13 Small Businesses That Succeeded Despite Objectively Flimsy Business Plans

In Japan, you can buy schoolgirls' used napkins.
13 Small Businesses That Succeeded Despite Objectively Flimsy Business Plans

Ah, the strange and wonderful world of merchandise! We've all seen the usual suspects - t-shirts, mugs, and hats - but there are so many more products out there that are just as strange and bizarre. From selling dried up shrubs that roll around to selling bottles of fresh mountain air, the possibilities for making money are seemingly endless. In this list, we'll explore 13 of the most unusual ways that people are making money in today's world. 

From the luxury fruit parlor in Tokyo to the Norwegian mountain air being sold on eBay, these products are not only strange but often quite successful. And who could forget the furry fandom and their fantasy sex toys? Or Gregg Miller's Neuticles - silicone implants for male dogs?

So if you're looking for something different, something unique, or something just plain weird, then this list of 13 examples of bizarre yet successful merchandise is for you. Enjoy.

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Rolling in the dough.

CRACKED TUMBLEWEEDS Linda Katz started up an online business called the Prairie Tumbleweed Farm which sold, well, tumbleweeds. After 13 years in the global tumbleweed industry, she was said to be making around $40,000 annually in 2007.

NPR / NHM 

Breathe easy - for a price.

CRACKED PREMIUM NORWEGIAN MOUNTAIN AIR This company in Norway is selling bottles of fresh, clean air from the mountains for 20 dollars on eBay.

TNP 

Animal-made items for sale: Support the zoo.

CRACKED ANIMAL-MADE ITEMS A zoo in Japan raised money through crowdfunding by selling items made by the animals. These include paintings and cards made by monkeys, seals, and goats, jeans ripped by lions, coasters chewed by beavers, and so on.

Inquirer 

Fruit so expensive it's criminal.

CRACKED LUXURY FRUIT A luxury fruit parlor in Tokyo has been owned by the same family since 1834. It's famous for its pricey fruits, like $21 Sekai-ichi apples, $69 for a dozen Queen Strawberries, and $127 for a Densuke watermelon. White Day 3.14

Buzzfeed 

Dog Brew: For the discerning canine.

CRACKED DOG BEER Anheuser-Busch InBev has come out with a beer specifically for dogs. It's called Dog Brew by Busch and it's made with all-natural ingredients like bone broth, but it doesn't have any alcohol or hops. PORK BONE BROTH DOG BREW BY BUSCH

Forbes 

Half a million sets sold: Neuticles for dogs, because why not?

CRACKED FAKE DOG TESTICLES For over two decades, one Gregg Miller has been selling Neuticles, which are silicone implants for male dogs that take the place of their testicles after they've been neutered. He's sold more than half a million sets, he says.

CNBC 

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