A friend of mine legit started a business where people could rent pets for the weekend. No joke — like an Airbnb, but for dogs, cats, and even exotic animals (yes, someone once tried to book a hedgehog).

Everyone told him it was a terrible idea. Animal rights people hated it. Logistics were a nightmare. And honestly? He had zero clue how to scale it.

But somehow, it picked up.

People were lonely, didn’t want the full-time commitment of a pet, and were weirdly okay paying just to hang out with an animal for a few days. Couples booked them for “trial parenting,” influencers used them for photoshoots, some just wanted a dog for their hiking weekend.

Was it chaotic? Absolutely. Did it break every rule of a “good business idea”? Yep.
But it worked — at least for a while.

It made me realize: some businesses don’t make sense on paper, but make perfect sense to the people who need them.

What’s the weirdest startup idea you’ve seen actually work? Or better yet… what’s the “dumb idea” you secretly think could crush?