Duke sophomore Bryan Silverman, a finalist to become Entrepreneur Magazine’s “College Entrepreneur of 2012,” can tell you the many jokes he’s heard about his newly launched business.
“People say ‘what a crappy idea’ and things like that” when he offers to advertise their businesses on rolls of toilet paper. “But once they get through cracking jokes, they usually love it.”
Yes, that’s correct: Advertising on toilet paper. Silverman and his brother Jordan have convinced restaurants, a bowling alley, a car wash and others to do just that on rolls of bathroom tissue, which they are offering for free to venues that would otherwise have to pay to supply their restroom stalls. The brothers hire a manufacturer to print the ads with a soybean-based ink, which they’ve tested for safety.