Five businesses that prove you can sell anything

You say there is no opportunity for the entrepreneur left in today's economy? Then, brother, you aren't thinking far enough outside the box. Here are five businesses that offer products that are...unique.

1. Afterlife Telegrams. Did you leave something unsaid to a loved (or unloved) one who has passed away? It's not too late. For $5 a word, Afterlife Telegrams will find a terminally ill volunteer to memorize your message and pass it along once they're on "the other side."

2. The Something Store. Is the act of shopping more important to you than what you actually buy? Then you might love the Something Store. This online merchant will send you something for $10; what that something is will be a total surprise until you open the box. In the past, the box has contained a 12-stone heart set, a radio-controlled Ford Mustang, and a Kenneth Cole tie.

3. You've Been Left Behind. This company will send pre-arranged messages from those who have ascended during the Rapture to friends who have been left behind. The company will send these documents by e-mail to the damned six days after the Rapture, as identified when three of the five team members of You've Been Left Behind fail to log in over a three-day period. (I hope South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford isn't one of the team members.)

4. Prairie Tumbleweed Farm. For those of you who long for the joy of getting a tumbleweed trapped between your oil pan and the highway, this Kansas business will ship you one of Tornado Alley's finest. Interesting fact -- the tumbleweed is not native to North America, but was imported in the 1870s, probably in flaxseed from Russia.

5. Lucky Break Wishbones. For those who want to go best two out of three with the wishbone at the Thanksgiving table, this company makes plastic ones in packs of 4, 5, 8, and 10. My advice? If you don't get your wish after three wishbones, try another method.

Looking at these companies, you can see how little you need to start your own business: just an idea, a Web site, a UPS box and some customers with more money than sense.