Crazy business ideas that made millions

• The website for married people who want to have an affair

These days there are all kinds of dating websites aimed at different groups of people. However, ashleymadison.com is perhaps one of the most unusual and controversial out there. Only accepting married people or those who want to date a married person, the site has attracted the attention of the BBC, The Telegraph and The Times. With the strapline ‘Life’s is short. Have an affair’, the concept may not be entirely ethical but with over 16 million members, it certainly does well for itself.

• Eyewear for dogs

It’s no secret that people like to pamper their pets but who would have thought that selling goggles for dogs would turn into a million dollar business? The appropriately named ‘Doggles’, sells a range of eyewear for dogs including goggles, sunglasses and even replacement lenses that are available in a variety of colours. Since being featured on popular television programmes and in widely read magazines, the company has since gone on to produce a whole host of pet accessories including backpacks, caps, boots and flotation devices.

• Plastic wishbones

Fed up of there always being arguments over who gets to make a wish around the turkey, Ken Ahroni decided to set up a company selling synthetic wishbones. With the sound and feel of real dried turkey wishbones, LuckyBreak has gone on to be a massive success and now makes over 30,000 wishbones a day.

• From fire station to sandwich shop

Continuing a 200 year family history of being fire-fighters, Chris and Robin Sorensen were living their normal everyday lives in Florida, USA. However, in 2004 the two brothers decided to open a sandwich shop that followed the fire-fighting theme they were so well acquainted to. Borrowing on a credit card belonging to Robin’s in-laws, the pair gave the shop a fire station theme and even gave their sandwiches names like Hook & Ladder. Clearly a hit with the locals, Firehouse Subs has since gone on to become a hugely successful franchise business with 514 locations around the United States that generated sales of $284.9 in 2011.

• The pet rock

Back in 1975, a man named Gary Dahl was sitting in a bar with his friends listening to them complaining about their pets and how much hard work they are. Bizarrely, this inspired Gary to come up with the idea of a pet rock as this wouldn’t require any feeding, bathing, walking, grooming or training. If you thought that was strange you may be surprised to hear that the novelty was an absolute hit and a staggering 1.5 million people apparently wanted a pet rock. Although the exact amount of money Gary made from this crazy idea is hard to determine thanks to copycats, by today’s standards there is no doubt that he lives a very comfortable life.

If you know of any crazy business ideas that have gone on to enjoy massive success let us know about them below.