We’ve witnessed some jaw‑dropping business scandals that raised eyebrows and sent shockwaves through financial corridors. Picture this as an economic rollercoaster with twists, turns, and a fair share of ups and downs. So grab your seat belts as we ride through the ten business scandals that shook the economy.

Why These 10 Business Scandals Matter

10 Deepwater Horizon

The Deepwater Horizon oil rig catastrophe sent tremors through the corporate world, leaving a lasting economic imprint. In April 2010, BP’s offshore drilling rig suffered a catastrophic blowout, unleashing a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The disaster stemmed from glaring oversights and safety negligence. The blowout preventer—a critical safety device—failed to engage, allowing millions of barrels of oil to spew into the sea for 87 days before the well was finally capped, devastating fisheries, wildlife habitats, and Gulf Coast communities.

BP faced a torrent of public outrage, costly lawsuits, and a staggering financial hit. The company eventually pleaded guilty to criminal charges, agreeing to pay billions in settlements and fines, underscoring the vital role of corporate responsibility and the dire costs of profit‑driven negligence.

9 Lehman Brothers

In the mid‑2000s, a financial storm was gathering, and Lehman Brothers stood at its eye. The firm became entangled in the subprime mortgage crisis, a scandal that rattled the economy.

Lehman heavily financed risky subprime loans, betting on an invincible housing market. When the bubble burst in 2008, borrowers defaulted, home values plunged, and Lehman’s debt mountain became insurmountable.

In September 2008, Lehman filed for bankruptcy—the largest in U.S. history at the time—sending shockwaves through global markets, triggering a worldwide economic crisis that cost jobs, homes, and savings, and reshaped financial regulation.

8 Turing Pharmaceuticals

Turing Pharmaceuticals sparked outrage in 2015 when its CEO, Martin Shkreli, hiked the price of Daraprim—a life‑saving drug for infections—from $13.50 to an eye‑popping $750 per tablet overnight.

The price gouging shone a harsh light on the pharmaceutical sector, where profit motives can eclipse humanitarian concerns, rendering essential medicines unaffordable for those with compromised immune systems.

Public fury spurred investigations, and Shkreli—dubbed “the most hated man in America”—faced legal repercussions, igniting broader debates about drug‑pricing ethics and the necessity for regulatory safeguards.

The episode underscores why ethical business conduct matters, reminding us that when companies prioritize profit over people, the fallout can be both costly and reputationally damaging.

7 Bear Stearns

Bear Stearns, a fixture on Wall Street, faced a dramatic collapse in 2008 amid the subprime mortgage crisis, a scandal that rippled through the financial sector.

Heavily invested in risky mortgage‑backed securities, Bear Stearns encountered a severe liquidity crunch as confidence evaporated, culminating in a March 2008 brink‑of‑bankruptcy scenario.

The Federal Reserve and JPMorgan Chase intervened, orchestrating a rescue that saw JPMorgan acquire Bear Stearns at a fraction of its former value, a pivotal moment illustrating how a single firm’s failure can destabilize the broader economy.

6 Valeant Pharmaceuticals

Valeant Pharmaceuticals, once hailed as an industry rising star, fell from grace after a scandal that stunned investors and the public alike.

At its core lay an aggressive pricing playbook—acquiring existing drugs and inflating prices dramatically—combined with dubious accounting tactics and a tangled web of specialty pharmacies that artificially boosted sales.

The fallout was swift: Valeant’s stock nosedived, erasing billions in market value, while executives faced scrutiny, sparking debates over corporate ethics and prompting a reevaluation of pharmaceutical business practices.

5 Barclays Libor Manipulation

Barclays’ involvement in the Libor manipulation scandal shocked the financial world in 2012, exposing how the benchmark interest rate could be tampered with for profit.

Bank traders reported artificially low rates to portray greater financial stability, a deceit that rippled through global markets and eroded trust in the banking system.

Consequences included hefty fines and a regulatory wake‑up call, highlighting the necessity for transparency and stringent oversight within the banking sector.

4 Enron

Enron, once celebrated as an energy titan, unraveled in the early 2000s when executives engaged in massive accounting fraud, masking debt and inflating profits to paint a rosy picture.

The collapse stripped thousands of employees of jobs and retirement savings and inflicted heavy losses on investors, prompting sweeping reforms in corporate governance and financial regulation.

3 Facebook Privacy

Imagine confiding a secret to a trusted friend, only to discover they’ve been broadcasting it to everyone—that’s the essence of Facebook’s 2018 privacy scandal.

It emerged that Cambridge Analytica harvested data from millions of users without consent, exposing personal details, likes, and friend networks, igniting global concerns over data misuse.

The fallout forced CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify before Congress, spurring calls for stronger privacy protections and prompting users to reconsider what they share online.

2 Baninter

Baninter, a once‑respected Dominican bank, imploded in 2003 after a massive fraud that concealed $3.7 billion in debts, revealing a façade of financial stability.

The revelation triggered panic, leaving savers devastated and compelling the government to inject billions to stabilize the nation’s economy and restore confidence.

The scandal underscored the crucial need for rigorous oversight, teaching that trust and honesty are the bedrock of a healthy financial system.

1 Jerome Kerviel

Jerome Kerviel, a junior trader at Société Générale, caused a 2008 tempest by executing €70 billion in unauthorized trades that shattered the bank’s risk limits.

His tactics involved fictitious trades and deceptive schemes to conceal the activity, prompting a massive bailout and exposing glaring flaws in the bank’s risk management.

The episode serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of transparency, oversight, and ethical conduct in finance, shaping future regulatory reforms.

When you hear the phrase 10 staggering sales losses, you might picture a dramatic headline or a corporate nightmare. In reality, these figures are the hidden undercurrents that keep CEOs up at night, reminding us that every venture carries a hidden price tag. Below we explore ten eye‑opening examples that illustrate just how massive and varied those costs can be.

10 Item Returns Cost US Retailers Over $816 Billion

Think back to the last time you sent a product back to a store—maybe it arrived cracked, spoiled, or simply didn’t meet your expectations. Few shoppers stop to consider the ripple effect that a single return creates for the retailer. In the United States alone, the total financial impact of such returns tops an eye‑watering $816 billion annually, a sum that eclipses the entire federal budget for education, training, and employment programs.

The expense isn’t just a line‑item for shipping. When a consumer sends an Amazon purchase back, the company foots the postage bill, and many items can’t be restocked for safety or quality reasons. Some products are so cumbersome to refurbish that retailers opt to discard them outright, absorbing the loss directly.

Overall, about 16.5 % of all retail sales end up as returns. Holiday‑season returns alone account for roughly $171 billion, while fraudulent returns contribute an additional $84 billion each year.

9 The Original Xbox Cost Microsoft $4 to $7 Billion

The worldwide console market was valued at $37.9 billion in 2022 and continues to expand. Microsoft’s decision to dive into the arena with the original Xbox in 2001 seemed reckless at the time, and the financial statements later confirmed why. The hardware venture cost Microsoft somewhere between $4 billion and $7 billion, with each unit sold recording a loss.

Microsoft’s strategy was to sacrifice short‑term profitability on the console itself, betting that the ecosystem of games and services would eventually turn the tide. That gamble paid off: the Xbox brand evolved into the highly lucrative Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Xbox Series lines, which have become major profit drivers for the company.

In short, the early loss was a calculated investment that helped Microsoft secure a lasting foothold in the gaming sector, demonstrating how a sizable initial hit can lay the groundwork for future riches.

8 Friday the 13th Costs Businesses Hundreds of Millions

Paraskevidekatriaphobia, the fear of Friday the 13th, might sound like a quirky superstition, but it translates into a tangible economic drain. Each time the dreaded date lands on a Friday, an estimated $700 million to $800 million in productivity and revenue evaporates as workers stay home or avoid shopping.

Surveys in the United Kingdom reveal that one in 20 people refuse to leave their homes on that unlucky day. When the calendar features up to three Friday the 13ths in a single year, the cumulative loss can exceed $2 billion, a staggering amount for a superstition.

These figures underscore how cultural anxieties can ripple through the economy, turning folklore into a measurable cost of doing business.

7 CVS Lost $2 Billion in Annual Sales by Dropping Cigarettes

For decades, cigarettes were a staple on the shelves of drugstores, often marketed alongside health‑related products. In 2014, CVS made a bold move to eliminate tobacco from its locations, aligning its brand with a healthier image.

The decision yielded a public‑health win: 38 % of CVS customers who smoked quit rather than seek another retailer. However, the financial hit was sizable—approximately $2 billion in lost sales, taken from a total revenue base of $139 billion at the time.

CVS’s experience illustrates how a socially responsible choice can come with a hefty short‑term price tag, even as it reshapes consumer behavior for the better.

6 Sunny Delight Saw Its Sales Cut in Half by a Scandal

Sunny Delight, the neon‑orange drink that once ruled UK grocery aisles, enjoyed a position as the third‑best‑selling soft drink in the 1990s, trailing only behind Coca‑Cola and Pepsi. Its popularity, however, took a dramatic nosedive after a bizarre media incident.

In 1999, a story spread about a four‑year‑old who consumed such large quantities of Sunny Delight that her skin turned yellow—a side effect of the high beta‑carotene content that gave the beverage its vivid hue. Although the condition was harmless, the narrative captured headlines, and sales plummeted by 50 % in the wake of the scandal.

The brand attempted multiple re‑branding and reformulation efforts in 2003, 2009, and 2010, yet it never fully recaptured its former market share, serving as a cautionary tale about how a single viral story can halve a product’s fortunes.

5 The Movie Sideways Cost Merlot Wine Makers $400 Million

When the 2004 comedy‑drama Sideways hit theaters, it quickly became a critical darling, earning several Academy Award nominations. While audiences loved the film, the wine‑loving community felt a sting.

The protagonist famously dismisses Merlot, declaring a personal aversion that resonated with viewers. In the months that followed, Merlot sales nosedived, and a decade later analysts estimated the cumulative loss at roughly $400 million. Vineyard owners reported abandoning about 7,650 acres of Merlot vines in favor of varieties like Pinot Noir, which saw a notable surge.

This episode demonstrates how pop culture can directly influence agricultural markets, turning a single line of dialogue into a multi‑hundred‑million‑dollar impact.

4 Tropicana Lost 20% of Their Sales After a Package Redesign

Brand identity is often as crucial as the product itself. In 2009, Tropicana opted to revamp its iconic orange‑juice cartons, swapping the classic orange‑with‑straw illustration for a close‑up of a half‑filled glass.

The redesign came with a hefty marketing push, costing the company $35 million. However, consumer backlash was swift: sales dipped by 20 %, translating to roughly $30 million in lost revenue on top of the redesign spend. The misstep was traced to a loss of brand familiarity; shoppers couldn’t instantly recognize the new packaging.

Eventually Tropicana returned to its original logo, highlighting how even well‑intentioned visual changes can alienate loyal customers and cut into the bottom line.

3 Halo 3 Was Blamed for a 27% Drop in Box Office Returns

Box‑office performance is usually linked to a film’s own marketing, but in October 2007, analysts identified an unexpected culprit: the launch of the video game Halo 3. During its debut week, the game attracted 2.7 million players, accounting for a third of the entire Xbox Live community, and logged 40 million hours of gameplay.

This surge coincided with a sharp 27 % decline in overall box‑office receipts for that month, marking the worst October for ticket sales since 1999. One notable example was the comedy The Heartbreak Kid, which was projected to earn up to $25 million on opening weekend but managed only $14 million.

While it’s debatable whether a video game can truly cannibalize movie attendance, the data suggests that competing entertainment experiences can have a measurable impact on traditional revenue streams.

2 SC Johnson Lost a Huge Market Share by Changing Saran Wrap

Saran Wrap had long been prized for its clingy, stretch‑able qualities, thanks to a component called polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC). When SC Johnson decided to eliminate this chemical for health and environmental reasons, the product’s performance noticeably suffered.

Consumers quickly voiced frustration that the new formulation didn’t cling as effectively, a core attribute they expected. Since PVDC is also a known carcinogen, the company’s decision was ethically sound, but the market reaction was swift: SC Johnson’s share of the plastic‑wrap market fell from 18 % to 11 %.

This case underscores how even well‑intentioned product improvements can erode brand loyalty when they compromise a feature that customers consider non‑negotiable.

1 Beavis and Butthead Destroyed Album Sales for the Band Winger

The animated duo Beavis & Butthead may have been famous for their crude humor, but their influence extended into the music world in an unexpected way. In the early 1990s, the band Winger found themselves the unwitting victims of a cartoon episode that lampooned their image.

During a particular episode, the characters mocked a neighborhood kid named Stewart, who wore a Winger shirt. The sketch portrayed Stewart’s entire family—including the family dog—as a group of losers, all sporting the band’s merchandise. The ridicule hit hard: Winger’s tour momentum stalled, ticket sales dwindled, and album purchases nosedived.

Radio stations pulled the band’s latest single from rotation, and the group reportedly lost an anticipated $200,000 publishing advance. Although the two parties eventually reconciled in 2011, the incident remains a vivid example of how pop‑culture satire can devastate a musical act’s commercial prospects.

10 Staggering Sales Insights for Business Leaders

From returns that drain billions to branding missteps that shave off millions, these ten stories reveal that the cost of doing business often hides in plain sight. Understanding these patterns equips leaders to anticipate pitfalls, protect margins, and turn potential losses into strategic opportunities.

Best Business Ideas for Women: Looking for an easy‑to‑manage venture you can launch from the comfort of your own home? Juggling a full‑time job, kids, and household duties can feel like a high‑wire act for many women. That’s why a growing number are turning to home‑based businesses that demand modest start‑up capital and offer flexible hours. In this guide we unveil the 10 best business ideas for women who want to earn extra income without sacrificing their daily routine.

10 Best Business Ideas for Women

This option shines if you already have toddlers at home and understand the nuances of child care. Busy parents constantly search for safe, nearby daycare spots where their little ones can thrive while they’re at work. If you love nurturing children and have a knack for creating a warm, structured environment, launching a home‑based daycare could be your perfect match. Start by scouting your neighborhood and reaching out to friends, family, and local parent groups to gauge interest and secure your first clients.

9 Dog Walking Services

Pet owners adore their furry companions but often lack the time to give them regular exercise and grooming. If you’re an animal enthusiast who enjoys long walks and knows the basics of pet care, turning that passion into a dog‑walking service can be rewarding both emotionally and financially.

Offer a mix of services—dog walking, pet sitting, and basic grooming—to cater to varied client needs. Many owners are happy to pay $20‑$40 per hour for reliable, caring help, making this a lucrative side hustle that fits around your schedule.

8 Catering and Baking

Do you love experimenting in the kitchen? Transform that culinary enthusiasm into a profit‑making venture. Today’s consumers are increasingly drawn to homemade meals and artisanal baked goods, from decadent cakes to rustic breads and cookies.

Begin by selling a curated selection of baked treats to friends, family, and local gatherings. Once you build a loyal customer base, expand into catering for small‑to‑medium sized events, offering personalized menus that showcase your unique flavors.

7 Online and In‑Person Tutoring

If you have a talent for explaining concepts and enjoy helping students succeed, tutoring can be a flexible and rewarding business. Whether you prefer virtual sessions via video call or face‑to‑face lessons in your community, you can set your own hours to fit around other commitments.

6 Freelancing and Blogging

Writing enthusiasts can monetize their skill set through freelancing or blogging. Publish a self‑help ebook, launch a niche blog covering topics like parenting, health, or eco‑friendly living, or create a freelancer profile on platforms that connect writers with clients. Consistency and a bit of dedicated time each week can turn this passion into a steady income stream.

5 Organic Gardening

Got a backyard or even a sunny balcony? Grow your own organic vegetables and fruits to meet the rising demand for clean, locally sourced produce. Consumers are willing to pay a premium for fresh, pesticide‑free items, and they often prefer buying from nearby growers.

You can sell your harvest directly from your front yard, set up a stall at a farmers’ market, or even offer subscription boxes to regular customers. The key is to cultivate high‑quality produce and build a reputation for reliability.

4 Virtual Assistance

Virtual assistants support businesses and entrepreneurs with tasks ranging from email management to social media scheduling. Research the specific requirements of each role, match them with your skill set, and apply through reputable online job boards. This line of work offers the freedom to work from anywhere while providing valuable administrative support.

3 Carpet Cleaning

Carpet cleaning remains a high‑demand service as households and offices alike need professional care for their floor coverings. With a one‑time investment in quality cleaning equipment, you can launch a service that requires minimal space and offers substantial profit potential.

2 Cards and Gift Delivery

If you have a flair for design and love crafting personalized items, creating custom cards and handcrafted gifts can fill a niche market. Store‑bought cards often lack the personal touch that many customers crave for birthdays, anniversaries, and special occasions.

Combine your artistic skills with a reliable delivery system to provide a convenient, heartfelt gifting solution for busy individuals looking to make a lasting impression.

1 Party and Wedding Planning

For those who thrive on organization and love orchestrating memorable events, party and wedding planning offers an exciting, client‑focused business. You’ll coordinate venues, vendors, décor, and timelines, turning visions into reality while building strong relationships.

This role carries significant responsibility, so confidence in your ability to manage details and deliver flawless experiences is essential. With dedication, you can turn celebrations into a thriving enterprise.

Coming up with an idea for a new business is never easy. While most people take the traditional route and stick to tried-and-tested concepts, a rare few dare to think out of the box. That may not always be a good idea, as some of the most unusual business ideas in history have also been massive commercial failures, though quite a few have succeeded, too, creating their own market niches where none existed before. 

10. iSmell

Back in 1999 when the dotcom bubble was at its peak, two Stanford graduates – Joel Bellenson and Dexster Smith – attempted to bring smell to the digital world. By breaking down scents into digital files that could be transmitted online and reproduced by a specialized, USB-powered device on the other end, their product – iSmell – promised to change the way we consume things online. 

It might sound weird today, though it was the next big thing in Silicon Valley at the time, raising over $20 million in venture funds from multiple investors. They envisioned a whole ecosystem built around iSmell and its parent, DigiScents Inc., which could be further incorporated into other industries like gaming, movies, and porn. 

While the device itself worked well enough, it was poorly marketed and eventually shut down in late 2001. There was also the whole question of whether anyone wanted such a technology, as being able to smell things over the Internet no longer sounds as pleasing as it likely did in 1999.

9. Washboard

Washboard has also been called one of the worst startup ideas of all time, and for good reason. Launched in June 2014, the whole idea was based on the assumption that people are willing to pay extra to get change for laundromats. For $15, Washboard would send you quarters worth $10, using the markup for delivery costs, operational expenses, and – obviously – a bit of profit. You could even go for their saver package, getting change worth $20 for a low sum of $26.99.

Of course, it was a ridiculous idea. Apart from the fact that you can just walk into a bank and get loose change whenever you want, a majority of people now have washing machines at home. Washboard was declared shut down by its founder in July of the same year, as they could barely get any lasting customers to keep it running.

8. NYC Garbage

Justin Gignac, a New York-based artist, came up with the idea for NYC Garbage back in 2001, following an argument with someone over the importance of package design. While most of us would think nothing of such a trivial topic, Gignac decided to prove them wrong by finding the most unsellable thing in New York City – garbage – and started repackaging it in fancy, limited-edition garbage cubes. Each cube comes signed, dated, and numbered by the artist, presumably indicating exactly when the garbage was collected.

While it sounds absurd, the idea surprisingly took off. According to NYC Garbage’s own website, more than 1,400 people around the world have already ordered one, priced anywhere between $50-$100. The collection also includes special editions, like the World Series at Yankee Stadium and New Year’s Eve at Times Square.  

7. Fashism

Launched in 2009, Fashism was a fashion-based startup based out of New York. Despite the horrible naming choice, it wasn’t an inherently bad business idea. Fashism was a kind of social media for fashion, where you could post pictures of your outfits and get feedback from a community of users. At its peak, the service had over 80,000 unique visits per month, with over 15,000 user accounts. It was even backed by several high profile investors, including actors Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore.

We’re not sure if the name had anything to do with its downfall, or if it just wasn’t a viable business idea. Fashism eventually shut down in 2014, owing to a lack of growth and low user count. According to the numbers on Crunchbase, the outlet could only raise about $1 million in total funding. 

6. Blippy

Blippy was launched as a private beta app in 2009, quickly grabbing the attention of venture capital investors around the world. In essence, it was like a Twitter feed for your credit card transactions, allowing users to see and comment on other people’s purchases. Surprisingly, most people didn’t see it in terms of privacy, and the idea itself found many investors. Overall, they were able to raise over $13 million in funding, and the company was valued at around $46 million at its peak. Apple even launched their own service, Ping, to compete with Blippy’s business model. 

Unfortunately, Blippy suffered from a classic drawback: no one wanted it. At the end of the day, there was no real use for a social media service for credit card purchases, even if it was integrated right into your phone. Blippy soon ran out of money and shut down their primary service in 2010, eventually turning into a user reviews app. 

5. I Am Rich

While I Am Rich was mostly made as a novelty joke app, the fact that some people actually bought it makes it count as a business idea. Made by a German developer, Armin Heinrich, it was officially launched on the App Store in August, 2008. At $999.99, it was one of the first few apps on Apple’s newly-launched store, as well as possibly one of the most expensive apps ever. 

As for its functionality, the app itself just consisted of one large red button on the screen. When pressed, it would display a bunch of inspiring sentences like – you guessed it – ‘I am rich’ or ‘I deserve it’, which should prove to anyone sitting around you that you are, indeed, rich. While Heinrich has since admitted that he made the app as a joke, it was purchased by eight people, and only two of them asked Apple to reverse the sale. 

4. Potato Parcel

On paper, Potato Parcel sounds like another wacky business idea with no long-term prospects. For $9.99, someone at the company would handwrite a message on a potato and parcel it to anyone you want. It was a pitch on Shark Tank back in 2016, asking for $50,000 in exchange for 10% of the company. The offer was accepted, in addition to a royalty sharing agreement with one of the judges.

As it turns out, personalized messages on potatoes is actually a viable startup idea. Until 2018, Potato Parcel had sold more than 70,000 potatoes, with six figures in yearly revenues. The service has now expanded to include messages on other items like socks and pillows, as well as more advanced potato messages like pictures. 

3. DiedInHouse.com

Founded in 2013 by software engineer Roy Condrey, DiedInHouse.com is perhaps the only business of its kind. It tells you whether someone has died in the house you’re about to rent or purchase, as long as it’s a US address. It’s a paid service, using information from death certificates, news reports, and police records to provide an accurate measure of whether your house is haunted. The website also displays any other serious criminal cases at a particular property, making it rather useful for potential homeowners and ghost hunters. 

According to a Forbes story from 2016, DiedInHouse.com had sold over 40,000 reports until 2016. Each report contains information like deaths, meth operations, nearby cemeteries, registered sex offenders in the area, previous fire incidents, and other details about the property. 

2. Bottled Air

Vitality Air started out as a prank, when two Canadians – Moses Lam and Troy Paquette – filled a ziploc bag with fresh Canadian air and posted it on eBay. It quickly grabbed media attention and a frantic bidding war, and the bag ended up selling for $130. Sensing a business opportunity, Lam and Paquette decided to look into bottled air as a potential startup idea.

As it turns out, it was, and Vitality Air was born in early 2015. They now export bottles of fresh air to countries around the world, including Mexico, India, Vietnam, and China. The operation has vastly expanded from just driving around with a ziploc bag and sealing it shut at the right time, as it now includes massive air-collection machines and a fully-automated bottling plant. As per a 2019 report, Vitality Air made more than $300,000 in annual sales for two consecutive years, making it a rather successful business idea.

1. No More Woof

No More Woof was a promising – even if a bit ambitious – crowdfunding pitch posted by a few Scandinavian engineers on Indiegogo. They claimed that the device could accurately translate your pet’s brainwaves into intelligible speech, using EEG brain-scanning technology that’s currently used in many brain-related medical procedures. No More Woof was successfully crowdfunded by over 200%, and the story was picked up by multiple news outlets including Mashable, CNET, and Engadget. 

Sadly, while it was a good idea, it was too good to be true, as the technology to make such a device simply doesn’t exist. While there have been major advances in brain-reading tech in the past few years, it’s still impossible to accurately translate thoughts into speech. No More Woof was shelved after the founders publicly-admitted that they don’t have the technology to make it work.

It’s every entrepreneur’s hope that the business endeavors they undertake will be successful. No one likes being a failure and businesspeople especially like to succeed and make money off of their plans. While some entrepreneurs strike a chord with their customer base and get lucky, others seem to have the ability to make lightning strike twice, or even more often, and come up with multiple business ideas. Often these businesses are complementary and make sense but sometimes an entrepreneur will come up with businesses that are remarkably dissimilar such that you’d never guess the same person was behind each one.

10. The Founder of Atari Also Founded Chuck E. Cheese

Nolan Bushnell is clearly a guy who likes fun which seems to be the only common thread linking his two greatest business achievements. In 1972, Bushnell co-founded what can be considered the grandfather of the modern gaming world – Atari. Long before anyone had a PlayStation, an Xbox or even a Nintendo in their homes, they had the Atari 2600 and were playing extremely simple games like Asteroids and Pong. 

While introducing the concept of home console gaming seems like it should have been enough to keep anyone set for the rest of their lives, that was a long time ago and the industry was a lot different. So Bushnell had to keep working and his next big idea was something of a left turn. He was also the force behind Chuck E. Cheese which he developed at Atari.

Corporate overlords being what they are, the money men were not amused that Bushnell was making singing robots and otherwise wasting time and resources. He was actually kicked out of the company in 1978. Though he never made as big a splash again with his later work, his contributions to pop culture are certainly legendary and just a bit weird. 

9. Lee Byung-chul Founded Samsung But Started Out Running a Dry Goods Company

Samsung’s 2021 revenue was around $244 billion USD. They’re clearly one of the biggest electronics companies in the world and they make everything from phones to washing machines. This diverse approach is ingrained in the company as their origins are even more wide reaching thanks to the founder, Lee Byung-chul, and his dedication to selling pretty much anything. 

That multi-billion dollar empire started with $25 back in 1938 when the future founder opened a dry goods store to sell things like dried fish and other food. The company sold goods from in and around the city of Taegu and had about 40 employees.Because they sold dried food; the company did well during the Korean War in 1950 and branched out. They moved into sugar and then textiles. That worked too, so they expanded into insurance, retail and by the 1960s they were manufacturing electronics. They’d go on to manufacture ships, telecommunications, and pretty much anything else you can think of. 

The family still runs Samsung today, and the company is obviously most well known for its cell phones and electronics, but the company likely wouldn’t exist at all without dried fish and noodles nearly a century in the past.

8. The Founder of Domino’s Also Founded a Law School

We already saw the founder of Chuck E. Cheese was behind Atari and it turns out pizza guys just have a lot of diverse interests. Tom Monaghan, the man behind Domino’s, also started his own law school. He invested $50 million of his own cash in the school back in the late 1990s. The school’s mission? To educate lawyers with a Roman Catholic perspective. 

Monaghan actually divested himself of the pizza chain to devote himself to Catholic causes. He sold Domino’s for $1 billion, so he certainly had the resources to follow his dreams. And the school really was built and still exists today. It’s been sanctioned in the past for having low entrance standards and is considered one of the most conservative law schools in the country.

7. The Inventor of the Lava Lamp Founded a Nudist Resort

Did you ever have a lava lamp growing up? Or, you know, right now? They are very symbolic in most people’s minds of hippie counterculture and the 60s and 70s, though they enjoyed a retro resurgence once or twice since those times. 

Lava lamps were invented in 1963 by a British accountant named Edward Craven Walker. Walker was known for only one other thing in his life and that was his penchant for nudity. The man made underwater nude films.

Prior to inventing the lamp, Walker had made movies with names like “Eve on Skis” which featured naked people doing things naked. One movie was presented as an underwater ballet. Water and nudity really seemed to move him, so much so that after achieving some success with his movies he bought an entire club and founded his own nudist resort. He then tried to ban anyone from showing up if they were overweight. He was quoted as saying he was again “fat fogies” and they were not what naturism was about.

6. The Co-Founder of Paul Mitchell Also Founded Patron Tequila

Paul Mitchell, more correctly known as John Paul Mitchell Systems, is a hair care company dating back to 1980 with an annual revenue of about $1 billion. It’s safe to say Paul Mitchell is doing alright. 

The company was founded by two men – Paul Mitchell himself, and John Paul DeJoria. Mitchell passed away from cancer back in 1989 and Dejoria continued to run the company from then on but he also managed to diversify his portfolio. In addition to the world of hairspray and brushes, Dejoria is also the man behind Patron Tequila, the third best-selling tequila brand in America. That works out to over 3 million cases sold in 2021 alone. Of course, Dejoria doesn’t need to worry about that anymore since he sold the company in 2018 for over $5 billion. 

5. Avi Arad Invented the Skip It and Later was Behind Marvel Studios

Before Kevin Feige was the Man Behind the Curtain at Marvel creating the MCU and more or less printing money for the Walt Disney Corporation, there was another man who put Marvel up on the big screen and that was Avi Arad. He was the producer behind most of those non-MCU films from the ’90s and early 2000s like the X-Men, Blade, Daredevil, Punisher and so on. 

Before Arad was giving us the joy of Nic Cage as Ghost Rider, he worked in toys. Specifically, he worked for a company called Tiger Toys and was the inventor of one of the most popular toys in history, the Skip It. That was a little hoop you hooker around your ankle attached to a ball on a string that would spin around your ankle, forcing you to skip it, hence the name, with your other foot. Arad, along with two others, filed a patent for their version of it in 1990. It was hugely successful and so was Arad. For a time the man was considered basically the biggest toy designer in America. And some of his biggest toys were based on comic books. 

He was already executive producer of cartoons like the X-Men and stated his goal was to “exploit” the Marvel universe characters in toys, shows and films. And that’s how he ended up kicking off the world of Marvel movies. Arguably the MCU would not exist today without Arad and the Skip It. 

4. The Founder of Wikipedia Ran a Porn Site First

Wikipedia is so ubiquitous on the internet these days it’s essentially just what everyone thinks of when they need to know literally anything they don’t already know. It’s one of the top ten most visited sites on the internet and has been for ages. Just a random sampling shows that, in November 2021 alone, the site traffic reached 5.97 billion, making it the fourth most visited site online after Google, YouTube and Facebook.

Despite not generally being accepted as a “real” source for info, it’s a great starting point if nothing else and, according to Wikipedia itself, it has published over 57 million pages of information. 

The site was founded by Jimmy Wales back in 2001. But before that he had started a site known as Bomis which featured things like the “Bomis Babe Report” which featured galleries of half naked women, the Babe Engine which was a search engine for sexy women and, of course, Bomis Premium which was $2.95 per month and gave you access to X-rated content.

It was the money that Wales made from Bomis that allowed him to start Wikipedia and, in fact, Wikipedia was borrowing bandwidth from Bomis in its early years to stay active. He used money made from Bomis to pay to keep the servers online. So while Wikipedia may be a hub of knowledge today, it’s built on a foundation of soft core porn with a dash of hardcore on the side. 

3. The Founder of Toho Also Founded a Railway

Long before Godzilla was a multi-million dollar blockbuster franchise in America it was a multi-million dollar blockbuster franchise in Japan, but with less savvy special effects. Everyone knows the classic man-in-a-suit Godzilla and the Toho company still makes Godzilla movies the same way. 

Toho was founded by Ichizo Kobayashi in 1932 as the Tokyo Takarazuka Theater Co. Kobayashi was a man who dabbled in just about everything and, years before his company would create everyone’s favorite radioactive lizard, he was doing things like starting railroad companies and department stores. 

It was the railroad that inadvertently led to Godzilla, as Kobayashi wanted more customers on his trains so he devised a theater troupe to entertain people. The train theater evolved to normal theater and then later that turned into film. Later his company would not just create Godzilla but Akira Kurosawa’s legendary The Seven Samurai as well. 

2. Donald Duncan Made a Fortune in Yo-Yos and Parking Meters

Donald Duncan counts as a serious threat to the wallet because this man was all over the map with his business dealings and had success on multiple, disparate fronts. While he was once a franchise owner of a Good Humor Ice Cream, it’s not true that he invented the Eskimo Pie as some sources claim. That aside, he did make a name in yo-yos and parking meters. 

In 1946, Duncan Yo-Yos was making 3,600 yo-yos per hour. They sold 45 million in 1962. And when Duncan wasn’t keeping kids busy with a simple hobby, he was annoying their parents with parking fees. The Duncan Parking Meter Company was an idea he came up with years earlier and he managed to convince cities it would be a good way to make money. Though he sold the company in 1959, when he was still in charge, 80% of all parking meters in America were made by Duncan. 

1. Gavin McInnes Founded Vice Media and the Proud Boys

If you don’t know the name Gavin McInnes, that’s alright. His name tends to pop up most often in media circles in terms of his relationship with the media as he’s best known for being on both sides of that world.

McInnes founded Vice magazine in 1994, which grew into Vice Media, which is still very much a media company on the internet. The magazine was a sort of counterculture Canadian news magazine that was very much focused on the punk scene, or at least it filtered news through a sort of punk perspective. Vice Media is maybe best known in the mainstream for its documentary-style videos that were aired on HBO and covered a variety of topics. 

In more recent years, Vice Media has had to go on record to state they are no longer affiliated with McInnes because his other claim to fame is that he founded the Proud Boys. The Proud Boys are described as a neofascist white nationalist organization by Encyclopedia Britannica, and an extremist group with a violent agenda by the Anti-Defamation League.

There have always been scammers. But with the internet, scammers easily access their victims and often present themselves as legitimate businesses. As people have come to recognize the more obvious scams, scammers have become more sophisticated, and it can now be difficult to tell the real from the fake.

When online:

• Be wary of websites that use “http” rather than “https” at the beginning of the site URL.
• Check to see that there is a padlock icon next to the URL.
• Watch out for deals that are too good to be true, a sense of urgency (only 6 hours left to take advantage of this opportunity), and being asked to pay through a non-secure method such as a money order or transfer.

If you are interested in partnering or purchasing with a business, do a little digging around to ensure they are legit. With that in mind, let’s look at 10 legitimate business industries that seem like scams.

10 Antiques

The antique business is not logical. After all, why buy a 100-year-old table for a thousand bucks when you can get a trendier one at the local furniture store for much less?

Setting a price for an antique or collectible doesn’t depend on practical concerns such as usefulness; it depends on nebulous qualities such as rarity and what the market will pay. The market for antiques and collectibles is worth some $1.7 billion annually in the U.S. Antique dealers are not usually scammers – although they are naturally trying to get the best possible price.

If you have decided to buy antiques or collectibles, perhaps as an investment, you need to do a lot of research and discover what similar items are selling for on sites such as eBay or from auction catalogs.

9 Used Car Sales

Used car salespeople have a terrible reputation. They often work on commission and need to sell vehicles quickly and for the highest possible price. But this doesn’t mean that the business is a scam. A salesperson would probably be surprised if you accepted the posted price without bargaining. This is not a scam; it’s part of the game.

If you buy a used car privately, you know the seller is trying to get the best possible price, and some back-and-forth negotiations might be involved. It’s no different on a car lot or the internet. A number of websites will give you price comparisons so that you know if the price is reasonable for the year and model you want to buy.

Even if you know cars, it’s always a good idea to have a friend with you who can point out obvious problems you may have missed.

8 Content Creation

There are countless websites out there, hoping to grab your attention for more than a few seconds. To do this, businesses need good content that is interesting and informative. An industry has developed to meet the demand for attractive content.

Content providers promise to provide well-written articles that meet their client’s needs. Competition between providers is fierce, and writers are not usually paid much for their articles. Many people believe that these providers are scammers and that writers will do their work and never be paid for it—this is not true.

While some providers may not be entirely trustworthy, the majority understand that their writing team is their best asset. If you are thinking of writing for one of these sites, there are various review sites on the web that will give you a good idea of what to expect.

Many disgruntled writers leave negative reviews on forums, but perhaps these people have not understood the terms and conditions of their firms. The vast majority of content providers are perfectly legitimate.

7 Health and Wellness Items

The worldwide market for health and wellness food products is worth around $841 billion, and that’s just food. Add on supplements and treatments, and the market is enormous.

Everyone wants to live longer and healthier lives, and many of us are willing to spend a lot of money to help us achieve our goals. This allows scammers to exploit our vulnerabilities and sell us products or treatments that are of dubious benefit or, sometimes, downright dangerous. This is a headache for the many genuine companies that market carefully-prepared goods that meet a real need.

You should carefully research both the product and the seller. The golden rule is that if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Before taking supplements, it’s a good idea to consult your medical provider.

6 Recruitment Agencies

A professional recruitment agency wants to place the right person in the right job. The company the agency represents is paying a fee whether the job is part-time or full-time, temporary or permanent. It’s a legitimate business that can save an employer time and effort and find a job-seeker the position that suits their needs. Unfortunately, some scammers also work in this field.

Fake recruitment agencies might offer jobs on social media or contact you directly through email. These are after your personal information—do not respond if you don’t know the agency. Some job-placement agencies ask you to pay a registration fee. This is a red flag; a genuine agency will charge the company, not the job seeker.

Once more, it’s a question of doing a little homework to find out if the recruitment agency is genuine.

5 Technical Support

A genuine technical support team works under a strict code of conduct. Take Microsoft as an example. Microsoft will never send you an email out of the blue that tells you your computer has a problem. The company will not phone you to ask for financial or personal information. If your computer displays a pop-up asking you to call a number, no matter what it claims, it isn’t from Microsoft. In other words, they won’t contact you if you don’t contact them.

Scammers who pretend to be technical support staff might ask you to pay for a repair you don’t need or try to scam you out of personal information.

You should report any suspicious messages directly to the real company (eBay, Amazon, Walmart, etc.) and consider telling local law enforcement. These scammers are giving real technical support teams a bad name.

4 Online Coaching

You might have decided to work for yourself and try a new profession. Perhaps you don’t have the necessary experience and want to learn a little more before you take the plunge. Check out online providers such as edX or Coursera that offer a wide range of courses that might be just what you are looking for. These platforms offer well-designed courses that are sometimes free to access but will charge you a fee if you want to earn a certificate.

If you don’t find what you are looking for on these reputable sites, you could contact a professional brand in your chosen field and see which training courses they suggest.

Unfortunately, scammers have moved into the field with promises of guaranteed income and untold riches. Carefully vet these providers before you part with your money.

3 Real Estate

You can make good money in real estate, but it demands training, and plenty of courses offer the necessary preparation. An online course can allow you to continue in your present job while you are getting ready to change professions. Most of these are legitimate, but there are some shady ones out there.

Your course should meet your state’s licensing requirements, and your state should certify or approve the course. Having a word with a local realtor is not a bad idea to see what they would recommend. Online seminars that charge a fee but are not full courses can be a rip-off.

2 Charity

If there’s one area where scammers show what a cruel business they are in, it is charity. And it’s no wonder because there’s a lot of money in the charity business. In 2020, Americans donated an amazing $471 billion to worthy causes. Or they believed that they were worthy causes.

Most charities are perfectly legitimate, but some are criminal. After a natural disaster, for example, “charities” immediately appear, appealing for immediate financial help for the affected. A few of them are simply after your cash and disappear as quickly as they came. And, sometimes, even genuine charities can be mismanaged.

It would be a shame if all charities fell under suspicion just because a few are scams. You should always check before donating, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the charity. The Better Business Bureau, Charity Navigator, and CharityWatch all monitor charities.

Because of the scammers, people might be wary of giving to genuine charities. Whichever one you choose to support, be dire to do your homework before handing over your hard-earned money.

1 Debt Collection

Nobody likes debt collection agencies, but they do a difficult and necessary job. A code of ethics and federal legislation govern what a debt collector can do in the legitimate recovery of money owed. They must deal with people respectfully, register complaints about the validity of a debt, and never use threatening behavior when attempting to collect.

All genuine collectors adhere to the regulations and code of conduct that apply to their activity.

Because many people are naturally frightened of debt collectors, scammers have moved into the field, hoping that some of their victims will pay up to avoid threatened repercussions. A professional agency will never use threats either in writing or by phone.