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12 Comments

How can you get ideas?

I have a hard time generating an idea.

I think I spent my whole life looking for an idea. And I never started anything. I always find my ideas bad. But on second thought, I do not think I've ever had a real idea.

People (gurus) say that I need to solve a problem that I have. But the solution to my problems can not be sold.

How can you get ideas?

  1. 4

    Lot's of big companies and start-ups alike will focus on a pain or problem that they know exists but the solution isn't well defined. They'll solutionize and then pivot when they find out the idea isn't right.

    Perosnally I found the same for my own projects. Just start somewhere and as the product evolves ideas seem to come more as you understand your target market.

    1. 2

      Thank you for your response! I'm doing what you told me.

  2. 2

    Improve a product or a solution which is already in the market. Dont look for a new one because all of the invented already. Find a way to help users better than your competitors. That will get you be somewhere.

    1. 2

      Thanks so much for the advice. Thinking to myself to put this into action.

  3. 2

    This method https://othmane.io/writing/how_to_find_problems_to_solve

    And additionally: what are the "pickaxes, shovles and jeans" in a gold rush economy sense... of an upcoming trend topic which you find interesting or have knowledge of.

  4. 2

    Hey, Demétrio

    If you're looking for an idea you'll waste your time for this kind of things... I suggest looking around you what people need to make them fulfill this's called business opportunities do something same but different... way then people like your idea...

    Thanks
    Buzz CNN

  5. 2

    A lot of my ideas are coming from casual chit chat or catching up with friends and family, like complain about inefficiency in certain apps or bad website experience, I am a product manager so naturally it will start becoming a brainstorming session and there go many ideas.

    One day, my friend told me he is planning to build a Point-of-Sales(POS) system and start selling to retailers, I was skeptical about it and thought POS is a highly saturated market and not a next-big-thing worthy idea. He explained he wanted to sell it for a fraction of what competitors are offering, slowly but surely the profit will be caught up later on. (if it ever did get to that point)

    It was a profound moment to me, suddenly all ideas just click, what I've learned is you don't have to be creating the "next big thing", you just have to start making something you think can be better, start solving smaller problem one at a time.

    Good artists copy, great artists steal.

  6. 1

    I find that if I just start working on something random, while I'm doing it I start getting ideas for other things I could do as well.

    Almost doesn't matter what it is, but just sitting still and trying hard to come up with ideas seems to scare them away.

    If you need the first random thing to start working on, just take some annoying thing in your life. For example I recently had to send a fax to a company, but all the online fax services were really annoying (monthly fees, requiring you to phone them to cancel, or offering no inbound number), and I figured it wouldn't be too hard to make a better one.

    That was three months ago, it'll be up soon at http://5dollarfax.com and while writing it I came up with many other new ideas as well. I use "Things" app so that I can just press a key shortcut anywhere on my computer and quickly add an idea, then get back to work.

  7. 1

    Personally, I got all my ideas from life and my own experience. If I see something is not convenient, or too expensive, or non-productive -> idea is born :)
    I also watch what people are saying and what complaining about :) it helps :)
    Finally, I decided to share my ideas. Here I give 16 ideas for SaaS applications: https://www.caravelstudio.io/saasideaweekly

  8. 1

    I heard once that you should pick an audience you enjoy working with or have connections in (ie. Financial Advisors). Then you should go talk to them. Ask questions. Find pain points. Wireframe solutions to pitch them. This process should take many months if you go in depth enough.

    Next I would see what other solutions already exist and if you want to enter that market. If yes, then finalize that rough wireframe of an idea and see if you can get commitments even before you start building. If no, then start over with the same audience with a new pain point or a new audience. I think this is one of the better ways to find a good bootstrapped idea. Good luck!

  9. 2

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