This article is part of the Can You Believe It’s a Business Series. Check out our previous articles in the series: World POG Federation & Chia Pets
A few weeks ago I was talking to a friend when I looked at her wrist…dun dun dun…freakin’ Silly Bandz! “They’re awesome, me and boyfriend bought them for each other,” says crazy silly bandz wearing girl. I responded, “There is no way you are wearing those right now.” But this 20 year old girl was wearing them. Only two weeks before that did my professor tell me that all the stores were sold out of Silly Bandz, something her son had been begging for. These Silly Band founders, whoever the hell they are, were on to something. They had created a fad!
For those of you that don’t know what Silly Bandz are, prepare yourself. Silly Bandz are rubber bands shaped like animals, dinosaurs, sports, princesses, and lots more. They come in a pack and can be found in various stores ranging from $2.99 to $5. How much does someone think it costs to make these things? I say like 20 cents a pack. That’s crazy mark up! Who would have thought these things would catch fire. And when I say fire, I mean a whole forest fire that can’t be put out.
In school, kids are collecting these. They wear like 5 bandz on each wrist on average. They trade them during lunch. You’re seriously not a cool kid unless your rockin’ silly bandz. And just like anything else that kids seem to love too much, the Silly Bandz are getting banned in schools. Schools are taking the first step to try and put out the flames.
What’s awesome about these crazy Silly Bandz is that their so simple. It’s just a colored and shaped rubber band. What’s that mean to you? When you’re thinking about starting a business, don’t be so damn complex. By all means you can be, but sometimes simple ideas can ignite a fire faster and longer than you could ever imagine. People tend to over think things. Sometimes things can be really as simple as they appear.
What else do Silly Bandz teach us? Silly Bandz started a fad. Kids go crazy for these things, probably even find over them on the playground. Even a 20 year old girl rocks 4 on her wrist. So, create something catchy. Yea, so what fads come and go. Fads also make boat loads of money when they are popular. That’s right
In conclusion. You don’t need to think millions of dollars in capital and a concept like Facebook to make it big. Instead, think about a simple catchy idea that kids will love and eventually get suspended for trading/using/wearing during school.
What do you think? Can You Believe It’s A Business?
Picture courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/melindashelton/ / CC BY 2.0
Alex Monroe is the author of this post. He is the flavorful and passionate founder of GetYourBizSavvy.com. He thrives off of the best noun in the dictionary: entrepreneur. He also guarantees no BS at this revolutionizing place called GetYourBizSavvy.com
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