7 ms·
Making $25k/month selling chocolate dicks
- jsjohnst 8y agoFurther proof you can make money literally doing anything if you are persistent and able to learn along the way.
- cyberferret 8y agoI would also look at this as a lesson that anything that might seem weird/odd/strange/abhorrent/unworkable to yourself still has the potential to be a successful money making venture. One of my biggest problems with starting and growing a business is that I tend to put too much of my own biases and perceptions on things, and tend to dismiss anything outside of that as being outside the norm. This article is a reminder to keep an open mind, always.
- ekovarski 8y agore: open mind; for sure... this also reminds me of the business that went viral a few years ago selling edible anuses made from milk chocolate.
- hn_throwaway_99 8y agoI really liked this article, and I thought it really embodied a "hacker" ethos, in doing something originally for personal enjoyment, then realizing it had potential and growing it into a business. I also really liked this paragraph from a business perspective: Lastly, this product is viral in nature. People think it’s funny to post about sending a chocolate penis to someone in the mail. Because most people are not sending it to themselves, we always include an offer code and a way to get to our site in every order. It is a literally a direct marketing campaign paid for by our customers.
- dnautics 8y agoThey should include a fast path to buy (at a modest discount) and send a dick back to the sender. It has to be enough such that the recipient has some pleasure of knowing that they paid less for their dick
- ZeikJT 8y agoDiscount Dick-Counter (Sung with the Mattress Discounters jingle[1]) [1] https://youtu.be/G_2l0XWxP-w https://youtu.be/G_2l0XWxP-w
- coldtea 8y agoMore like proof that some random ideas can catch on.
- rectang 8y agoHave they pursued a relationship with Spencer's Gifts? Because that's where I would have expected to find this product.
- chickenfries 8y agoWould you eat something that you bought from a Spencer's Gifts?
- michaelgv 8y agoDoes that make them “Professional Dicks”?
- booleandilemma 8y agoI would love to send a chocolate dick to a company I previously worked for.
- duxup 8y ago>we can’t find ways to market to the people who don’t know they need to buy a chocolate dick Can confirm, I didn't know I needed this service.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- mikec3010 8y agoI'm offended. Remove this at once dang. This is gender stereotyping and misogyny. We don't need this kind of harangueing in here.
- netsharc 8y agoStephen Fry said it best: https://youtube.com/watch?v=UxXbDgLdClc https://youtube.com/watch?v=UxXbDgLdClc
- gshubert17 8y agoHere's the transcript: “It's now very common to hear people say, 'I'm rather offended by that.' As if that gives them certain rights. It's actually nothing more... than a whine. 'I find that offensive.' It has no meaning; it has no purpose; it has no reason to be respected as a phrase. 'I am offended by that.' Well, so fucking what." https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/706825-it-s-now-very-common-to-hear-people-say-i-m-rather https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/706825-it-s-now-very-common...
- userbinator 8y agoIf you insist, here is the female version: http://www.lagustasluscious.com/shop/bluestocking-bonbons/furious-vulvas http://www.lagustasluscious.com/shop/bluestocking-bonbons/fu...
- itronitron 8y agoThat is more of an attempt at the female version, best of luck to them...
- hahn0pe 8y agoGrow some balls. Oh wait.
- dang 8y agoWe've banned this account for repeatedly trolling HN. If you don't want to be banned, you're welcome to email hn@ycombinator.com and give us reason to believe that you'll follow the rules in the future. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
- rainbowmverse 8y agoFor the friend who has everything.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- mirimir 8y agoI was expecting fabrication of custom dicks ;)
- georgiecasey 8y agoi've always wondered, is it in anybody's interest for these revenue numbers to be correct? both the business and the indiehacker clone website know a bigger number is a better story.
- skinnymuch 8y agoYes something I always wonder and assume many large numbers are [excessively] exaggerated. I’m surprised this concern doesn’t crop up more here. Someone usually brings it up, but not as much as I’d expect.
- happy-go-lucky 8y ago> Disclaimer: Products on this site are intended only as gag gifts for adults. https://imgur.com/a/Td9vl1f https://imgur.com/a/Td9vl1f You should remove the picture of children placing an order for your chocolate. Edit: That's disgusting!
- dotBen 8y agoUnfortunate of the word 'gag'
- p1mrx 8y agoWhy remove the picture? It's hilarious.
- jarfil 8y agoSon: Eat a dick, mom! LOL Mom: That's how your brother was born. Son: But, I don't have a brother. Mom: Precisely. (they probably could use this as a marketing ploy, "disgusting" is part of the whole idea)
- paddysanfran 8y agoAmazing, just read this story
- gitgud 8y agoY Combinator's motto is: "Make Something People Want" I guess it speaks for it self in this case...
- wjp3 8y agoReminds me of the service years ago that you could send dog shit to someone. There were three levels, all the way up to a dump from 'Buster'.
- itronitron 8y agoFor some reason I doubt that Buster is a dog.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- bobwaycott 8y agoDo you mean shitsenders.com? That was the best. I don’t recall Buster, but I do recall them offering cow, elephant, and gorilla shit.
- jackconnor 8y agoBest headline in HN history
- Redoubts 8y agoNot affiliated with this company at all, but I’m really happy this is my first front page submission.
- yeukhon 8y agoI will create a business called "Eat Your Face" by printing a mold of your face and send it over to you. I wonder if that gets $25K a month. Actually, you know what, I will look into this business. I will copy.
- abdulccc 8y agoHaha amazingly story
- tmaly 8y agoI wonder what am I doing wrong, 25k is a good chunk of change
- DoreenMichele 8y agoThis is not the first time I have read a story about someone sort of stumbling into a viable business. I'm jealous of that aspect, though I don't think I would want this exact business.
- dawhizkid 8y agoMakes sense in the Instagram-optimized commerce world we live in now. People will pay a premium if something makes a good Instagram post (I would put a chocolate dick in this category). Walking around NYC (maybe less so SF for now) I saw many restaurants repaint exterior walls with angel wings, quotes, neon lights, etc. that were all meant to entice people to take pictures and tag the location on Instagram as a marketing tool. Maybe semi-depressingly so if you're going into e-commerce or otherwise selling some physical good your first marketing question should be "will this look good on Instagram?"
- muzz 8y agoIn popular cities with famous landmarks, there are many "tours" (and Airbnb "experiences") that consist of simply a photographer taking pictures of you in front of these famous landmarks, ostensibly for Instagram. They often differentiate themselves based on the Instagram cred of the photographer.
- DAYD 8y agoA little late to the party, but i was just told this has been shared on Hacker News. My name is Adam and I am the creator of Dick At Your Door. Happy to answer any questions people have. Apologies if my formatting is poor. I’m unfamiliar with the forum. Glad you all have gotten a laugh!
- coldtea 8y agoIsn't having only this option sexist? Where's the "Pussy at your door"? (though understandably that might be confused for a kitten adoption service)
- theriddlr 8y agoI had difficulty sourcing chocolate penises for a gag Easter egg gift. Ended up buying a homemade one off eBay just wrapped in cellophane. I thought it'd be a great business idea – no overhead and not holding unsold stock.