Good Ideas That Somehow Sound Ridiculous
Describe almost any successful kind of business in plain, literal words and it starts to sound unhinged. Paying a monthly fee to lift heavy things near strangers. Getting into a stranger’s car on purpose.
We wrote fifteen of these literal descriptions and gave them to the judge without telling it what they really were. Sometimes it saw straight through the wording. Sometimes the wording won. Each entry explains what kind of business the description is really about.
The judge saw through it
Despite the ridiculous phrasing, these scored as reasonable ideas.
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Paying a stranger to walk your dog while you are at work.
SURPRISINGLY NOT STUPID. 75% not stupidGreat idea. Several companies agree.
Biggest risk: Already exists, with little to set it apart. · Need 10/10 · Clarity 10/10 · Money 9/10 · Originality 1/10 · Difficulty 1/10
What it actually is: Dog walking, one of the most familiar pet services there is.
The best score here at 75% not stupid, with need and clarity both 10/10. Even described as a stranger, the judge recognised the problem.
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A box of raw ingredients mailed to you every week with instructions to cook it yourself.
SURPRISINGLY NOT STUPID. 72% not stupidThe idea has customers. So do your competitors.
Biggest risk: Already exists, with little to set it apart. · Need 9/10 · Clarity 9/10 · Money 10/10 · Originality 3/10 · Difficulty 4/10
What it actually is: A meal kit subscription.
72% not stupid, need 9/10. Shipping you groceries and homework sounds odd until you remember how many people want dinner planned for them.
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Paying a monthly fee to sweat in a room full of strangers lifting heavy things.
PROBABLY NOT STUPID. 67% not stupidThe idea has customers. So do your competitors.
Biggest risk: Already exists, with little to set it apart. · Need 8/10 · Clarity 9/10 · Money 10/10 · Originality 1/10 · Difficulty 2/10
What it actually is: A gym membership.
67% not stupid, money 10/10, originality 1/10. The judge correctly noticed that this already exists, and that the customers come with competitors.
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Paying to float in a dark tank of salt water and think about nothing.
PROBABLY NOT STUPID. 65% not stupidGreat idea. Several companies agree.
Biggest risk: Already exists, with little to set it apart. · Need 8/10 · Clarity 7/10 · Money 10/10 · Originality 2/10 · Difficulty 2/10
What it actually is: Float therapy, also called a sensory deprivation tank.
65% not stupid and need 8/10. The judge was more relaxed about this than most first-time customers.
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Selling sweaters made from recycled plastic bottles.
PROBABLY NOT STUPID. 64% not stupidNot terrible. Which is inconvenient.
Biggest risk: Weak customer need. · Need 5/10 · Clarity 8/10 · Money 9/10 · Originality 5/10 · Difficulty 3/10
What it actually is: Clothing made from recycled polyester, which is spun from used plastic.
64% not stupid. Need scored a middling 5/10, and the biggest risk was demand rather than the bottles.
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Paying someone monthly to choose your clothes and mail them to you.
PROBABLY NOT STUPID. 61% not stupidGreat idea. Several companies agree.
Biggest risk: Already exists, with little to set it apart. · Need 7/10 · Clarity 9/10 · Money 9/10 · Originality 3/10 · Difficulty 2/10
What it actually is: A personal styling subscription.
61% not stupid. For people who hate shopping, outsourcing it is a feature, not a joke.
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Paying for a phone app that tells you to close your eyes and breathe.
PROBABLY NOT STUPID. 61% not stupidThe idea has customers. So do your competitors.
Biggest risk: Already exists, with little to set it apart. · Need 8/10 · Clarity 10/10 · Money 7/10 · Originality 2/10 · Difficulty 0/10
What it actually is: A meditation app.
61% not stupid with clarity 10/10. Described plainly it sounds like a scam; described by a calm voice it is a whole category.
The wording won
Here the literal description dragged the score down, which says something about how much framing matters.
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Getting into a stranger's car on purpose and paying them to drive you somewhere.
QUESTIONABLE. 46% stupidSomeone beat you to it. Several someones.
Biggest problem: Already exists, with little to set it apart. · Need 9/10 · Clarity 9/10 · Money 9/10 · Originality 1/10 · Difficulty 5/10
What it actually is: Ride-hailing, and before that, taxis.
Questionable at 46% stupid. Need 9/10 and money 9/10 are excellent; the score was held back because it already exists, several times over.
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A cafe full of cats you are not allowed to take home.
QUESTIONABLE. 47% stupidAlready exists. Probably with a better logo.
Biggest problem: Already exists, with little to set it apart. · Need 4/10 · Clarity 9/10 · Money 10/10 · Originality 3/10 · Difficulty 3/10
What it actually is: A cat café.
47% stupid. The judge rated money potential 10/10 and still could not get past the part where you leave without the cat.
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Buying tickets to sit in a field and watch other people play music.
QUESTIONABLE. 47% stupidAlready exists. Probably with a better logo.
Biggest problem: Already exists, with little to set it apart. · Need 4/10 · Clarity 9/10 · Money 10/10 · Originality 2/10 · Difficulty 4/10
What it actually is: A music festival or outdoor concert.
47% stupid, money 10/10. In fairness, the plain description does leave out the part people enjoy.
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Paying to be locked in a room with your friends until you solve puzzles to get out.
QUESTIONABLE. 50% stupidSomeone beat you to it. Several someones.
Biggest problem: Already exists, with little to set it apart. · Need 3/10 · Clarity 9/10 · Money 10/10 · Originality 2/10 · Difficulty 1/10
What it actually is: An escape room.
Exactly 50% stupid, need only 3/10. It is a game, and games rarely score high on need, but money potential was a perfect 10.
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Watching other people play video games for hours, and paying them for it.
QUESTIONABLE. 57% stupidAlready exists. Probably with a better logo.
Biggest problem: Already exists, with little to set it apart. · Need 4/10 · Clarity 8/10 · Money 8/10 · Originality 3/10 · Difficulty 1/10
What it actually is: Game streaming, where viewers subscribe to or tip their favourite players.
57% stupid and flagged as low confidence. Need scored 4/10; plenty of viewers would disagree.
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Letting total strangers sleep in your house for money while you are away.
QUESTIONABLE. 61% stupidMaybe run this one past a lawyer first.
Biggest problem: It might be illegal or harmful. · Need 8/10 · Clarity 9/10 · Money 10/10 · Originality 2/10 · Difficulty 3/10
What it actually is: Short-term home rentals.
61% stupid, with the biggest problem listed as might be illegal or harmful. That is not entirely unfair: local rules on short-term rentals really do vary. Money potential scored 10/10.
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A restaurant where you cook your own meat on a grill at the table and still pay full price.
QUESTIONABLE. 62% stupidSolves a problem nobody has. Efficiently.
Biggest problem: Weak customer need. · Need 3/10 · Clarity 8/10 · Money 7/10 · Originality 3/10 · Difficulty 2/10
What it actually is: Tabletop barbecue restaurants, a popular style of dining in many countries.
62% stupid and need only 3/10. Cooking it yourself is the point, which the literal wording makes sound like a staffing shortage.
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A bar where you pay to throw axes at a wooden wall with your friends.
PRETTY STUPID. 69% stupidMaybe run this one past a lawyer first.
Biggest problem: It might be illegal or harmful. · Need 3/10 · Clarity 9/10 · Money 9/10 · Originality 3/10 · Difficulty 3/10
What it actually is: An axe-throwing venue, a real group activity.
The worst score here at 69%, and the judge suggested running it past a lawyer. Combining axes and a bar does sound like something a lawyer would ask about.
The lesson for your own pitch: the same idea can score very differently depending on how you describe it. If yours sounds ridiculous, try describing the problem it solves first. For ideas that are ridiculous all the way through, see Stupid Business Ideas.
More collections
- Bad Ideas With Surprisingly Good Scores: Ideas that sound silly but scored not stupid, and why.
- Ideas That Sound Smart for 7 Seconds: Pitches that survive exactly one sentence, then the scores.
- Guess the Verdict: A 20-question quiz: guess the score, then reveal it.
- All examples and collections