Hate to Wait? Hire Someone Else to Do It

Somewhere between efficiency and laziness lies an entire industry dedicated to making money off other people's mundane tasks.

Annoyed by, lacking time for and dreading minutiae, the harried masses have created a need for professional hagglers, line standers and personal concierge services that will, among other things, wait around for the cable guy. Some are born out of demand, but a special few derive from the sloth of founders like John Evangelista.

While attending Seton Hall University in 1993, Evangelista stopped by a drug store to pick up a last-minute Valentine's Day gift for his girlfriend. He bought cheap flowers and a stuffed orangutan, and tried to pass it off as the most original idea in the history of romance. His girlfriend broke up with him two days later, but left him with the idea for Dumpmonkey.com. ...