Could Your Weird Business Idea Be a Goldmine?

There are two things that hold people back from starting a business and making a lot more money. Number one, you think your business idea is too weird like nobody's gonna pay me for this. Number two, you think it's all been done before, and it is way too late for you. Wrong! And you're gonna thank me for saying that.

You know, after helping over 80,000 people grow their businesses, I've seen it all. There are plenty of weird businesses out there making serious bank and yours can too. In this video, let me show you five surprising businesses that nobody's talking about that are killing it. Then I'm gonna show you how to take your weirdo business idea, no matter how quirky or niche it is, and turn it into a money-making machine.

Imagine you're a young stay-at-home mom of two kids, no college degree, no work experience, and around the holidays, you make a little extra money for your family selling handmade ornaments on Etsy. Then suddenly, your husband is killed in a tragic motorcycle accident. You're left with nothing. What do you do? You're thinking of going all in on your business, but people around you are saying things like this. You wanna turn your little ornaments hobby into a business right now? You need to go get a real job.

Now, thankfully, Staci Ann had been watching my videos for a really long time, and here's what she did. She started to think bigger about herself and her business, and she learned how to turn some of her best free giveaways into a full-on paid membership. And guess what a paid membership is? Recurring revenue. So fast forward, Staci Ann never gave up on herself, and now her business brings in over a million bucks a year. Yes, you heard that, right? It all started from fabric Christmas ornaments.

What do you already do for fun that maybe you could turn into a business? Do you love water coloring? Do you love to organize your home? Do you love walking your dog? If you're thinking Marie, nobody's gonna pay me to do that, not so fast. Look, Staci Ann took her cute little hobby, and she turned that thing into a million-dollar-plus business ALL when she was in the depths of despair. How did she do it? By approaching it in a very smart and strategic way and by training herself to master the art of modern marketing.

Now, imagine you are living in the middle of nowhere, Alaska, raising three small kids. You barely have an internet connection, but you do have a wacky business idea: you wanna sell fish. Sound crazy? Well, Sena thought so, too, until I showed her one little strategy that literally changed everything. Look with small kids and not a lot of time or resources, Sena had to be ruthless about where to put her focus in her business. She had no advertising budget, no social media presence, and no clue what to do to grow her business.

[Marie quotes Sena] "I had no idea what an email list even was when I started, but Marie told me to do it, so I set it up. Anyway, fast forward to today. Our average sales per email have increased 10x from 500 bucks per email to 5,000.”

Guys! Did you hear that? Sena is literally reeling in the big bucks from one simple strategy. To be clear, she is selling fish. She doesn't have a million or a gajillion followers on TikTok or Instagram. None of us need all that. What every business owner does need is to stop trying to be everywhere, everything all at once, all the time, especially when you're first starting out. Instead, you gotta train yourself to show up consistently in the one place that moves the needle the most. So ask yourself this. Where is that one place for you that you could focus that would have the biggest impact? Whatever your answer is, focus your attention there and you're gonna be great.

And as they say, the riches are in the niches, and that's a hundred percent true. In fact, that's the secret to creating a totally unique and profitable business, even if you're in an industry that is totally oversaturated and competitive.

So, for example, did you know that there are over 1.5 million salons in the United States alone? So many places to get our haircuts and our highlights and our blowouts, but did you also know that 8 out of 10 salons fail in less than two years?

So how come a small salon in Oregon is making bank, and they've got a six-month waiting list? Here's your clue. It's called the curly hair salon. And yes, they only serve people with curly hair, and it's run by a badass woman named Atoya Bass. So, women regularly fly in from all over the country to go to her salon just for the opportunity to work with someone who really gets them.

Here's what the founder, Atoya, said. "I went from poverty level income to six figures, from begging for clients to have a six-month waitlist. Now, they call me Oregon's queen of curls. My business grows every day, and now I live in abundance versus lack."

I mean, think about this, right? For someone who grew up in poverty, think about how scary it would be to just turn clients away because they don't have curly hair. But the business lesson here is clear. Stop trying to be everything to everybody. Speak only to the people that you can help best. Yes, it's scary, but it works. I mean, just think about Atoya, niching down blew her business up in the best damn way.

So ask yourself this. What's something that you understand better than most people simply because of who you are? So maybe you know, I don't know, the travel hacks for tall people because you're six-four, or maybe you've got a gluten allergy like I do, except you've got some dope-ass recipes for bread. Please send them my way. Actually, better yet, just send me the loaf.

Little pop quiz here. Why do you wanna start a business? Is it for more money? Yes, please. Maybe it's because you can't take one more freaking day of your soul-sucking job. If so, you are definitely not alone. But what if your escape plan involves a business idea that's already been done like a gajillion times?

Here's one entrepreneur who felt the exact same way. But not only did he ditch his toxic day job, but he went into a boring-ass industry, made it way better, and turned it into a $40,000 a month business. Or get this: he has to hang out with cute dogs all day long.

Lucas says, "I was burning out from the stress of grooming dogs in a hectic salon. The wear and tear on my body, the lack of breaks, and neglect of my mental well-being it was too much. Plus, I had this gnawing feeling that I'd never be satisfied if I didn't at least try to start my own business."

That's when Lucas decided to go rogue and founded Ruff Revolution, a mobile pet grooming business that is booming. Now he's making more a month than his entire salary at his day job. And yes, that's after expenses. He also gets to run the business his way. He sets his own schedule, hires people that he loves to work with, and he even gets to tie-dye poodles.

But here's the thing: Ruff Revolution definitely wasn't the first mobile grooming company to hit the streets. But Lucas took everything that sucked about the dog grooming business, and he rewrote the rule book. You know, this is just like Virgin Atlantic. They were nowhere near the first airline company to fly commercial planes. But Lucas used the same exact strategy that Sir Richard Branson used to shake up an old, stale industry. He literally wrote down everything he hated, and he fixed it.

The lesson, you don't have to reinvent the wheel in your business, but you also don't have to do it like everybody else. That's the coolest thing about business. You get to write the rules. So I want you to do this now. Write down everything that you hate about your industry, everything that irritates you, everything that pisses you off, and now take that exact list and do the opposite. And boom, there's your business. You're welcome.

Did you know that there's one tiny belief that crushes almost 78% of business owners? And you probably have it right now. It's called imposter syndrome. And it's that awful feeling that you don't know what the h*** you're doing. That you have no right to do or try the thing you're going after. And at some point in the future, everyone's gonna see you for exactly what you are, which is a fraud.

Now, maybe you just think, well, you're not good enough, or that you don't have the right pedigree or the right education. You don't look a certain way, and therefore, you don't have what it takes to succeed. I gotta say I felt that way a million times, which is exactly why I love Tennille. Tennille was born and raised in the projects of Spanish Harlem. She didn't see a lot of people like her running businesses, but she had an idea for a cupcake truck, and she decided to go for it.

Now, one of the most transformative things that me and my team taught her was how to market herself as a premium brand from day one. Was she scared? Of course, we're all scared, but she did it, and it worked. Today, she bakes dope-ass cakes for celebrities like DJ Khaled, Alicia Keys, and Miley Cyrus.

But here's what really lights her up. Tennille says, "A few months ago, a woman who still lives in Wagner Projects went all out to buy the biggest cupcake package I offer because she wanted her daughter to see what a successful business woman looks like. I was so moved, I cried. The little girls treated me like a celebrity. At the end of the party, the birthday girl hugged me and said, 'my mom told me you grew up in the same building where I live. I wanna have a business like you one day.' I am to that little girl what you were to me, Marie."

Now, even if you don't believe that your business idea will "change the world," I promise your work is gonna change someone's world. There are people out there right now who have a problem or a desire that you have the solution for. You owe it to them to not only believe in yourself but to learn how to effectively market the h*** out of yourself. Why? Because when you hold back because you think you're not good enough, or you're not qualified enough, or you're not old enough, or you're not young enough, or whatever, guess what? You are stealing from those who need you most. And yes, I said stealing.

The lesson here's this: the fear that you have that you're not good enough, guess what? It never goes away. I don't care how much money you make. I don’t care how many celebrities eat your cupcakes or how many five-star reviews you get on Amazon. It's always gonna be there! You are never ever gonna feel good enough. And you know what? I say? Welcome to the club.

So stop focusing on feeling better and start focusing on marketing better. You know, marketing is an art and a science that I believe every business owner can and should learn. Just imagine how much more money you're gonna make. How many more lives are you gonna change when you finally learn how to position yourself like the top-shelf brand that you actually are?

I literally have hundreds of stories just like these. Folks who've launched really successful businesses all over the world in every kind of industry you can imagine, over 684 to be exact. So I know not only is this possible, but it's possible for you. Don't let anyone tell you what you can and can't do in this life. Don't let anyone lead you to believe that your business idea is too weird or that you don't have what it takes, or that you should just go get a real job.

You know, I gotta tell you, in the beginning, I had so many people doubt me and belittle my dreams. They thought I was crazy pants for what I was trying to do, and I am so grateful that I kept my crazy pants on, and I literally have never taken them off. And neither should you. Only exception maybe this guy. [Marie Points to a picture of a male underwear model]

Now, if you wanna come join to Tennille, Lucas, Atoya, and literally tens of thousands of us who work on growing our business together every single year, go to MarieForleoBschool.com or click on the link below this video no matter what. Stay on your game and keep going for all your big dreams because the world really does need that very special gift that only you have.

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