I need your help understanding how entrepreneurs find ideas and decide which ones are good

[Corbin]

As a startup founder, I’m interested in how people find new ideas. And how we can get better at it (because better ideas = greater chance of success. And because I struggle to find good ideas).

I’m interested in how you find ANY ideas, whether that’s an idea for a new startup or for new projects in a startup that’s already been launched (like a new marketing campaign).

Your answers to my questions below will go a long way to helping me better understanding how people come up with new ideas, and where I can add value.

My intention is to write a blog post that summarizes the results. And I can post my findings here as well.

Please complete my 3 minute survey – http://goo.gl/forms/pVsAueMP4K

 

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[Get Right]

The best ideas usually revolve around providing value.

Poorer ideas usually revolve around asking for something.

 

[valuecreator]

I talk to as many people as I can in a day (yes I keep a count.)

I LISTEN. I take notes.

I write down a list of what stands out.

After a while I get together with my crew and brainstorm the hell out of that.

We brainstorm in a specific way, too. You would be amazed how most people don't know how to do it.

that's it

 

[Timbonitus]

From what I remember from MJ's book, you're supposed to tune into certain problem keywords, like, "How come..." or "I wish" or "Why isn't there", etc. I have a lot of ideas, but I'm just not sure if they're worth chasing down.

 

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[timmy]

Pick one that you think can add the most value to the potential customer. Just focus on that. That's probably the best approach.

From what I remember from MJ's book, you're supposed to tune into certain problem keywords, like, "How come..." or "I wish" or "Why isn't there", etc. I have a lot of ideas, but I'm just not sure if they're worth chasing down.

 

[RogueInnovation]

I don't think ideas are the road to better services. I think it is the road to HIGHER competition levels, and the highway to being cut-throat and stupid.

I think what is required is how do you validate ideas, make sure they aren't cr#p and how do you make sure you have enough decent ideas to choose from.
That kind of question opens us up to more diversity and more confidence being represented in the market place (a good thing).

Getting decent ideas
Stop ruling out so many industries and niches out of pickiness
Some preference within different industries is good, white washing the entire foundation of economy to focus on t shirts and websites for tweeting yourself in a t shirt is nooooot so good.

Making sure they are not cr#p
Cr#p ideas stem from cr#p expectations. If you think you can sell me lint from your navel, think again. Its really simple, don't sell things YOU think make sense, just question them proliferously to find out how far the rabbit hole goes, and DOES it make any true commercial sense?

Validating ideas
Most people skip this in hope that denial will help magically force people to buy because they say so. Validating ideas is about taking the burden off yourself, and getting people to say "yeah, thats it, thats what I wanted, thanks!", "hey when is it for sale?". Its not about spouting jibberish at people and "buy buy buy!", because you'll never listen to them if you are like that. You have to listen so that the money you get isn't just thrown out the window on garbage but spent developing better ideas and growing. If you don't listen, scaling will just destroy you.

And there you go,
You have no permission to post this on your blog, just cuz, I don't know you, and this is for peeps that just wanna read and chill.

 

[Corbin]

Thanks! That was a huge help. Especially about validation denial which I am guilty of.

 

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[Beybe]

hello! Above Pls find an introduction set of few pictures of me & my country. I'm very much interested to find interesting people or parties who would be willing to communicate with me and seek a successful joint venture I'm my country, in where we have multiple resources and opportunities to invest and develop a great Buisness. Maldives as I dictate, is paradise on earth. [emoji1]


Beyne

 

[Digamma]

For me, a deep understanding of the space is the first prerequisite.

 

[farhat.muruwat]

Books and speaking with people who have problems that they need solved. Great book is $100 startup. Find a problem and offer it to others to gage interest and price. Sometimes it takes one person and one idea to get the ball rolling.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

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[The-J]

First, let go of the 'idea' being the most important part. It's not. In fact, ideas change. Businesses change. Flagship products change. Niches, even entire target markets change.

Second, ideas are everywhere. Remember this.

Third, an idea for a business comes from a need, want, or pain point. A need: something that someone has to have (food, water, sex). A want: something that someone doesn't have, but has expressed desire in having (a luxury product, home decorations). A pain point: a problem that, if solved, would make some part of life easier (a device that cooks rice perfectly every time, a service that makes me worry less about my taxes).

Fourth, this idea is made viable by (1) the ability to provide it in a way that is somehow perceived as superior as other offerings and (2) the ability to reach the people who want it and convince them to spend money on it. This is execution. This is the most important part, and the part that every single one of us here has failed at some point or another.

If all of this seems obvious, it's because it kind of is. It's simple. But it's not easy.

Good luck.

EDIT: I realized I didn't answer OP's question.

I look for ideas by keeping my eyes and ears open to pain points. There are more pain points than anything else. People say things like "I hate cleaning the bathroom" and then a company comes up with Scrubbing Bubbles, which does the cleaning for you and all you gotta do is wipe off the scum.

People say things like "I wish there was a way to send photos without worrying about people snooping through my phone", then someone comes up with SnapChat.

These are just examples, but people bitch a lot. Granted, just cuz they bitch doesn't mean you have a viable business: they have to be willing to pay to solve the problem. That's where validation comes in.

 

[obrian]

try and find gaps in the market look at what persons are complaining about and try and build something on that don't follow the so called gold rush in the market instead of diggin for gold create the shovels for the persons that are going to dig for gold

 

[SlowlaneJay]

@Corbin Try looking around online using keywords like "I wish there was"; "I hate when" and what not. You'll end up with stuff like: http://www.cheftalk.com/t/18189/i-wish-someone-would-make

Also, have you seen this thread? Might be useful

I am loving every minute of this journey!

Are you also loving the minutes you spend recruiting your downline from online forums? You aren't fooling anyone here, your comments aren't pertinent to the thread, you're annoying.

Take your shit elsewhere. Try the Maldives, I hear they're really nice this time of year.

 

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[jlwilliams]

Creating ideas is a personable skill. Devote time daily to it and you get better at it, just like any other skill. Get a notebook and write your ideas down. Not just the good ones, all of them. Work on mental flexibility for a while because that fosters creativity. From there you can sharpen your skills at testing, validating and fine tuning your ideas; but you won't become more idea prolific by limiting yourself to good ideas at first. Obviously you only act on good ideas, but you have to "loosen up" to get the ball rolling.

James Altucher wrote a good chapter on the skill of having ideas in "Choose Yourself"

 

[GuestUser112]

First, let go of the 'idea' being the most important part. It's not. In fact, ideas change. Businesses change. Flagship products change. Niches, even entire target markets change.

Second, ideas are everywhere. Remember this.

Third, an idea for a business comes from a need, want, or pain point. A need: something that someone has to have (food, water, sex). A want: something that someone doesn't have, but has expressed desire in having (a luxury product, home decorations). A pain point: a problem that, if solved, would make some part of life easier (a device that cooks rice perfectly every time, a service that makes me worry less about my taxes).

Fourth, this idea is made viable by (1) the ability to provide it in a way that is somehow perceived as superior as other offerings and (2) the ability to reach the people who want it and convince them to spend money on it. This is execution. This is the most important part, and the part that every single one of us here has failed at some point or another.

If all of this seems obvious, it's because it kind of is. It's simple. But it's not easy.

Good luck.

EDIT: I realized I didn't answer OP's question.

I look for ideas by keeping my eyes and ears open to pain points. There are more pain points than anything else. People say things like "I hate cleaning the bathroom" and then a company comes up with Scrubbing Bubbles, which does the cleaning for you and all you gotta do is wipe off the scum.

People say things like "I wish there was a way to send photos without worrying about people snooping through my phone", then someone comes up with SnapChat.

These are just examples, but people bitch a lot. Granted, just cuz they bitch doesn't mean you have a viable business: they have to be willing to pay to solve the problem. That's where validation comes in.

Bro you need a rice cooker, get one on amazon, just add some butter and the rice is perfect every time.

 

[MEAH]

Ideas are never a problem.. they are all around you.

Heck if you can't think of one just make a HUGE list of hobby forums and go ask them directly on the forum what their biggest problems/need are and how you could help them?

If they could invent one thing, a product or some software to make their hobby easier what would it be and why?


very easy and I get millions of ideas that way

 

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[The-J]

Bro you need a rice cooker, get one on amazon, just add some butter and the rice is perfect every time.

I'm in the market for one. I'm looking at Tiger brand mainly cuz they can be set to cook anything (even non-rice items), also my gf's parents have had one for 20 years and my last $20 rice cooker only lasted a year and a half. My post was an example of solving a pain point tho

Back on topic

 

[JustinBoshans]

I talk to as many people as I can in a day (yes I keep a count.)

I LISTEN. I take notes.

I write down a list of what stands out.

After a while I get together with my crew and brainstorm the hell out of that.

We brainstorm in a specific way, too. You would be amazed how most people don't know how to do it.

that's it

What do you talk to them about? Do you pick a specific industry? Do you pick people in a specific field and ask what troubles they're having with anything? If so how do you pick that field or industry, or is it just random?

 

[Deleted20833]

One of the things I hate doing is
wasting time

So I'm always looking at how something
can be done with less time consumption

 

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