Well, that's just not true. Though certainly not the norm, some of these communities have done really well: - Yogi Tea was started by 3HO which was a network o

Well, that's just not true. Though certainly not the norm, some of these communities have done really well: - Yogi Tea was started by 3HO which was a network of Ashrams in the 70s, today they do tens of millions of dollars in sales. - Oneida Flatware has its origin in the Oneida Community, a 19th century free-love sect in New York State, and they're still one of the largest silverware brands. - The Bruderhof Communities run the Community Playthings company, a multi-million dollar furniture operation. Those are just the ones that come to mind. Interestingly they are all examples of religious groups. I'd love to know of examples that are not.