GM. This is Needs to Exist (aka NTE), giving you a startup idea that helps “forbidden” brands grow when Meta and Google say no.

Over 5,000 ideas live. NTE Pro gives you the flashlight to spot the ones hiding in the dark corners.

Most people have sparks that burn out fast. NTE Zero to One is the ignition switch that turns them into fire.

Check out all the past newsletters here

Here’s what we’ve got for you today.

• Daily Idea - Forbidden Growth Playbook

• Museum Hall of Fame?

Forbidden Products, Unstoppable Growth 🚀

Sticking with the same vice theme as yesterday, the “forbidden” industries still duct-tape their marketing.

NTE Zero To One can help you build the agency that finally gives them a real playbook.

The One Liner

The growth agency for products too spicy for Google.

The 140 character tweet (or X) version

When Meta says “nope,” we say “watch this.” Adult, cannabis, gambling, CBD, we build channels Big Tech pretends don’t exist.

The Longer Story Version

The Problem

Try running ads for cannabis gummies on Facebook. Boom, account banned.
Launching a sex tech startup on Google Ads? Forget it, you’re blacklisted before your first click.
Even CBD companies get treated like cartel fronts.

These are billion-dollar industries, but they’re locked out of the normal playbook. Most agencies either won’t touch them or blow cash trying to sneak in, like stuffing weed into a TicTac box and hoping TSA won’t notice.

The Solution

A marketing agency built specifically for the “you can’t sit with us” crowd. Instead of crying about Meta’s terms of service, we lean into channels that actually work:

• Adult ad networks: Want to reach dudes scrolling at 2AM? Platforms like TrafficJunky and ExoClick are basically the Times Square billboards of the adult internet.

• Influencer collabs: A cannabis brand sponsoring a Twitch streamer who’s literally smoking mid-stream? 100% legal, 10x more authentic than a banner ad.

• SEO trenches: Owning the top spot for “best CBD oil for sleep” is worth more than a Super Bowl ad if you’re in this game.

Instead of dodging rules, we play where the rules don’t apply. And the best part? These strategies build real brand loyalty, not just drive-by clicks.

How We’d Build It

Stage 1 — Scrappy Hustle Mode

• Stack: Airtable to track clients, Ahrefs to steal SEO traffic, adult ad networks (TrafficJunky/ExoClick).

• GTM: Grab 3 brave brands (a vape pen, a lingerie startup, a CBD gummy line). Run “proof of sin” campaigns → instant case studies.

Stage 2 — Legit Agency Glow-Up

• Stack: Clearscope for SEO, Kynship to automate influencer outreach, SparkToro for audience intelligence.

• Infra: Webflow site with a not-so-subtle tagline: “We help brands Big Tech is scared of.”

• GTM: Go niche-famous — host a “Vice Marketing Playbook” webinar, invite cannabis CEOs and OnlyFans managers.

Stage 3 — Empire of Sin Marketing

• Stack: Build a compliance database mapping every country/platform rule.

• Tools: SimilarWeb for traffic spying, Impact.com for influencer deals, Clarity.fm to spin up advisory calls with regulators.

• Growth Loops: Drop an annual “Forbidden Marketing Report.” Media eats it up. Clients flock because you own the narrative.

Why It Needs to Exist

Because shouting “follow us” on Instagram doesn’t work when Instagram nukes your account. These industries don’t need another cookie-cutter agency, they need a guide through the regulatory jungle.

A cross-vertical “vice marketing” agency is edgy enough to stand out but buttoned-up enough to keep brands safe. It’s the perfect mix of rebel + professional.

Think about it: the company selling $80 weed sodas doesn’t care about “reach.” They want the stoners actually buying weed sodas.

The lingerie DTC brand doesn’t want to rank for “underwear.” They want “best lingerie to impress your situationship.” That’s where this agency wins.

Everyone’s got “the next big thing.”

The AI toothbrush. The dating app for left-handed plumbers. The gluten-free cryptocurrency.

Here’s the twist: they’ll never launch it.
Because talking feels safe. Launching feels scary.

NTE Zero to One exists for the people who actually do stuff.
We hand you the bare essentials:

• One launch page.

• Real humans clicking, signing up, judging you with their wallets.

• The brutal clarity of “hell yes” or “hard pass.”

No cofounder needed. No investors. No 80-slide deck.
Just momentum, the rarest currency in startups.

It’s $49.
Less than the cost of your monthly “productivity” apps that never built you a thing.

👉 Stop collecting apps. Start collecting wins.

Museum Exhibit or Hall of Fortune?

You stroll into the Museum of Bad Startup Ideas.

On the left wall: Juicero, the $400 wifi juicer that squeezed packets you could just squeeze with your hands.
Next: MoviePass - unlimited movies for $10/month, aka “lighting money on fire.”

But then you notice a new shiny installation.
A velvet rope, spotlight, dramatic plaque:

“The Vice Marketing Agency”

The tour guide speaks with reverence.
“Here we have an agency designed for the industries mainstream platforms won’t touch , cannabis, CBD, adult entertainment, gambling, sex tech. While other businesses get to play on Google Ads and TikTok, these billion-dollar industries are stuck duct-taping together SEO hacks and late-night ad networks. This agency was built to give them a legit playbook.”

The crowd nods. Makes sense.

And then the museum security guard leans against the wall, arms crossed.
“Yeah yeah… sounds clever. But compliance is a nightmare. Regulators don’t play games. You want to be the agency known for porn and pot? Enjoy explaining that to your banker.”

The tour guide shoots back:
“But that’s the moat! Every agency avoids this space because it’s messy. Which means whoever nails the formula owns billions in demand. Imagine being the one trusted shop that knows how to scale a cannabis gummy brand without getting shadowbanned. Or helping a lingerie DTC brand outrank Victoria’s Secret in search because Meta won’t run their ads.”

The guard shrugs.
“Or imagine being the agency that gets obliterated overnight when the rules change. Big Tech could loosen restrictions tomorrow and poof your edge disappears.”

Now the crowd is whispering.
One guy in a hoodie: “Wait, but sin always sells, right?”
A woman in a blazer: “And these industries aren’t shrinking… they’re growing faster than most.”
Another voice: “Yeah but… do you really want ‘Vice’ in your case studies?”

It’s a legit debate.

On one side:

• A defensible niche.

• Cross-vertical expertise (adult, cannabis, gambling) no one else wants to touch.

• An opportunity to professionalize messy industries and collect fat retainers.

On the other:

• Reputation risk.

• Regulatory minefields.

• Platform risk if the rules ever change.

The guide closes the pitch with a wink:
“Every exhibit in this museum started as a crazy idea. The line between ‘failure’ and ‘fortune’ is just execution. Someone will build this. The only question is: does it end up behind glass… or in the Hall of Fortune?”

The guard rolls his eyes but can’t help smirking.
“Guess we’ll need a new wing: ‘The Forbidden Ideas.’”

The crowd moves on, still debating. And you? You’re left wondering if this exhibit belongs in a museum… or on your to-do list.

The Escape Room 🔐

Imagine stepping into a locked room.
No windows. Just a door with a giant steel lock.

On the table: 3 strange clues. Solve them, and you’re free. Ignore them, and you’ll be stuck forever.

That’s what today’s NTE Pro drop feels like. These 3 startup ideas look like riddles but if you put them together, they reveal where the world’s headed next.

Here are the clues:

• Clue #1: A robot that prints walls on command. (Cheap apartments or dystopian bunkers?)

• Clue #2: A marketplace built just for tipped workers’ messy taxes. (Unsexy problem, massive market.)

• Clue #3: A matchmaker between brands and brides flooding Instagram with swag requests. (Ridiculous? Maybe. Profitable? Absolutely.)

Put them together and you see it: robots, money, and culture colliding in the weirdest corners of the economy.

Most people walk right past ideas like this. NTE Pro members get to rip the lock off the door, explore the rest, and decide which ones could turn into billion-dollar companies.

👉 Escape into NTE Pro.

One More Meme