8 Stupid Frat-Boy Business Ideas
February 8, 2007
See, when I was in college, I would walk by the Quad and see a poster for some new book-exchange service literally every week. “SCREW THE BOOKSTORE!!!” it would say. “TRADE YOUR USED BOOKS WITH THIS NEW SERVICE!” The idea is that bookstores charge too much, so why not give the power back to the students and let them trade books at the end of the quarter?Perhaps one reason could be that this is one of the worst business ideas on Earth–yet it persists in thousands of colleges with many students pursuing the same dismal goal. Why?
Because it’s a stupid frat-boy business idea.
- Book exchanges.
- T-shirt companies.
- Coffee shops / restaurants.
- Anything that is “the Netflix of ___,” “Flickr + ___,” or “MySpace + ___.”
- Ideas that compete on price.
- Discount cards.
- Yet another social network.
- Anything where you plan to make your money exclusively from ads.
February 8, 2007 at 12:53 am
I thought this was an interesting article because I have pursued just about all the ideas mentioned above. Even though the shirt idea was profitable I feel like am a step behind the game.
October 15, 2007 at 8:38 pm
I think, in line with the first few lines of this article, that the marketing and execution of any business is what will make the difference. The instances mentioned above most often fail because of poor planning (ie: generating revenue on pure ad sales) or poor execution.
It’s unfortunate that so many try and fail, but I would encourage those thinking of initiating any business (including those above) to pursue a solid business and marketing plan in order to improve your chance of success.
The nature of the business has little to do with its success; it is the nature of the individual driving the idea that gives it plausiblity and strength.