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[HELP] What should I study to get better at business idea generation?

Idea threads

EthanBarr

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Hello I recently began my journey to learning business and I am a little confused on where to begin.

I know I should learn sales, marketing, copy, etc. However, I think it is important to first get good at brainstorming creative and innovative ways to create new business opportunity's with products.

Mainly I do not want to jump into a business with a mediocre product because then it will set my brand around something that I am not passionate about due to me having a selective amount of knowledge on this topic and didn't know how to implement my current knowledge for things I am passionate about into a good business opportunity. For example most famous CEOs first based their startups around things that they were passionate about and wanted to share with everyone else and it became a business naturally because their products were so innovative. Me personally I do not know which business sector I wish to go into. This is a problem because I need to develop a super-power at something I have knowledge with and then incorporate business into that. For example, it could be software development, however, I think this is a really competitive field which is why I am confused. In the future I see psychology to be quite helpful thing to pair with business though because of things like neural-link. But again I want your suggestions on what you guys think is a good super-power thing to learn.

Also, I am asking what courses or books (I would prefer courses because they show you what show you software you can use and specific databases and more) should I start out with if my first goal in business is to get excellent at coming up with creative ideas.
 
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EthanBarr

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Why do you need a course? What are you stuck on? You're already in an excellent place to find valuable information: Inventing, Importing, Sourcing
Because the ideas need to come from me. I also need to be passionate about what I am doing if I am going to work for a long time on a product and actually believe that I will change how people live. I want something that will teach me ways to brainstorm, network, and come up with ideas. I also need to figure what I want my superpower as, if I want to make something passionate and actually understand how it works.
 

McDrummerSLR

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I found that ideas began to flow fairly easily when I started paying attention to things people say about experiences with products or services that they wished were better. I can't really help it anymore at this point, I just sort of do it automatically when having conversations with people or when surfing the web and what have you. And I haven't been doing this for much longer than you have honestly. I never really read any books about how to generate ideas other than the ones by MJ. As soon as you start paying attention to what people want and/or need, you'll have ideas in no time.
 
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EthanBarr

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I found that ideas began to flow fairly easily when I started paying attention to things people say about experiences with products or services that they wished were better. I can't really help it anymore at this point, I just sort of do it automatically when having conversations with people or when surfing the web and what have you. And I haven't been doing this for much longer than you have honestly. I never really read any books about how to generate ideas other than the ones by MJ. As soon as you start paying attention to what people want and/or need, you'll have ideas in no time.
I have also done that I keep a notebook around me at all times and put potential problems and solutions down. However I want to learn more effective ways to brainstorm and research problems using tools and such. I also find that most CEO's go with their route of expertise when making a business product (Elon Musk with science and engineering, Bill Gates with software development, Steve Jobs with design, etc) however I do not know which area of expertise I should learn because I don't know which one will be the most useful.
 

abcdefgh

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Hello I recently began my journey to learning business and I am a little confused on where to begin.

I know I should learn sales, marketing, copy, etc. However, I think it is important to first get good at brainstorming creative and innovative ways to create new business opportunity's with products.

Mainly I do not want to jump into a business with a mediocre product because then it will set my brand around something that I am not passionate about due to me having a selective amount of knowledge on this topic and didn't know how to implement my current knowledge for things I am passionate about into a good business opportunity. For example most famous CEOs first based their startups around things that they were passionate about and wanted to share with everyone else and it became a business naturally because their products were so innovative. Me personally I do not know which business sector I wish to go into. This is a problem because I need to develop a super-power at something I have knowledge with and then incorporate business into that. For example, it could be software development, however, I think this is a really competitive field which is why I am confused. In the future I see psychology to be quite helpful thing to pair with business though because of things like neural-link. But again I want your suggestions on what you guys think is a good super-power thing to learn.

Also, I am asking what courses or books (I would prefer courses because they show you what show you software you can use and specific databases and more) should I start out with if my first goal in business is to get excellent at coming up with creative ideas.
There's this book called 'The Millionaire Fastlane' by MJ Demarco. You should check it out he has an entry on how to find ideas for businesses. Also, "follow your passion" is terrible advice.
 

Walter Hay

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Because the ideas need to come from me. I also need to be passionate about what I am doing if I am going to work for a long time on a product and actually believe that I will change how people live. I want something that will teach me ways to brainstorm, network, and come up with ideas. I also need to figure what I want my superpower as, if I want to make something passionate and actually understand how it works.
I think you have missed the point in dismissing @spElle 's suggestion to look at the thread Inventing, Importing, Sourcing .

None of the posts there will tell you what to do. One of the great benefits of being a forum member is that by reading even slightly relevant posts you will learn things of value in your entrepreneurial journey.

Among those things you will sooner or later find an idea that "comes from you". The seeds that have been planted in your subconscious will sprout and there is your idea --- the process of learning to come up with creative ideas has begun without you being directly taught the process.

I cannot see software and databases helping you to "get excellent at coming up with creative ideas", although they just might achieve what you could achieve by reading through threads on the Inventing, Importing and Sourcing forum section suggested by spElle.

Walter
 
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sparechange

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Look at other business's and replicate a successful one, this is the easiest way to get started.

People make billions of dollars selling toilet paper and pencils, and 99% of people on the planet could not achieve the same success.

Easy as pie, add a value skew or just change the location.. a lot of business's that are just serving X location can be replicated in Y location.

Or you could just stand on a street corner and ask a few hundred people what they don't like about the current products/brands they use, I bet you are to much of a chicken to do this.
 

Andy Black

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Martin Boeddeker

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Try not to be a “student“ of business.

If you want to study something though, maybe study these two and reply here with your takeaways and what you’ll do different going forward:

What if you already know enough?

Who have you helped?


Great, advise. First start with what you already know and what worked for you in the past.

If you really don't find anything, I would recommend joining a startup that was created by an amazing entrepreneur and keep your eyes open for an idea that inspires you enough to quit your job at some point and start your own company later.
 
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RealDreams

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Imo ideas come when you have a "wide" brain and can see things from multiple perspectives.

There's a reason why most successful business owners are polymaths. They know a little bit of everything, and that gives them the edge.

That's also why focusing your life on one subject might be a marketable skill, but in business you'll need an hybrid of skills/subjects to really crush it (that's really how you can skew value, if you think about it).

Computer scientists existed for a long time, then came in Zuckerberg with his knowledge in psychology + computer science and created Facebook, the biggest brainwash machine of the time (just my opinion. But just look at the impact it had on the entire world).

I'm not saying you need to become the next Da Vinci, I'm just saying, try to get interested in multiple things in life. Pick a few subjects and try to see how each subject relates to another (there's always a relation if you look carefully).

Just my 2 cents.
 
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The-J

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@ZCP did an excellent round-table style presentation at the Summit on this exact thing, giving us step-by-step instructions on how to brainstorm original business ideas with only a list of constraints.

You should have been there.

But, even if you weren't there, his framework is based on something that engineers have been using for decades. A simple Google search will help you find it.
 

EthanBarr

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Imo ideas come when you have a "wide" brain and can see things from multiple perspectives.

There's a reason why most successful business owners are polymaths. They know a little bit of everything, and that gives them the edge.

That's also why focusing your life on one subject might be a marketable skill, but in business you'll need an hybrid of skills/subjects to really crush it (that's really how you can skew value, if you think about it).

Computer scientists existed for a long time, then came in Zuckerberg with his knowledge in psychology + computer science and created Facebook, the biggest brainwash machine of the time (just my opinion. But just look at the impact it had on the entire world).

I'm not saying you need to become the next Da Vinci, I'm just saying, try to get interested in multiple things in life. Pick a few subjects and try to see how each subject relates to another (there's always a relation if you look carefully).

Just my 2 cents.
I agree. This is why I am slightly confused because many great businessmen are excellent in other topics other than knowledge (for example, a lot of people talk about how Elon Musk knows a lot of technical knowledge for being a CEO). I think CEOs like this have a huge advantage because they can generate business ideas upon things that a normal CEO wouldn't see because its technical and they don't work in the field to even come in contact with these problems. So I think if I knew more occupations I could achieve better business ideas because I could see flaws of products, however, I do not know the most valuable occupations to learn with business.
 
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Kevin88660

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Hello I recently began my journey to learning business and I am a little confused on where to begin.

I know I should learn sales, marketing, copy, etc. However, I think it is important to first get good at brainstorming creative and innovative ways to create new business opportunity's with products.

Mainly I do not want to jump into a business with a mediocre product because then it will set my brand around something that I am not passionate about due to me having a selective amount of knowledge on this topic and didn't know how to implement my current knowledge for things I am passionate about into a good business opportunity. For example most famous CEOs first based their startups around things that they were passionate about and wanted to share with everyone else and it became a business naturally because their products were so innovative. Me personally I do not know which business sector I wish to go into. This is a problem because I need to develop a super-power at something I have knowledge with and then incorporate business into that. For example, it could be software development, however, I think this is a really competitive field which is why I am confused. In the future I see psychology to be quite helpful thing to pair with business though because of things like neural-link. But again I want your suggestions on what you guys think is a good super-power thing to learn.

Also, I am asking what courses or books (I would prefer courses because they show you what show you software you can use and specific databases and more) should I start out with if my first goal in business is to get excellent at coming up with creative ideas.
The early days spam artists online who made their first pot of gold doing website marketing and seo had a quick rule of thumb on what to sell.

“Men are horny. Women love beauty. Kids fear stupidity and elderly fear death.”
 

ZCP

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@ZCP did an excellent round-table style presentation at the Summit on this exact thing, giving us step-by-step instructions on how to brainstorm original business ideas with only a list of constraints.

You should have been there.

But, even if you weren't there, his framework is based on something that engineers have been using for decades. A simple Google search will help you find it.
35156
we did just the brainstorm part at summit ....... lot of good science on the subject!
use it to help generate awesome ideas.
 

Timmy C

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You don't need ideas; you need to move on something where someone else has gotten great results from.

Follow that exact blueprint, but in a different vertical that you enjoy.

Learning all that stuff will happen as you execute.

Execute.
 
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Last edited:
G

Guest1413tpa

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You don't need ideas; you need to move on something where someone else has gotten great results from.

Follow that exact blueprint, but in a different vertical that you enjoy.

Learning all that stuff will happen as you execute.

Execute.
Following on to this good point...

Take a look at the world around you. Notice problems, people and the little things. Problems and opportunities abound everywhere.
 

evanwilson

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Hello I recently began my journey to learning business and I am a little confused on where to begin.

I know I should learn sales, marketing, copy, etc. However, I think it is important to first get good at brainstorming creative and innovative ways to create new business opportunity's with products.

Mainly I do not want to jump into a business with a mediocre product because then it will set my brand around something that I am not passionate about due to me having a selective amount of knowledge on this topic and didn't know how to implement my current knowledge for things I am passionate about into a good business opportunity. For example most famous CEOs first based their startups around things that they were passionate about and wanted to share with everyone else and it became a business naturally because their products were so innovative. Me personally I do not know which business sector I wish to go into. This is a problem because I need to develop a super-power at something I have knowledge with and then incorporate business into that. For example, it could be software development, however, I think this is a really competitive field which is why I am confused. In the future I see psychology to be quite helpful thing to pair with business though because of things like neural-link. But again I want your suggestions on what you guys think is a good super-power thing to learn.

Also, I am asking what courses or books (I would prefer courses because they show you what show you software you can use and specific databases and more) should I start out with if my first goal in business is to get excellent at coming up with creative ideas.
I also like your post about to generate the idea about how to build the business or startup the successful business. Here we can get lots of ideas to learn our business. I also need some of the idea to grow our business, I think today from business database we can generate the leads, So my idea is i will buy my business data from some of the reputed company who offering the services.
 

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