The Startup Saved by Cereal Boxes

Before Airbnb became famous, it was almost dead.

The founders were broke, investors were saying no, the website was not growing, and the idea of sleeping in strangers’ homes sounded too weird for normal people.

So they did something completely unexpected.

They sold cereal.

Obama O’s.
Cap’n McCain’s.
Tiny boxes of breakfast cereal sold for $40 each.

This Red Glasses Stickman story explains the business psychology behind Airbnb’s early survival, startup creativity, founder hustle, weird marketing, and why a ridiculous-looking move can sometimes keep a company alive long enough to win.

The cereal did not become Airbnb.

But it kept Airbnb alive long enough to become Airbnb.

Sometimes the thing that looks ridiculous today is the reason the company still exists tomorrow.

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