How To Come Up With A Business Idea
This is the ultimate list of ways to come up with a business idea.
I’ve scoured countless books, podcasts, videos and blogs to find the best principles, tools and methods you can use for idea generation.
Below you’ll find concepts and frameworks from the likes of:
Jeff BezosWarren Buffett Elon MuskSteve JobsJoe Rogan
Let’s begin.
Copy What Works
Start Small
Catch a Wave
Focus on the Problem
Find the Pain
Extract the Pain
Become a Concierge
Piggyback
Picks and Shovels
Same Same But Different
Same Same But Better
Scratch Your Itch
Keep a Diary
Keep a Spark File
Ask an Audience
Turn Inside Out
Listen to These Podcasts
Just Have Fun
Smart People’s Weekend Projects
How Teens Communicate
Watch for Market Inflections
Look for Market (In)efficiencies
Idea Sex
Use Your Existing Skills
Explore New Distribution Channels
Find Business Ideas on Reddit
Fastest Growing Subreddits
Ideas From Our Robot Overlords
Democratize Information
Bundle
Unbundle
Invert
Let Ideas Evolve
Embrace Bad Ideas
Tell Everyone
Peep Shows
Sell Your Docs
Trash into Treasure
Join a Community
Read These Books
Daniel DiPiazza’s 9 Questions
Noah Kagan’s 12 Exercises
Explore Many Ideas
Become an Idea Machine
Get Obsessed
Remember: Ideas are Overrated
Build Skills
How To Come Up With Business Ideas
Copy What Works
“Everything is up for grabs. If you don’t find something worth stealing today, you might find it worth stealing tomorrow or a month or a year from now.”
– Austin Kleon, Steal Like an Artist
This comes first because I don’t want you thinking you need some magically original idea to start a successful business.
Few successful businesses sprouted from a truly original idea.
Google wasn’t the first search engine and Facebook wasn’t the first social network.
What business ideas do you already see working well for other people?
Look here:
70+ legit ways to make money online40+ creative ways people make money onlineServices offered on FiverrProducts on Product HuntProducts by Indie HackersBusiness success stories on Starter Story
Can you do something similar?
Start Small
Warren Buffett had a net worth of $76 billion last I checked.
But Warren started small: his first business was delivering newspapers in his hometown.
So before you go trying to start the next billion dollar business, test out a $100 idea.
Then a $1000 idea.
Start small and work your way up.
Catch a Wave
“The market you’re in will determine most of your growth.”
– Sahil Lavingia
In 1994, Jeff Bezos was working at a hedge fund when he read that internet usage had grown 2300% in one year.
That incredible statistic prompted Jeff to start Amazon.com, which eventually made him the richest man in the world.
Catching that early wave was a big key to Amazon’s success.
My favorite way to spot new waves is a subscription to Trends…
Trends by The Hustle – Key Points
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