Think you need a wall covered in business degrees or a Nobel Prize winning invention to make a million? Think again! Some unlikely millionaires and billionaires have made their fortunes in silly, jaw-dropping, simple, and sometimes frustratingly stupid ways!
Check out some of the wacky ways that people have made their fortunes:
1. One Man’s Trash.
In 2010, Zhan Ying was the richest female self-made billionaire in the world. She made her $4.6 billion buying scrap paper from the USA and recycling it into cardboard boxes used to ship Chinese goods across the globe.
2. One Expensive Smile.
They say a smile is free, but for Bernard and Murray Spain, a smile is worth a fortune. The brothers bought the legal rights to the iconic yellow smile image and slapped it on everything they could. The image became a worldwide hit, and the $500 million dollars the simple idea made them, that wasn’t even originally theirs, made sure the brothers “have a nice day” every day.
3. A Rocky Fortune
Most people want a dog or a parrot as a pet, but the seemingly laughable idea to keep a rock as a pet had Gary Dahl laughing all the way to the bank. His idea? Take a simple rock, decorate it, lay in on a handful of hay, call it a pet and sell it, complete with an owner’s manual. Gary made $15 million dollars in the first six months.
4. Silly Slinky Riches
A slinky is nothing but a brightly-coloured tension spring. Nothing groundbreaking about it, but the popular toy made “inventor” Richard James a cool $250 million. An engineer by profession, he dropped a tension spring and watched it slink across the floor, and a multi-million dollar idea was born.
5. Millions in the Mail
Imagine you wrote to Father Christmas, and he wrote back! Byron Reese, founder of Santa Mail, made his millions getting a dedicated team to pretend they were Santa and respond to children’s letters. You could say he got his $20 million in the mail.
Maybe it’s time to stop thinking big and start thinking silly. Who knows, you could make a fortune!
Remember to stay tuned to DStv channel 161 for the best in entertainment. You can also follow Mzansi Magic on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and WeChat.
Check out some of the wacky ways that people have made their fortunes:
1. One Man’s Trash.
In 2010, Zhan Ying was the richest female self-made billionaire in the world. She made her $4.6 billion buying scrap paper from the USA and recycling it into cardboard boxes used to ship Chinese goods across the globe.
2. One Expensive Smile.
They say a smile is free, but for Bernard and Murray Spain, a smile is worth a fortune. The brothers bought the legal rights to the iconic yellow smile image and slapped it on everything they could. The image became a worldwide hit, and the $500 million dollars the simple idea made them, that wasn’t even originally theirs, made sure the brothers “have a nice day” every day.
3. A Rocky Fortune
Most people want a dog or a parrot as a pet, but the seemingly laughable idea to keep a rock as a pet had Gary Dahl laughing all the way to the bank. His idea? Take a simple rock, decorate it, lay in on a handful of hay, call it a pet and sell it, complete with an owner’s manual. Gary made $15 million dollars in the first six months.
4. Silly Slinky Riches
A slinky is nothing but a brightly-coloured tension spring. Nothing groundbreaking about it, but the popular toy made “inventor” Richard James a cool $250 million. An engineer by profession, he dropped a tension spring and watched it slink across the floor, and a multi-million dollar idea was born.
5. Millions in the Mail
Imagine you wrote to Father Christmas, and he wrote back! Byron Reese, founder of Santa Mail, made his millions getting a dedicated team to pretend they were Santa and respond to children’s letters. You could say he got his $20 million in the mail.
Maybe it’s time to stop thinking big and start thinking silly. Who knows, you could make a fortune!
Remember to stay tuned to DStv channel 161 for the best in entertainment. You can also follow Mzansi Magic on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and WeChat.