5 Successful Business Ideas You've Never Heard Of

Ideas are a dime in a dozen, but the execution is king. Here are five successful business ideas we couldn't believe are taking off all over the world.

1.  Yihaodian

This supermarket chain has over 1,000 virtual outlets that are only accessible the those wielding the app. Within the app, users can shop through a virtual augmented reality store, shop to their hearts (and wallets) content. Up till June 2016, it owned by Walmart, but since independence, it has taken off exponentially. This is a favourite time saver for brand journalists.

2. Vitality Air

The quest for clean air in China has reached the point where a company called Vitality Air has started selling clean canned Canadian air. In December 2015, they sold over 4,000 cans in China alone for US$ 50 per can. This concept joins the ranks of the many successful business ideas replicated by Chinese locals, raking millions in profit for the copycats.

3. SWAGO

Are you too polite to tell someone that they have terrible body odour? Log on to SWAGO to send your friend an anonymous message and a free sample wipes. The company originally had the URL of myfriendstinks.com and gradually grew out of it after the idea acceptability picked up.

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4. Rent a Foreigner

Another example from China, but famous here in the Middle East as well, is the idea of renting a Western face to create the impression of credibility. Club owners in China and Malaysia are known to hire foreign exchange students for as much as US$ 25 per hour to simply have a good time at their venues. This attracts local women, which in turn attracts local men. The rented Western hire is explicitly instructed to turn down any dates or offers from the women attending, so the local men have a chance. The same situation often occurs in the Middle East with Western faces being asked to have a presence in the board room for credibility boosting. In some cases, foreign faces are also hired to pose as celebrities.

5. Innisfree

This product single-handedly launched the US$ 1 billion male cosmetics industry in South Korea. The reason is simple: all Korean men are required to serve two years in the military. All are required to use military-grade camouflage. Everyone who has used it can attest to the fact that the cream is extremely hard to wash off. So Innisfree marketed its product at the mothers, sisters, and girlfriends of soldiers, who in turn purchased and gifted the cream to their newly deployed sons, brothers, and significant others. It is now the market leader in South Korea.

What are the oddest successful business ideas you've come across? Share your experiences in the comments below.