25 Times Nathan Fielder Proved He Was A Business Genius
Nathan Fielder was sent to earth from Canada to bless us all with his impeccable business knowledge. He may have moved to behind the camera in recent years, but that’s most likely because he is sitting on the boards of several major companies, saving them from bankruptcy. Let’s take a look back at 25 times Fielder struck business gold.
L.A. Burger
The Idea: Because L.A. Burger has the best burger in L.A., offer anyone who thinks otherwise $100, thereby increasing publicity and foot traffic.
Because the owner got a little too scared to put his own cash behind the offer, Nathan agreed to front the bill, which ended up costing him around $6,000.
Marky Sparky Toys
Comedy Central
The Idea: Improve sales from a toy company by ensuring children know the only way to prove they are not a baby, is by owning a “Doink-It.”
In one of the few instances where the business owner makes his hatred for Fielder abundantly clear, this idea actually worked. All you need is Santa to tell the kids they look like dumb little babies!
Dumb Starbucks
Comedy Central
The Idea: Use parody law to open a coffee shop called Dumb Starbucks, resulting in mass publicity and patrons accidentally entering the shop thinking it is a real Starbucks.
Perhaps the most popular Nathan For You business idea to date, Dumb Starbucks swept the internet, becoming a meme online before the episode even aired.
Madam Dora
The Idea: Create a Billboard for a psychic that beckons Maria Garcia to book an appointment, as it is one of the most common names in Los Angeles.
Perhaps the only truly mean thing Nathan ever did was set up his poor co-worker Solomon on a strange make-up date with one of the Maria Garcias. Poor Solomon, climb into my arms.
Oak Glen Petting Zoo
The Idea: Stage a viral video at a petting zoo of a pig rescuing a baby goat in order to increase traffic.
Fielder did such an amazing job that the video (which required a lot more planning than it may seem) did end up going viral and was covered by many news sources.
Summit Ice
The Idea: Get back at the Holocaust-denying Taiga jacket company by opening up a jacket company that not only acknowledges the Holocaust but educates about it.
The Summit Ice website is still active over seven years later and continues to sell the same best Holocaust acknowledging jackets on the market, with all proceeds going directly to the Vancouver Holocaust Education Center.
The Movement
Comedy Central
The Idea: Get people to work for a moving company by tricking them into thinking it is an exercise program.
Choosing Jack Garborino as the spokesperson was a stroke of genius, as his interviews went viral and his book has over 400 five-star reviews on Amazon.
Smokers Allowed
The Idea: Set up a small collection of theater seats in a bar, allowing the bar to take advantage of a loophole that allows patrons to smoke inside as it is technically a theater production.
While the idea itself is brilliant, this episode also holds the cringe-tastic clip where Nathan loses himself between acting and true love.
The Help Maid Service
Comedy Central
The Idea: Create the fastest cleaning service in L.A. by bringing 40 maids to a single house at one time.
While the maids did get the entire house clean in record time, sadly none of them wanted to go on a date with the homeowner as Nathan had hoped.
The Child-Safe Sex Box
The Idea: a rentable giant soundproof box that fits a child, so parents can have sex in hotel rooms without scarring the child for life.
I would’ve loved one of these as a kid, and it would’ve given me a lot less to talk about with my therapist.
Gas Rebate
The Idea: Sell the cheapest gas in town, if patrons are willing to climb to the top of a mountain, camp, and answer a series of riddles in order to redeem the rebate.
The amount of time people will spend in order to save five dollars will surprise you, but not as much as learning that the store owner drinks his grandson's urine.
Loz Feliz Car Wash
The Idea: plant birds in trees around the city in order to defecate on cars, in turn resulting in increased car wash business.
If you’re thinking of trying this yourself, remember you will need several chickens and a peacock just to be safe.
Greg Dolan: Caricature Artist
The idea: Rebrand Greg Dolan the caricature artist as “The King Of Sting,” making him the meanest caricature artist in the game.
Nathan teaches Greg to be as offensive as possible, but sadly Greg crosses the line when he brings Nathan’s grandfather into the mix.
Polygraph Mechanic
The Idea: An auto shop where all mechanics are required to take a lie detector test when giving a quote so the customer knows they are not being ripped off.
This plan ultimately backfires when the polygraph reveals that the owner of the auto shop doesn’t have any desire to hang out with Nathan socially after the shoot.
Daddy’s Watching
Comedy Central
The Idea: a dating service that makes women feel safe by having a large stranger follow them around on the date in case they ever feel they are in danger.
All the women have to say is “Daddy daddy, come over now. Save my life, you made a vow.”
Billy’s Deli
The Idea: Allow pedestrians to use the restaurant's bathroom for free, but include screens with ads about the food at urinal eye level, thus bringing more customers to the business.
The idea goes over well, but Nathan’s request to be in the owner’s will does not.
The Chili Suit
The Idea: Sneakily sell chili to hockey game audiences by creating a suit filled with chili that can be discreetly delivered to customers.
This is the only item missing from the Nathan For You merch store.
Yogurt Haven
The idea: sell a frozen yogurt that tastes exactly like poop in order to increase publicity and attract tourists.
While Yogurt Haven may no longer sell the poo flavor frozen yogurt, I assume it’s not that hard to make yourself.
The Man Zone
Comedy Central
The Idea: A special man cave dedicated to bros, booze, and babes included in female clothing stores, so the men have a place to wait.
I don’t know about you but I would absolutely occupy the man zone and enjoy bro-ing out with my buds and watching some pre-taped football games.
Bouquet Plaza Liquor
The Idea: Allow minors to purchase alcohol from the store, but refuse to let them take it home until they are of legal age.
Nothing says cool like showing your high school friends your claim ticket for a 40 oz you’ll be able to drink in four years.
Independent Cab
Comedy Central
The Idea: a touchscreen system in all taxis that allows the passenger to choose whether or not they want to have a conversation with the driver.
Instead of doing this I usually just say “please do not speak to me.”
Reign of Terror
The idea: Make a haunted house so scary that patrons sue it for being “too scary,” resulting in increased publicity.
This idea is executed with grace, Fielder tricks several customers into thinking they have contracted a rare disease and are literally about to die. The only thing better is how much the owner hates Fielder.
Ghost Realtor
Comedy Central
The Idea: A real estate agent who can guarantee all the homes they sell are 100% ghost-free by employing the use of a psychic.
The idea worked so well that the realtor continued to use the idea for several years after, and shot her own reality show pilot. The best scene has to be where she has a demon pulled out of her body and looks like she just finished being attacked by a swarm of rabid chimps.
Boyd Funeral Home
The Idea: A funeral home that employs actors to make the deceased look more popular than they actually were.
There is no way someone hasn't actually done this before, it's just too smart. However, the actors may have given away the ruse when they all sang in unison, “this is so sad.”
Blues Smoke Detector
The Idea: Avoid pricier shipping tariffs for smoke detectors by claiming they are actually musical instruments.
The episode resulted in the formation of the band “The Banzai Predicament,” and their debut single “Orphaned Skies,” which will still appear on my Spotify Discover Weekly every now and then, smoke detector and all.
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Top Image: Comedy Central
