists, with little to set it apart. · Need 6/10 · Clarity 9/10 · Money 8/10 · Originality 5/10 · Difficulty 1/10

  57%. Anyone who has worked from a café on one coffee for four hours knows why the owner might like this.

• Letting people who can't own a dog borrow one from a shelter for an afternoon walk. PROBABLY NOT STUPID. 56% not stupid

  Great idea. Several companies agree.

  Biggest risk: Already exists, with little to set it apart. · Need 7/10 · Clarity 10/10 · Money 5/10 · Originality 5/10 · Difficulty 2/10

  56% not stupid. Money potential 5/10 is the weak spot, but the need is real on both sides of the leash.

Near misses

Just under the line. The judge saw a need but no clear way to charge for it.

• A mail-in service that untangles knotted necklaces. QUESTIONABLE. 47% stupid

  People will love it right up until the checkout page.

  Biggest problem: Weak path to making money. · Need 6/10 · Clarity 10/10 · Money 5/10 · Originality 6/10 · Difficulty 0/10

  Questionable at 47% stupid, so nearly a pass. Need 6/10 and clarity 10/10, but people will love it right up until the checkout page.

• An app that tells you which supermarket checkout line is moving fastest. QUESTIONABLE. 49% stupid

  Great hobby. Tough business.

  Biggest problem: Weak path to making money. · Need 6/10 · Clarity 10/10 · Money 4/10 · Originality 7/10 · Difficulty 3/10

  49% stupid. Everyone wants this, and almost nobody would pay for it, which is how money potential ended up at 4/10.

Exactly as bad as they sound

Three ideas that sounded silly and were. Included so the page doesn’t only show the winners.

• A tiny bookshop that sells only one book each week. PRETTY STUPID. 69% stupid

  Solves a problem nobody has. Efficiently.

  Biggest problem: Weak customer need. · Need 0/10 · Clarity 5/10 · Money 5/10 · Originality 8/10 · Difficulty 0/10

  69% stupid with need at zero. Charming to imagine, but customers like to choose.

• A haunted house experience set in an ordinary office building after hours. QUESTIONABLE. 61% stupid

  Technically viable. Emotionally unnecessary.

  Biggest problem: Weak customer need. · Need 1/10 · Clarity 9/10 · Money 8/10 · Originality 5/10 · Difficulty 3/10

  61% stupid, though money potential scored 8/10. The judge thought nobody needs it; anyone who has worked late in an empty office might disagree.

• Selling bottled mountain air to people in polluted cities. PRETTY STUPID. 71% stupid

  Technically viable. Emotionally unnecessary.

  Biggest problem: Weak customer need. · Need 4/10 · Clarity 8/10 · Money 4/10 · Originality 7/10 · Difficulty 4/10

  71% stupid. Need scored only 4/10: a bottle of air is gone after one breath, and the city air is still there.

For the opposite effect, ideas that are good but sound absurd when you describe them literally, see Good Ideas That Somehow Sound Ridiculous.

More collections

• Good Ideas That Somehow Sound Ridiculous: Established businesses described literally, and how the judge reacted.
• Stupid Business Ideas: Twenty terrible ideas, ranked from merely stupid to glorious.
• Guess the Verdict: A 20-question quiz: guess the score, then reveal it.
• All examples and collections