We broke our phones so hard we're paying to fix them

Extremely Valid business ideas are backed by both quantitative (keyword search volume) and qualitative (Reddit conversations) analysis.

View all the ideas and all the research at extremelyvalid.ai/ideas

Hey friend,

Remember when the biggest threat to productivity was a game of Solitaire that came pre-installed on your Windows 95 machine?

Those were simpler times. Back then, "going viral" meant you probably needed antibiotics, and the most addictive thing in your pocket was a pack of gum.

Fast forward to 2025, and we've somehow managed to cram a casino, a social validation machine, an infinite scroll of strangers' opinions, and approximately 47 different ways to buy things you don't need into a device that also happens to make phone calls.

We built the most incredible information and communication tool in human history... and then spent the next decade figuring out how to make it as distracting and habit-forming as possible.

It's like we invented fire and immediately started a business teaching people how to stick their hands in it.

Now we're at the point where people are literally paying money to make their $1,200 smartphone dumber.

We're downloading apps to block other apps. We're buying $300 "dumb phones" that do less than a Nokia 3310 from 2001. We're subscribing to services that mail us puzzles so we remember what it feels like to use our hands for something other than swiping.

This is like spending $80,000 on a Tesla and then paying someone to remove the engine so you can push it to work for the exercise.

But here's the thing about mass behavioral contradictions: they create massive business opportunities.

Today I'm diving into the "Digital Disconnect" trend - where burned-out humans are desperately trying to escape the very technology they can't live without. It's creating a whole economy around solving problems we literally created for ourselves.

There's gold in them there ironies, friends. Let's dig in.

Ideas

MindfulMod

This is peak 2025 energy: using artificial intelligence to help you use less artificial intelligence.

MindfulMod is basically a personal bouncer for your phone. Before you open Instagram, it asks "Hey, what are you actually trying to accomplish here?" Like having a therapist embedded in your operating system.

The beauty is that it's not just blocking apps - it's making you confront your own impulses. It's the digital equivalent of putting your credit cards in a block of ice in your freezer. Technically you can still use them, but you have to really want it.

Target market: People who are self-aware enough to know they have a problem but not disciplined enough to solve it themselves. So... everyone.

Unplug Crate

A subscription box for people who miss having hobbies that don't require Wi-Fi.

Each month you get a box of "remember when we used to do stuff?" - books, puzzles, art supplies, maybe some seeds to plant. It's like HelloFresh but instead of teaching you to cook, it teaches you to exist without a screen.

The target customer is someone who spends 8 hours a day on Zoom calls and genuinely can't remember what they used to do for fun before TikTok existed.

This is brilliantly positioned because it solves the "okay I put my phone down, now what?" problem. Most people don't actually know how to be bored anymore. We've outsourced entertainment to algorithms.

NotSoDumb Phones

Selling "smart dumb phones" - devices that are just smart enough to handle your essential apps but too dumb to doom-scroll.

This business exists because we've created a Goldilocks problem: regular smartphones are too smart, actual dumb phones are too dumb, but phones that are "just right" are weirdly hard to find.

It's like being a drug dealer, but instead of getting people high, you're helping them get... normal? You're the connection for people who want to downgrade their life in the most expensive way possible.

Bedtime Unwind Coach

This targets the very specific hell of knowing you should go to sleep but scrolling Instagram until 2 AM because it's the only "me time" you get.

It's coaching for people who are self-sabotaging their sleep because their days feel so out of control that staying up late feels like rebellion. Even though the only person you're rebelling against is... yourself.

This might be the most psychologically sophisticated business idea here. It's not just about sleep hygiene - it's about helping people reclaim agency over their time during waking hours so they don't need to steal it from sleep.

MinimaLink

A B2B play that creates "diet versions" of popular apps for minimalist phones.

This solves the problem that people want WhatsApp and banking apps on their dumb phones, but they don't want the full dopamine-optimized experience. It's like asking for a mocktail version of your favorite cocktail.

The genius is recognizing that most people don't want zero connectivity - they want intentional connectivity. They need their banking app, but they don't need it to have social features and push notifications about their credit score.

Craving more than just the basics?

Share your favorite idea on X and tag me, I’ll help you think through next steps.

Love,

Riley