Ask IH: How do you guys come up with startup/side-project ideas?

I've got 4000 ideas over here if you want to have a browse :)

https://nugget.one/ideas

I would say there is not a real guide for this. Most ideas for SaaSes get out of frustration, or a pretty bad way of doing this or a big pain point.
Or you have people around you that have one of the above three points and ask around if someone has a solution for them.

If you’re just getting started, find something small that you think could be improved or better and start there. And don’t think that you’ve got the next big billion idea. Keep your expectations small and don’t lose motivation.

Most of my project ideas come from looking for inefficiencies in the world:

• tasks that people do often, but which involve more effort than necessary
• tasks that people do often, but take more time than necessary
• items people buy that cost more than they need to

I add to this list those "things that I wish existed". Finally, there are those "things that do exist, but I can make them better in some fundamental way".

I write down every idea that seems novel and review this list weekly, or whenever I think about it. By reviewing list, I have a chance to think about those ideas and refine each one (maybe there's a reason why something is so hard or costs so much).

Over time, certain ideas keep bubbling to the top of the list; these are the ideas that I try to pursue.

One way to do it is to start a services company.

Find a service you can do that you can directly sell and market (design, house cleaning, software development, window washing, etc.). It could be anything.

In the process of creating a services business you're going to:

#1 Discover all kinds of pain points relevant to small business owners in general

#2 Discover opportunities to make automate parts of your own industry that could be developed into businesses later

#3 Gain experience, capital, and connections that will make it easier to start a larger business in the future.

I've been considering starting a weekly online meetup/roundtable and community centered solely around idea generation. Still trying to figure out if people are interested in it, but I'm probably a couple days away from actually building a landing for it.

The process can be formalized (like in design thinking) but on practice, I think most hackers just solve their own problem.
Other source is watching people, listening to them, looking around.
It's not hard.
I know what I'm talking about :) (see my profile :)

I simply build what i'm passionate about or apps that i need and the competition is poor or not to my like.

Timely thread. Currently developing a blueprint for myself and other entrepreneurs to follow that will help with business idea generation.

As other posters noted, solving your own problems is the best way of giving yourself a chance of developing a profitable a business.
Don't develop a problem to fit your startup idea.

Here is a really great article about it which I recommend you to read: http://paulgraham.com/startupideas.html

Find a product you like, but could be better. Implement it. Refine it. Undercut your competition.

To me, there hasn't been a step by step process that works. What I have found is that spotting opportunities and generating ideas is like building a muscle. The more you do it the better you become.

Keep a list of problems that could be solved/product ideas/business opportunities. Set a cadence for adding to it regularly, often the ideas will suck but forcing yourself to come up with them will build the muscle :)

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