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My First Million

6 Retro Business Ideas That Could Be As Big As LEGO ($11.8B)

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Shaan PurihostSam Parrhost

Jan 31, 20241h 8mWatch on YouTube

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CHAPTERS

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Chapter summaries

LEGO rabbit hole teaser: niche communities and overlooked business opportunities
The hosts set up the episode: Sam’s new LEGO habit led to discovering two LEGO-niche businesses and a broader brainstorm on “kidult” trends. Sam hints that one LEGO story later in the episode was unexpectedly emotional to research and encourages listeners to check out the companies’ sites.
- •Sam’s LEGO hobby sparks a deep dive into LEGO-adjacent businesses
- •Promise of two surprising LEGO niche companies most listeners haven’t heard of
- •Framing the episode as a brainstorm about passionate niche audiences that are easy to overlook
- •Sam previews an emotional, twist-filled backstory later in the episode
Lifestyle prototyping: Sam’s 7,500 sq ft Airbnb and why testing beats committing
Sam describes renting a very large house and realizing he dislikes the downsides—utilities, maintenance, and unused space. Shaan praises Sam’s habit of ‘testing’ lifestyle choices and they discuss why renting experiments can be cheaper than making long-term purchases that don’t fit.
- •Sam shares frustrations with a 7,500 sq ft rental: high costs, frequent breakage, too much to manage
- •Shaan describes a rule-of-thumb for bedrooms and how he repurposes space (e.g., studio room)
- •They discuss “prototype your life” by trying locations and lifestyles before committing
- •Sam argues a pricey short-term test can be cheaper than buying the wrong home for years
Adult LEGO building and the rise of “kidults”
The conversation shifts to adult LEGO building as a growing cultural and market trend. Shaan introduces the toy industry’s term for adults buying kids’ toys and explains the motivations companies found when they studied the phenomenon.
- •Shaan notes adult LEGO building has become trendy, citing public examples of adults building complex sets
- •The toy industry term “kidults” (and “elder-tainment”) is introduced
- •Shaan describes research findings on why adults buy toys: nostalgia, anti-loneliness, and phone/anxiety detox
- •Sam adds that he enjoys following instructions and avoiding decision-making while building
Sam’s LEGO Technics obsession: how he builds, why it sticks, and what happens afterward
Sam explains what he buys (LEGO Technics), what he enjoys about it (mechanics and learning), and how he fits it into his evenings. He also explains he’s not collecting finished sets—he plans to take them apart and rebuild using alternate plans.
- •Sam focuses on LEGO Technics for vehicles/mechanical builds with gears and moving parts
- •He describes building as a nightly routine, often for a couple of hours
- •Sam estimates he has spent about $1,500 so far and expects it to be a lifelong hobby
- •He doesn’t want finished builds sitting on a shelf; he plans to dismantle and rebuild differently
More “kidult” examples: Calm sleep stories, plushies, figurines, and adult Build-A-Bear nights
Shaan connects LEGO to a broader pattern of adults using childlike products for comfort, relaxation, or community. They discuss how Calm’s sleep stories helped it grow and list multiple toy brands and experiences increasingly bought by adults.
- •Shaan recounts Calm’s early skepticism and the breakthrough idea of bedtime stories for adults
- •They mention adult-oriented plush products and collectible figurines as comfort/nostalgia items
- •Funko is discussed as a toy figurine business that grew during COVID-era collecting
- •Build-A-Bear’s adult revenue share and “After Dark” concept are highlighted
Drunk-ideas-style pitches: Tamagotchi babies and rebooting K’nex for adults
Shaan pitches new business ideas inspired by the kidult trend and asks Sam to react. They explore a Tamagotchi-like baby simulation and the possibility of relaunching K’nex aimed at adult hobbyists.
- •Pitch: a baby-version Tamagotchi that mimics baby-like care needs
- •Sam notes many proven ideas would have sounded terrible beforehand, making this category hard to judge
- •Pitch: “K’nex 2.0” repositioned for adults who enjoy LEGO-style building
- •Sam says he’s in on the K’nex reboot concept and finds the category compelling
Easier Rubik’s cube and tactile craft kits: Wordle-cube, candle pouring, and ‘relaxation puddle’
Shaan proposes making a more approachable Rubik’s cube experience by adding letters and a daily puzzle mechanic. They also discuss candle pouring kits and Shaan’s half-formed idea for an immersive sensory relaxation product, plus how memetic ‘ridiculous’ ideas can spread.
- •Pitch: an easier Rubik’s cube with letters, designed like a daily Wordle-style challenge
- •Shaan compares lightweight daily games to the New York Times Mini Crossword habit
- •Pitch: candle pouring kits as a satisfying, repeat-purchase craft activity; Sam likes the repeat-buy angle
- •They riff on ‘relaxation puddle’ and the idea that ridiculous concepts can get memed into attention
Rebrickable: a LEGO MOC marketplace with a rabid community and ‘airport business’ potential
Sam introduces Rebrickable, explaining how it helps users rebuild sets into new designs using community-created instructions. They break down how the platform works, why it’s technically complicated, and why loyal niche communities can support strong businesses.
- •Rebrickable lets users input what sets/parts they own and find compatible MOCs (My Own Creations)
- •Designers sell building instructions; the site functions as a marketplace
- •Sam highlights public stats shared by the founder and the scale of usage and page views
- •They discuss how once a passionate audience is gathered, many adjacent products can be sold (‘airport business’)
BrickLink’s origin story: anonymity, tragedy, and a community kept alive
Sam tells the story of BrickLink’s founder, the early days as ‘Brick Bay,’ and the site’s evolution into a marketplace for buying and selling LEGO pieces and sets. The story turns emotional as he describes the founder’s death and how the founder’s mother and stepfather took over despite not knowing how to run it.
- •BrickLink began as Brick Bay, then rebranded after a legal issue with the name
- •The founder ran it under the anonymous identity ‘Admin’ with volunteer moderators
- •Sam describes the founder’s death and the lack of clarity about the cause
- •The founder’s family takes over without passwords/operational knowledge and works to keep the community alive
BrickLink’s later chapters: acquisition by a Korean billionaire and eventually LEGO
The hosts continue BrickLink’s timeline: it becomes a valuable asset, is acquired by a wealthy buyer, and later ends up owned by LEGO. They note unusual coincidences in the story and discuss why LEGO said it wanted to preserve the community’s tradition.
- •They describe a later buyer who was a major figure in Korean gaming and a billionaire
- •Sam reads a passage about the founder building a currency exchange engine for global transactions
- •They note the buyer also owned a large crypto exchange and discuss overlapping themes of underground internet culture
- •LEGO ultimately buys BrickLink and says it wants to keep the tradition going with minimal disruption
From LEGO to fanfiction: passion-driven sites that grow via search and community pull
Shaan compares LEGO communities to fanfiction ecosystems where enthusiasts create and share extensions of beloved worlds. They discuss how passionate users find each other organically and how giant audiences can form even when monetization isn’t the early focus.
- •Fanfiction communities are described as highly passionate and self-propelling
- •They mention fan-driven hubs around major stories and the habit of reading fan-written continuations
- •They discuss Wattpad’s scale and how passion can outpace revenue in perceived value
- •They highlight how users do the marketing by constantly searching for more content and community
Stewardship, moats, and slow growth: what niche communities demand from builders
Sam outlines common traits of these businesses: they can look silly at first, they often benefit from slow growth, and they form strong moats if handled carefully. They discuss how communities can revolt when platforms make changes and why owners must act more like stewards than dictators.
- •These businesses often start as ‘joke-sounding’ ideas but can become large with enough fans
- •Slow, steady growth can preserve credibility with hardcore users
- •Strong loyalty creates a moat, but missteps can trigger backlash
- •Example: a community revolt when moderation rules changed in a large cooking group
Applying the lesson to MFM: audience identity, meetups without the hosts, and the ‘reverse funnel’
They reflect on how these community dynamics relate to their own podcast and audience. Shaan shares the idea of building a ‘reverse funnel’ from the most passionate users outward, and they discuss how organic meetups show a community forming around shared values and interests.
- •Shaan identifies the audience as business nerds who also want humor and fun
- •They discuss resisting growth tactics that feel dilutive or inauthentic
- •They describe listener-organized meetups that continued monthly without the hosts’ involvement
- •Shaan explains the ‘reverse funnel’ concept: build from the most hardcore users upward; Sam connects it to how he built Hampton’s early cohort
Palworld and the ‘midwit’ idea: simple concepts that sound dumb can win big
Shaan introduces Palworld as an example of a hit built on a simple, almost absurd premise. They discuss how overthinking can block execution and how the ‘midwit meme’ is a reminder to keep things obvious and straightforward.
- •Shaan describes Palworld’s rapid success and frames it as a ‘simple to the point of sounding dumb’ idea
- •They discuss the appeal of straightforward hooks versus over-intellectualized narratives
- •Sam shares details from the founder’s writing style and the team’s unconventional approach
- •Shaan connects it to his personal tendency to over-architect and the value of doing the obvious thing
Midwit meme coffee-table book idea and closing reflections
Shaan discusses wanting a glossy coffee-table book of midwit memes and how over-analysis can kill fun projects. They close by encouraging a friend to ship the idea, asking listeners to nudge him, and wrapping the episode after a final reflection on having fun dorking out.
- •Shaan recounts a friend’s idea for a high-end midwit meme book and how perfectionism stalled it
- •Shaan argues the project should be done for fun even if it’s not optimized for profit
- •They suggest listeners tweet ‘Do it’ to motivate the creator
- •They end the episode emphasizing enjoyment and the value of niche enthusiasm

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