Is brainstorming ideas for a startup waste of time?
The majority of stories of successful Indie Hackers are based on solving their own problems.
What if I don't have problems that weren't solved previously?
Is it make sense to daily brainstorm ideas and try to find anything that could be built? <= Feels like a waste of time, honestly.
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Inspiration can strike from anywhere. The daily act of letting my mind wander lets me appreciate more of what I'm doing and actually think about the problems that I have.
Problems to solve don't always have to be your own or even problems to start. Sometimes just appreciating a certain aspect of something can help draw connections with potential startup ideas.
Thank you for the answer! Completely make sense, but the reality is tough, non of my ideas actually force me to start the validation phase 😅
You never know what the future can hold! I can go months without thinking about something that makes me excited to work on. It just takes one to stick :P
Brainstorming is certainly worthwhile. It dramatically raises your chances of starting something that works. I wrote a guide about brainstorming ideas here.
> What if I don't have problems that weren't solved previously?
Firstly, that's one of only many prompts you can use to kickstart brainstorming. Other prompts include: What problems are people paying a lot of money to solve? What problems are becoming increasingly popular every year? What problems are experienced by the kinds of people I like hanging out with? Etc.
Secondly, what does it matter if a problem was solved previously? Stripe, Uber, Airbnb, Canva, Figma, Discord, Asana, etc. are some of the biggest and most innovative startups. All of them solved problems that were previously solved by others. Why would you need to be more innovative than them? It's okay to compete to solve an existing problem. In fact, I'd say that's better than trying to blaze a trail to solve an unsolved problem, because in this latter case, there's no strong proof that anyone even cares about the problem.
Most importantly, if you think you don't have any unsolved problems, you should re-evaluate the definition of problem. Every time you complain about something, ask a question, pay for a product or service, or take literally any action whatsoever, it's because you're solving a problem or fulfilling a desire. You're drowning in problems on a daily basis, and the solutions you turn to are often far from perfect.
Agreed. I really like the Working Genius model and helps me think of Brainstorming in the category of ideation.
When we brainstorm part of that is Wonder. Seeing problems and asking questions and putting forth ideas to see if they are valid and plausible for beginning to solve a problem.
Then it moves to activation of that idea.
But without the idea there is nothing to 'activate'.
The hard part is figuring out what I am good at in the cycle of work and the surrounding myself with people who do other things better or push through knowing it will get me where I want to go.
For instance, I love ideas. I love thinking of potential solutions. But I am terrible at discerning if it is a truly worth while idea and hyping it up. But I can enable and inspire people about their thing all day. But then when it comes to finishing a task I'd rather let someone else do that.
So brainstorming may not be 'your thing'. You may prefer to just 'get to work' but it is a necessary part of it.
Nice! I certainly should re-evaluate the definition of problem in my head. Thank you for clearing it up, Courtland!
I really like the note about there being problems to solve in any action at all. In any action towards any goal, there are problems to be solved to make the goal easier to achieve. If the goal is already "solved" then the scope of the goal can expand! When one goal is solved, we can discover new problems. This cycle continues and civilization progresses (hopefully in a positive direction)!
When spoken language was developed, some might say the problem of communication between people was solved. But then the goal expanded to include communication between people who are not physically in the same place, and writing solved that! Writing still left the problem that communicating with people over great distances took a long time. Wires and Morse code solved that, and so on. I don't think that was really the exact sequence of things... but you get my point.
There's always a "next step"
I didn't even think of paying for products as solving a problem. That's a good point.
By the way, I'm looking for feedback on DarkColors, a tool to mockup your UI and app color ideas without designing or coding them: https://www.darkcolors.digital/workspace
Even if you don't have any issues that were specifically unresolved in the past, learning Morse code
Can still be an intriguing and useful skill to acquire. It offers a unique way to communicate, which might not necessarily address unresolved problems but could broaden your communication capabilities. Morse code presents a distinct method of conveying messages that, despite not directly solving previously unsolved issues, offers a diverse and interesting way to interact and communicate.
Success needs demand. It is usually easier to solve an existing problem than to create a demand for something new. Many develop a solution for their own problems. Some notice a pain point when working in a particular industry, company, workplace, etc, e.g. other people's problems. You can ask your family and friends about their problems. Or you can improve on an existing solution because it has some areas for improvement, e.g. features, speed, usability, pricing, etc. Any way you do, it is always better to validate that it has a big enough demand first.
Yeah, got it. The problem is to find a small enough existing product/service that could be improved and built by 1 or 2 creators in a reasonable time. Did you struggle with something similar?
You don't see a lot of big success for startup or indiehackers. It is not easy to find a potentially very profitable product/service, i.e. more than your labor, in general. I have found a small niche that has a good potential for indiehackers. It has not made me rich yet. It needs product improvement and marketing. LOL
Do not inveting new products. Create an existing products with same new "spices". This is the safest method because there is a market and potential customers. For example the bike. Bike was inveted ~150 years ago, now we have an electric bikes. The customers that have a regular bike may also buy an electric one. Soo do not overthinking keep this "brainstorming" energy to create a product not the coolest world changing idea, bus simple with some advantage over competitors.
So, do you think I can just work on something that already exists on the market and just cold outreach to people who could be potential clients?
Just make sure that there is a big enough demand for your work before you start. Otherwise, it is just a gamble. If you do enough gambles, maybe you will win one big time. Validating that there is a big enough demand is just a way to greatly improve the odds.
Not at all. @csallen has GREAT talk on this he did for MicroConf (i think) google it. I think it's something like "The startup landscape". Actually any talks he's given or podcasts he's been on when he talks about starting Indiehackers he goes in depth about how important it was and how long he spent just trying to find an idea and how the first 100ish were all garbage but after that he started coming up with really good ones.
He actually talks about a matrix he used to rank his ideas and how Indie hackers was the only one to score perfect on his matrix.
His talks are definitely worth listening to.
Nice, I found his talk. I will watch it for sure, thank you!
Do you happen to have the link for that talk? I’m also looking for an idea to start.
Yeah, here you have it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHZU4fC7LnA
Lots of good answers already. I'll leave this comment though:
The fact that it was solved proves there is a market for it. You can think of ways to niche down and solve it "better", "faster", "cheaper", etc... for you personally (or any other target customer). For example: "a to-do list, but for developers", etc...
That perfectly makes sense, thank you for the answer 😊
The only thing that matters is: Paying customers
How can you validate that?
By putting your work out there and see how people respond to it. Start as lean as possible. If possible speak to people who's pain you want to solve and see if you can convert them without the product.
alternatively (or right after that) build a quick landing page or super lean MVP to again see how people respond to it. You can even start by offering a manual service at first before building all of that stuff out. You'll know when it has potential when it's comparatively easy to get clients / users even if your solution is in its infancy.
In summary: Try finding out if the pain you identified is big enough before committing yourself to building.
Of course research is important but that's more to identify if there is a large enough market for your idea. I'd say brainstorming definitely has its place. I've also read about people who brainstormed with specialized people to identify problems. So yes, why not.
but personally I usually come up with ideas while doing / working on something. So make sure to not just sit still.
In the end just try out a bunch of things and you'll eventually find what works FOR YOU.
Good luck :)
Thank you for such an amazing answer. Will try my best to implement it. 😊
I think brainstorming is a great idea, try to do that with your friend and familiy, maybe they have problems they wanna solve.
also I learned that dont "create a problem" and then try to solve it, try to find an existing problem and give it your solution. good luck bro 💪
Yeah, thank you for the advice, will try!
No, it is not. Lead generation is an integral part of being an entrepreneur, be it regular or digital. Here is my method:
In general, the more you openly discuss your ideas the better you get at defining them. You should never be afraid of debate. It makes you stronger.
The one thing I always ask at the beginning of any brainstorming session is this - No negativity over someone's input/ideas. I will ask people to leave the room/zoom/call when they do that.
Here's why. It emboldens the quiet voices to speak up, and even if it's not a good idea --- I've often seen great ideas ignite off the suggestions.
I can't tell you how many times I've seen someone hear a goofy, or even terrible idea and suddenly have an epiphany "What if...?".
Even bad ideas can be constructive.
I would say it is more important to Validate the idea once you think it can solve a problem.
A few things you can start with are
Thank you
You probably have problems but don’t notice them. Try keeping a “problem list” and anytime in your personal life that you feel frustrated or bored or upset, see if theres a problem you can identify and add it to the list. It can be any type of problem, not just things software related. Re-read your list every so often as or grows and eventually you’ll find one that you want to solve and can solve.
Nice, I'll try!
Ideas don't have to be groundbreaking to be successful. Actually, especially as an indie hacker, simple ideas are more likely to succeed than big ones.
Success is really determined through execution, rather than the idea itself anyway. (check this to find out why: https://sive.rs/multiply)
So don't give up just yet. There are always ideas to be found. Nobody has no problems! ;)
Maybe there is a problem you can solve better than existing solutions? Maybe you can find a new niche for an existing product?
Just keep an open mind for ideas/problems, and you'll stumble over one soon. If it doesn't feel great/worth perceiving right away, try to play with it a little. Iterate on it.
Ideas are easy, execution is the tough bit. ;)
Yay, thank you for the motivation and kind words! 😎
No, brainstorming ideas for a startup is not a waste of time. In fact, it can be a great way to learn about what you’re passionate about and what you want to dedicate your time to.
There are a few ways to brainstorm ideas for a startup. One way is to start with a problem that you’re passionate about solving. Another way is to think about an industry or field that you’re passionate about and how you could create something new and innovative in that space. You can also look at existing businesses and try to identify areas where they could improve or things they’re missing out on.
No it is not a bad idea at all. There's a reason why "think tanks" exist!
I believe that actively brainstorming ideas, especially as a group but also alone, doesn't work. Creativity can't be enforced and is even harder to live in groups.
Brainstorming or other techniques, in my opinion, only work if you already have identified a certain problem field (e. g. "remote work") and now work on it.
When in need for an initial idea, what I do instead is get inspired from various resources that talk about hot ideas or business areas with high demand. Not that I'm out for copying the ideas. Actually, it's rare that I like the presented ideas that much. The point is, that on the basis of these inspirations I often come up with new ideas that I find truly valuable. I write them down and note the source of inspiration.
This process combines staying up to date and finding ideas which doesn't feel like a burden at all.
I must argue, nevertheless, these high-level ideas are worthless if you don't dig deeper. It's easy to get in a vicious cycle of collecting all these ideas but hard to pursue them. That's why I agree with Chris Sacca: "Ideas are cheap, execution is everything.".
Hey Eugene,
I wrote an article about this not too long ago actually - https://www.indiehackers.com/post/how-to-find-business-ideas-that-are-fun-and-profitable-16761b7991
To add to that article, the answer is to stop looking for problems to solve.
I know, it's what everyone says to do, but the reality is that many problems have already been solved (as you've discovered).
Instead of looking for problems to solve, look to what people currently believe is the best way to achieve their most desirable outcome and find out why it is wrong/no longer valid. Then create a new belief about the best way to reach that outcome. This is what the companies I reference in that article have done.
It's v.effective (as well as cheap - as you don't need to build an extensive product to actually make money).
Chris
That's an interesting framework, never thought about product ideas in this way. Thank you for the answer, will work on it! 💪
No problem. Glad to be of help. I'll be writing more articles about it anyway on here but if you're impatient it's all detailed in my book as well.
Overall its great to have more than 1 idea. However, your brainstorm list should prioritise things that you can do the best. Ask yourself if you have the necessary skills to solve a problem? If so, can you be confident that your skills can outcompete others? If not, maybe managing a team with those skills is your "confidence. So considering skills (as a variable) is a good stategy as well.
I think that in general, it is good practice to notice problems and write down problems that can turn into business ideas, but I also believe in frameworks. I think structured brainstorming can improve effectiveness e.g. De Bono's six hat framework or 5 WHYS, or any other way how to structure thinking about ideas.
Fun fact, you don't have to build a solution to the problem that hasn't been solved yet. I did it multiple times and always ended up solving smth people didn't care about. Start solving the problem that resonated with you and you wish you never experienced.
This video may help - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwcuzkAgHUs&t=3s
The hardest thing is finding an idea that resonates with me which wasn't solved 100500 times by other bigger companies with a bigger budget. The only working thing I see is to niche down but it also does not work for all ideas.
BTW, a nice video, I have seen it before 😉
I can help you brainstorm one that has high potential to make revenue and resonates with your interests.
For indiehackers, niching down is a good way to start. There are a few articles about how many big tech companies started out in a niche before expanding their offering. If your niche has good demand, then it is much easier to do marketing as well. But a lot of time, the niche is not big enough. That is the main problem - how to niche down and still have big enough demand.
Show me the niche which is not big enough and I'll say you can make $20M in it.
You're not alone in feeling like this - many people feel like they need to have a fully formed, original idea before they can start working on a startup. But the truth is, most successful startups are based on solving existing problems in new and innovative ways.
If you don't have any problems that you feel need solving, try thinking about the things that you're passionate about. What are the things that you wish were different in your industry or field? What needs could be met that aren't being met currently? Once you have a few ideas, you can start thinking about how to turn them into reality.
There's no one right way to come up with a startup idea, so don't worry if you don't have a lightbulb moment right away. The important thing is to get started and see where your ideas take you.
Brainstorming ideas can never be a waste of time provided done at an earlier stage. For a startup, it's crucial that a lot of brainstorming is done at the beginning stage itself. Keeping it for the latter will lead to lot of unexpected troubles and expenditures.
Dont worry too much if it has been done already. Biggest competitor is apathy of the customer. Followed by the general purpose tool like Excel. Next choice is the thing
they heard of somewhere. That could be you!
Given that life continually changes and gets more complex, even if a problem of interest was solved previously it was solved with the older tech, assumptions, mindsets, a sort of closure:), thus the incumbents are limited to the scope they started with, later embedded in the culture. When an upstart arrives it is free of the above and can arrive at a better set of assumptions, or at least the more innovative ones.
Brainstorming is definitely worthwhile if you have some idea of what you would like to build, but brainstorming for a new project not so much. To me it seems that you are forcing yourself to build something, just to build something.
In addition, I found that brainstorming can be difficult if you need to schedule it during a busy day, or week. Other things will occupy your mind if you have to force yourself to sit down for a couple of hours.
Most of my ideas came from being in a calm state of mind, where I would wander through a park or the countryside.
Maybe "brainstorming" isn't the right word, but more so a practice of reflecting is important for solving problems in the form of a startup. Reflecting means you're noticing your own problems/desires, as well as those of people around you.
I also think a lot of the fun of side projects is in "X but for Y" where Y is a community you're involved in or a hobby that you have (eg Airbnb but for camper vans). It doesn't have to be a massive market , but if it's something you're already interested in, then building a platform for the community is a great way to create something that will have value.
My opinion - It is easier to validate/get customers and have a payable product by finding existing players and copying them to have feature parity initially.
Then work on unique features and that is the time to brainstorm !
I have a lot of problems but none of them are as strong as anyone can pay for the service/solution :( (if a solution already exists I'm not gonna pay for the solution :))
but I'm super excited to look at what people are facing and ready to pay for a solution or a service :)
let's see!
brainstorming is a good tool to get new ideas, why not?
Sometimes you can start thinking of an idea, which can expand into another idea which might be the product you end up building. Thinking of ideas definitely is powerful.
By the way, I'm looking for feedback on DarkColors, a tool to mockup your UI and app color ideas without designing or coding them: https://www.darkcolors.digital/workspace
Thanks for your answer! Regarding your tool, I think it could be useful in some cases, but I don't see how would you monetize it. Did you think about it?
Advertising, affiliates, or paid extra features. By the way, we just made some new changes and added features if you want to check them out. Thanks!
Any planning is not waste of time.
Brainstorming alone is useless but if you can start taking some of these ideas and running user studies (a friend recently recommended the book The Mom Test for this - http://momtestbook.com/), then it gets valuable as you start to hone in on an idea beyond just the brainstorming phase and with more data than just your intuition.
I don't think that brainstorming sessions for startup ideas are a waste of time. I have come up up many start up ideas just from sitting down and looking at all the issues around me and trying to come up with solution to them.
I think that the main thing that one has to consider is how large and how often does the problem that you are trying to solve occur ?
A lot of companies today are providing solutions to small problems that rarely happen. So as long as your idea doesn't fall into the category then you are fine.
I like that last point. The problem doesn't necessarily have to be big, because if one person facing it, chances are other people do as well.
By the way, I'm looking for feedback on DarkColors, a tool to mockup your UI and app color ideas without designing or coding them: https://www.darkcolors.digital/workspace
I like the idea of what you are trying to do. Kind of like a quick place to create mock-ups without having to go through a whole sign-up process.
This could be sick! cos I hate having to sign up or remember my username and password for Figma in order to start making mocks up for a new idea I have.
but if there was a website that I can go to that will give me all of the most used features on Figma or adobeXd without me having to sign up for anything... now that is special 👌🏾 THen you could charge people for some extra features (I can elaborate if you want)
As for feedback, I think the UI just needs to be cleaner with better spacing and smoother font. I want to get the feeling that there's a team of people working behind this not just one person that quickly put it together.
Aside from that! I love the idea 💡
I'm also looking for feedback for my own landing page https://easystatus.io/
I actually think the landing page is perfect, and I like how it's interactive. Will stay tuned for further updates as this idea seems promising.
I made some quick UI changes if you would like to check them out: https://www.darkcolors.digital/workspace
Still working on the UI and how it should function, as the idea for the app is on the one hand to have all the tools in the viewport, kind of like Figma, so it's easy to figure out how to use the app without scrolling down, and on the other hand have elements in the mockup screen large enough to the point that they can still be seen. It's tricky to think of the UI structure for the mobile version as well haha!
Honestly if you force yourself to find a problem it won't work at lest not as you want it. And i am sure you'll find something. Just look around you ask your friend etc about something they find problematic and see what are the problems that coming more than once, hope it helps !
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