9 killer $10M+ business ideas in 56 minutes (take notes NOW)
Executive Summary
My First Million episode 849, a Drunk Ideas episode where hosts Sam Parr and Shaan Puri, with producer Ari as co-host, brainstorm nine half-baked but possibly workable business ideas. The description lists them as reverse vacations, a rap battle plus UFC fight, a giant claw machine, a butter dispenser, beepers for kids, a Mexican Benihana, bulk custom gifts, Slop Stop and take your roommate to work day, and they vote at the end. This note covers the show premise, the reverse vacation idea, the kids landline and beeper discussion and the final vote. Sponsor: the description links a HubSpot business ideas database and promotes Hampton, Somewhere and Mercury. PARTIAL COVERAGE: this note is based on the opening, the first idea, the beeper segment, the closing vote and the description, and does not cover the other ideas in detail across the roughly 56 minute episode. The ideas are jokes and brainstorms; stats mentioned are the speakers' own and are not independently checked.
Key Takeaways
The premise
Shaan says Drunk Ideas lets him pitch bad ideas under the guise of alcohol, though each has a nugget of something in it.
A running list
He says he keeps a running list in Slack and tags each one as a drunk idea so he can search it later.
Vacation versus lock-in
He draws vacations as lower productivity and higher relaxation, and says there is no word for a week of locking in.
Reverse vacations
He pitches a lock-in camp at a penitentiary-style site, with a tracksuit and a goal, where you are not there to relax.
The kids phone trend
Ari shows a physical landline for kids that works over Wi-Fi, which costs about 100 dollars plus 10 dollars a month, per the hosts' reading of the site.
Beepers for kids
Shaan responds to the unbundling problem of removing smartphones by asking how about beepers for kids.
The vote
The hosts vote for one idea each, Ari picks a Mexican tableside concept, and Sam and Shaan both pick kids' beepers.
The Conversation Breakdown
The premise
⏱ Untimed topicShaan says Drunk Ideas lets him pitch bad ideas under the guise of alcohol, though each has a nugget of something in it.
A running list
⏱ Untimed topicHe says he keeps a running list in Slack and tags each one as a drunk idea so he can search it later.
Vacation versus lock-in
⏱ Untimed topicHe draws vacations as lower productivity and higher relaxation, and says there is no word for a week of locking in.
Reverse vacations
⏱ Untimed topicHe pitches a lock-in camp at a penitentiary-style site, with a tracksuit and a goal, where you are not there to relax.
The kids phone trend
⏱ Untimed topicAri shows a physical landline for kids that works over Wi-Fi, which costs about 100 dollars plus 10 dollars a month, per the hosts' reading of the site.
Beepers for kids
⏱ Untimed topicShaan responds to the unbundling problem of removing smartphones by asking how about beepers for kids.
The vote
⏱ Untimed topicThe hosts vote for one idea each, Ari picks a Mexican tableside concept, and Sam and Shaan both pick kids' beepers.
Core Frameworks & Ideas
Idea list habit - Shaan's system
Capture ideas in one searchable place with a consistent tag.
Unbundling test - Shaan's lesson
Check what a smartphone does for a family and what you lose when you remove it.
Reverse a category - reverse vacations
Flip a familiar product to meet the opposite need.
Actionable Next Steps
- ✓Start a single searchable list for your business ideas.
- ✓Pick one familiar product and sketch its opposite for a different need.
- ✓List what a smartphone does for a child and which parts a simple device could cover.
- ✓Treat the stats and ideas as brainstorms and test demand before building.
Notable Quotes
“It's basically a lock-in camp.”
“How about beepers for kids?”
“I think we should create this company by the way.”
The One Thing to Remember
The hosts brainstorm nine half-baked business ideas, led by Shaan's reverse vacation lock-in camp, and end by voting for kids' beepers as the idea most worth building.