Lazy Money Issue 24

Happy Sunday!

My mom paid $300 for 'custom' perfume that's about as personalized as a Starbucks order. Here is what I learned from it.

The Story

"They mixed it right in front of me!" she said, like she'd witnessed alchemy.

I looked it up. Le Labo. They charge $300 to pour pre-made perfume concentrate into alcohol while you watch. The only "custom" part? They print your name on the label.

To call that customization is a bit of a stretch.

But it got me thinking - everyone's pulling this same bullshit move.

Nike lets you "design" shoes by picking from 8 pre-selected colors. Starbucks writes your name wrong on the same latte everyone else drinks. Coca-Cola made billions putting random names on bottles in 2014. Sales jumped 11% because people lost their minds trying to find "Share a Coke with Jessica."

It's all fake. But it somehow works.

The pattern is obvious: Fake customization beats no customization. But real customization beats everything.

How To Profit

• Custom Wine or Beer Labels 🍻

I once launched a deck of playing cards paired with custom-branded beer…no joke, it was one of my most successful campaigns. All I did was partner with a local brewery to slap my custom labels onto their bottles. Easy.

Think about weddings, birthdays, corporate events, or product launches. You can sell personalized labels alone or collaborate with local wineries or breweries to deliver the full experience. The branding potential is massive, and your customers pay a premium for something simple yet special.

• Custom Candles 🕯️

Confession time: I'm a candle collector. Now, before you unsubscribe, hear me out: pumpkin spice in the fall, apple pie anytime….yes, please. But let's be real, making candles isn't rocket science.

Create candles tailored to niche occasions or moods rather than generic scents. A candle for the start of football season, a candle celebrating a new job, or one tailored for anniversaries. Some more ideas: "Saturday Morning Cartoons" - cereal and dusty TV static. "Mom's Kitchen" - coffee and burnt toast. Let people describe their memory, you figure out the scent blend. Attach custom labels designed via AI, and suddenly an ordinary candle becomes a premium, personalized gift.

• Custom Generated Songs 🎵

Nobody knows Suno.AI exists. It makes professional songs in 30 seconds from text prompts.

Build a clean website. Use their API. Someone types "song about my wife who loves cats and hates mornings." Boom. Full production, vocals, everything. Delivered instantly.

Price it simple: $10 per song, $39 for five, $59 monthly unlimited. Maybe add custom album art for another $10 using Midjourney.

You're basically a middleman between people who want custom songs and AI that makes them. Pure profit, no overhead. The tech does everything.

The Ace Toolkit

Ace always said, "The best businesses sell the same thing to everyone while making each person feel like the only customer."

Printful or Printify - Print-on-demand services that handle the messy parts. You design, they print and ship. No inventory needed.

"The Paradox of Choice" by Barry Schwartz - Why too many options makes people miserable, but just enough customization makes them pay premium.

Until next time,

Alex

Founder //LZY MNY CLB