10 Crazy Companies That Were Proven Right

#10: Airbnb

Launched in 2008, Air Bed and Breakfast began with a literal air mattress on the floor of founders Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbias San Francisco apartment. While homestays were already an established idea offered by the likes of VRBO and HomeAway, Airbnb stood out because of its home sharing aspect. Going on vacation to stay with a stranger in their home? It sounded insane to investors, who often refused to even meet with Chesky and Gebbia. The two founders ended up selling cereal to raise the funds themselves until people noticed their idea catching on. Today, Airbnb is a giant in the travel industry, rivaling traditional hotels. Clearly, this wasnt such a crazy idea.

#9: Ring

In 2013, Jamie Siminoff presented his company Doorbot on Shark Tank, hoping to cut an investment deal. Only one shark, Kevin OLeary, made Siminoff an offer. Sticking to his guns and believing in the value of his business, Siminoff turned his modest offer down. Doorbot was later rebranded as Ring, the home security and smart doorbell manufacturer that has taken off everywhere. Part of Rings success is owed to the organic marketing produced by viral videos taken on Ring cameras. In 2018, Amazon bought Ring for nearly $1 billion, far more than Siminoff originally valued the company at on Shark Tank.

#8: FedEx

While a student at Yale, Fred Smith wrote a paper about how to optimize shipping methods to deliver goods faster. Undeterred by the C he received on his paper, Smith turned his idea into a business in the 1970s with Federal Express. However, the 1973 oil crisis quickly put FedEx into massive amounts of debt. With his last $5,000, Smith decided to take another risk: he went to Vegas and played a little blackjack. His literal gamble paid off, earning him $27,000 that helped keep the company from going under. Today, FedEx has grown into a multinational shipping conglomerate known around the world.

#7: Play-Doh

This colorful, kid-friendly putty was originally manufactured for a very different purpose. In 1912, soap maker Kutol Products developed a substance that could clean soot from wallpaper. After World War II, when oil, gas, and electricity began replacing coal in the home, the market for soot cleaner quickly shrank. Joseph McVicker was tasked with saving Kutol Products from bankruptcy when his sister-in-law, a nursery school teacher, suggested he market it as a toy. Kutol Products began manufacturing the putty in bright, kid-approved colors and marketing to schools under the name Play-Doh. Though it very nearly became obsolete, Play-Doh has endured for decades as a childhood favorite toy.

#6: Crocs

When these shoes first launched, most consumers agreed that the foam clogs werent exactly the height of fashion. Still, despite their outward appearance, Crocs were comfortable and practical, especially for groups like gardeners, healthcare professionals, and cooks. After the initial excitement surrounding the controversial shoe, sales began to fall. To save the company, CEO Andrew Rees decided he would take on the Herculean task of making Crocs not just practical, but genuinely cool and trendy as well. Collaborations with designers, celebrity endorsements, and social media marketing have all transformed Crocs into a surprisingly fashion-forward brand. Fashion is all about making a statement, and a pair of Crocs full of Jibbitz certainly has something to say.

#5: Reddit

Founded by two college roommates in 2005, Reddit looked like a ghost town upon its initial launch. The challenging part of making a website based around user-generated content and discussion is that you actually need some users. So Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian followed the old adage: fake it til you make it. They created hundreds of fake accounts to post content and leave comments, being careful to establish the specific kind of tone and discourse they hoped to see on Reddit. Eventually, real users started creating accounts and contributed to the conversations, and the fake accounts were no longer needed. Today, Reddit is the ninth most visited website in the world, with subreddits to appeal to every possible niche on the internet.

#4: Microsoft

In 2001, Microsoft was already long established as a major player in the tech industry, but they wanted to try something new. Video game console companies like Sony and Nintendo were developing their products into broader home entertainment systems that rivaled the personal computer. Microsoft decided to take on these video game giants by launching its own console, the Xbox. Though initial sales werent very impressive, Microsoft stood by its Xbox line and continued developing it. Today, Xbox and PlayStation compete directly to produce the most popular, high performance gaming systems on the market.

#3: Twitter

The initial idea for Twitter was introduced by Jack Dorsey in 2006. By 2007, Twitter users were already posting a collective 60,000 tweets per day. The company grew rapidly with much critical acclaim. By 2009, Twitter was ranked the third most popular social networking site. During Twitters early growth, Facebook took notice. Mark Zuckerberg offered to buy the company for $500 million in 2008. In a shocking move, Twitter turned the generous offer down. It continued to grow and became a direct competitor to Facebook. In 2023, Twitter famously sold to Elon Musk for a whopping $44 billion dollars, 88 times Zuckerbergs original offer.

#2: Netflix

Inspired by Amazons online bookseller model, the founders of Netflix saw DVDs as the next big thing in internet retail. After its initial launch, both Amazon and Blockbuster offered to buy the company for millions of dollars, but both offers were turned down. As the DVD grew in popularity, so did Netflix, but they had their eyes on another prize. As early as 2005, Netflix was working towards a streaming service. While DVD players were still a hot Christmas item, Netflix continued to expand its streaming capabilities. This innovative attitude kept it ahead of the game in both DVD rentals and streaming, allowing Netflix to radically shift the market multiple times since its initial founding.

#1: Apple

After Apples initial success in the world of personal computers in the 70s and 80s, the company hit a rough patch. Steve Jobs had stepped down as CEO, new Apple products werent selling, and the company faced fierce competition from Microsoft and IBM. It seemed like this California tech companys short run was over. In 1997, Jobs returned to take up the reins once again. He decided to shift the business model, focusing on innovation and appealing to a wider audience. He introduced the iMac and the iPod, which became wildly popular with consumers. Apple was rapidly returning to the top, but the iPhone clinched the deal. The now ubiquitous product changed the smartphone industry and further cemented Steve Jobs and Apples legacy.

Which company do you think will be the next crazy success story? Let us know in the comments!