I can't come up with good business ideas anymore

I think these questions are too difficult to answer before trying something. You don't really know if something works for you or not until you try it. I think if an idea meets the criteria to answer "yes" for one or two of these questions, it's worth exploring.

Something that helped me with decision paralysis was giving myself time restraints. Like, "can I make a basic mvp in one weekend?" Since I'm forcing myself to make such a small investment, a failed outcome is less devastating. It protects my energy so I can try more things.

Hey Janet,

1. I think you're overthinking it.

The best startups are made of exploration of ideas. The plan is no plan. Build something, get feedback, iterate. You might start with A and end up with X.

2. I think you forgot the fun part.

I was running a B2B SaaS for 3 years, topping at $6k/mo with very low maintenance. Covid-19 killed it. Guess what? I was happy because I figured out the business was boring as hell.
Finding something you genuinely like is crucial, I believe.

A question to help with that: What were you doing obsessively as a kid?

Good luck 💪

I'm surprised your list of questions doesn't ask the most important question, which is "does this solve a real problem in the marketplace?" I think that's the only question worth asking. I understand the whole find what you're excited about ideal, but often times people only become excited about something once it's starts gaining traction (that was the case for me). You'll develop a passion for it over time (with the added benefit that you're actually making money).

Interesting post, I think I've seen this type of fundamental block quite a bit in friends and colleagues. If I may offer two things to think about:

1. You are likely assuming too much, causing analysis paralysis.
   You said it yourself, you make all your ideas go through your checklist gate. But the truth is, you don't have the answers. A lot of the best inventors had hypothesis they were incredibly wrong about; but the act of doing allowed them to find new cross-sections or lead to better ideas that would work. Sometimes DOing is better than thinking.

2. The best way to find something that excites you is to unlock your creativity.
   Creativity is a muscle. It needs to be worked out. A great way to do this is exposure to a variety of topics outside your expertise. Drop your bias, pair unlikely combinations, explore them without judgement, as silly as they are. Sushi for dogs, banks for churches, whatever.. yes it's silly but it unlocks your mind to unlimited possibilities - some of which could be good, and dare I say - pass your checklist :P

If you are looking for a pipeline of creativity, I would recommend Creative Brew (creativebrew.io) it offers up a diverse source of weekly inspiration.
(disclaimer, I work on this newsletter)

Sooo, so many answers. If you got to reading this:

I know what you are talking about, I sometimes feel old. I've been doing it on an off for 20 years with not real success.

I've recently hit pay dirt. They only thing that excites me now is market size, customer willing to pay amount, and fit. I don't feel excited about anything technology, anything like new or anything that I've already been doing.

I am thinking about it in terms of living the way you want to live without risking your family future. Took me years to find a stable enough solution.

Here are a few blog posts I update once in a while about bootstrapping: https://tzahifadida.com

Have you tried the Amy Hoy method?

• start with a list of topics you are already excited by.
• pick a topic and find its communities online and lurk on their forums for a while.
• take notes about what they say they need, want, and buy (30 to 40 hrs research).
• after doing this for a while the ideas will appear - solutions to the problems you've read about.
• build mvp.
• tell them about it. You don't have to sell hard because you already know they want this solution.

I know this sounds a lot like the points you've already listed but I think the order is important, and actually taking the time to write down notes really clarifies things. I used this method to build an app that makes consistent sales. (In the end the b2c price point of my app is too low to make real money but it pays my internet bill, and shows the method works.)

Great questions, also ask if it brings you energy or drains it. I would also ask how the users will affect my energy as well.
I could work 36 hours straight on some things and still feel great, or 10 min on laundry and ....UG
But have to do what we have to do!

Just copy an idea if you want to minimize risks. Find a profitable niche with a few competitors.

This is a bit disconnected but I feel like more ideas leads to better chance of getting the 'fuck yes' feeling.
I started just forcing myself to come up with 10 ideas for XX each morning. It could be anything like 10 ideas to get up in a smarter way / 10 ideas to make myself eat cleaner / hit £100k rev etc.
Really did notably improve my ability and confidence in coming up with floods of ideas!

Sahil (gumroad guy) recently came out with a video describing how he comes up with business ideas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfAXFeql9X8

Hey Janet, I would say don't put all your eggs in one basket. Find one or two things that might be potential for you to "get excited and jump out of your chair". The reality is that even the most exciting businesses have mundane tasks and routines. But, as long as you have another project alongside that maybe makes a little bit of money while you fulfill the big business idea it might help.

For me, working only on Geeks and Experts was getting stressful as I was hedging all my bets on one thing and it was causing a lot anxiety. But I recently began taking up some freelance content writing gigs and it helps to cool off the pressure of performing and winning in one go. Hope this helps!

You should always start with what problem you're passionate about solving. I find when I do that it carries me through the hard times (and e v e r y o n e faces those on any venture.)

Also, I always tell myself trying and failing is better than never trying (we already know the result achieved there.)

Every venture is unique. Every project has it's own inherent issues. That's why there's no handbook on "success". Too many variables, some within (and some outside) your control.

I think all of your questions are spot on and many entrepreneurs are afraid to even address them for fear of the answers.

I commend you for even addressing them, and it seems like you've got a good head on your shoulders for even questioning these points as again, they're sometimes difficult to answer.

I wish I had an answer for you. I don't think there is one except to say "Do what's right for you."

But, my 2 cents (for whatever that matters) is that you sound like you've got a good head on your shoulders, you're asking the right questions and you're simply not settling for an adequate concept, and you shouldn't, but they're rare. I've only experienced that "up out of my chair" excitement once as well.

It's an amazing feeling. You're (mostly) excited to wake up every morning. You can't stop thinking about it. It grabs you, and you grab it.

I don't know if you'll find it again anymore than I know what I'm working on will eventually succeed. Who knows. No one has those answers.

But, it's well worth waiting for that idea that takes ahold of you.

You'll need that to get you through the tough times.

It really does sound like you're approaching this the right way, and that's already better than most. Best of luck, and hang in there. I hope you find your passion project. (Never give up.)

The way I see it, 2 parts to the whole thing:

1. About past businesses that have failed - And I've been in this several times and I kinda know how that feels. To be precise, I have 4 on my failed list & 0 successes. 2 of which have been extremely painful. But that said, I'm on to a new one and I can most certainly say that I'm so much better placed this time(regardless of whether I'll make it this time or not). But the failures have taught me so much more than in retrospect I'm glad it happened.

2. The next plunge - whether to take it or sit on the fence? waiting for that perfect feel-good factor after having cleared all your doubts/criteria. The reason I'm posting my response here is mainly because of your title - 'I can't come up with good
   business ideas anymore'. And believe me, a week ago I was asking the same question. You know that feeling when you get excited about your idea thinking about it before you go off to sleep, only to wake up the next morning with everything fizzled out.
   You just have to hang in, keep working on ---- there's something that will get you excited soon enough for you to try. The rationale about how to validate the business side of things is a whole new thought process.

Great topic!

It's hard enough to build something sustainable. To do that as a first timer while crossing off your long list of requirements is asking a bit much. I massively regret abandoning the first project I built because I lost interest in the domain (uptime monitoring). I should have powered on, instead I wasted 4 years trying to find this sweet spot you are looking for.

A piece of advice I read that should have stuck with me from the beginning was to "build boring businesses". Looks like others have said the same thing in the comments here about "unsexy ideas".

Totally get where you’re coming from. A couple things stood out to me while I was reading your list.

1 - It seems like Founder/market fit and Founder/product fit might be more important to you. A few of the questions seem to indicate that it doesn’t really matter how good the idea/market is, if it’s not a good fit for you or the idea doesn’t excite you, you’ll likely lose interest. (Which is totally fine/normal)

2 - A couple important questions to add might be “What problem am I having?”, and “Can I find others having the same problem who would be willing to pay for a solution”.

If you’re solving a problem that you’re experiencing and know well, I think you’re probably more likely to find something that’ll fit your criteria and that’s a good fit for you.

YC has this really great video: Should You Follow Your Passion?

I understand your desire to feel really excited about the project you're working on. But I think a large component of that excitement comes from something working. A lot of the questions your asking seem great! But some of them may not be able to be known until you begin.

Hmm have you ever followed any of the ideas that you have had in the past all the way till the end ?
Cos I also fall into the same habit of chasing the latest and greatest idea, leaving being a full grave yard of ideas.

I’d say just stick with one of you already come up with and see it through! That’s what I’m doing with https://easystatus.io/

do what you are comfortable doing. I am going to do incremental innovations on existing markets for the future.

I am working on something to solve this problem: an app to discover ideas that can be monetized and scaled. Basically, it will be a collection of problems, their solutions, and gaps in these solutions.

A good list of questions, I am sure that most people ignore and miss.

Now if you want to validate these questions against a few ideas, you can see about 800+ profitable SaaS ideas that are making money. The content is based on 70-80 niches so people can pick the niche they are interested at. There is also a community attached so that people can discuss. Micro SaaS HQ

Remember, starting a business is more like dating than it is a marriage. You can always choose to close it, sell it, pivot to different idea, niche, etc. There's no need to pass all the criteria in the beginning

Idea is just 1 small part of a big picture. The thing is you will never know whether it works or not until you deliver it to the real world to see how the market reacts. Just build something small, bring it to the users, and see how it's gonna go.

Wow, this is a fantastic post. I'd want to draft like this as well, taking the time and effort necessary to produce a fantastic essay. This article has inspired me to write some articles, which I shall do soon. https://snake-game.co

Hey Janet,

I actually wrote a post about this on here not too long ago. Rather than just repeat it here I'll just post the link to it - https://www.indiehackers.com/post/how-to-find-business-ideas-that-are-fun-and-profitable-16761b7991

Hope that helps.

Just take your time, chill out, and an idea that checks all the boxes will come. If you jump on an idea too early then you'll miss the really good one. You'll have more energy for the rest of your life as well.

"Making money would be nice too I suppose."

That's the part that's slowing me down right now. I love my ideas, but stressing about making money from them usually takes the wind out of my sails.

My primary form of income right now is freelancing/consulting. So usually I look at it through that lens - will working on this idea at least make me more marketable as a consultant in the long run? That usually boosts my motivation a little more as well, knowing that its' not 'wasting my time' if I pull the thread for a bit.

I really like your list of questions, BTW.

I guess it’s a right thing to make sure that you want to enjoy what you do and the value you bring - in every business there will be some to roadblocks but it’s easier to overcome them if you enjoy the ride and have a strong vision of a result

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Hey,

why do you think that you are not coming up with good business ideas anymore while I am still https://www.uninstallgeeks.com/unreal-engine confident about your abilities for the famous business.

Cheers.

Shameless plug, I have a newsletter for that. One of the goals of the newsletter is to supply fuel for the entrepreneurial corner of your brain (some podcasts do this really well also).

Editions are online (I literally just put one out a little bit ago).

I don't mean to link spam, so if a mod needs to delete this, that's fine. But I did cover this in detail on this podcast episode: https://creatingabrand.com/15-steps-for-starting-a-business-in-the-best-possible-way-with-alex-sanfilippo/