5 Places To Look For Your Next Startup Idea

Have you ever come across a product that was similar to something you once thought of, but you never got around to making? Are you ready to quit your 9-5 and launch a startup, but you’re not sure what kind of business to make?

Sounds like you need a lesson on how to brainstorm business ideas and see them through. Innovative, successful businesses don’t happen by chance. A startup is best able to thrive when its leaders recognize an opportunity and seize it.

You can’t put off bringing your idea to life, and you really can’t sit around waiting for the right idea to come to you. You have to actively search for the next big thing then bring it to market before someone else does.

Follow the tips below to improve the inspiration side of the startup process.

1. Anticipate Trends in Your Industry

Maybe you have years of experience as a software developer, a student affairs professional, or a sports and nutrition expert. Whatever the current industry you operate in is, you likely have seen many a trend come and go.

Some things stick – they change the course of a market’s supply and demand for a significant amount of time. Other ideas are popular for a while, then fizzle out. You want something that sticks.

To come up with such an idea, you have to pay careful attention to the trends your industry has already experienced. Try to determine where your market is headed. More so, ask yourself what customers really need; show them what they want before they even realize they want it.

If you can find an idea that does that, you’re right on the money.

2. Talk to Mentors

Sometimes, a good idea needs a bit of tweaking to become a game-changing startup. It’s worth sharing your thoughts with people you trust and getting their feedback.

Talking about startup ideas out loud helps you see things clearly. The natural flow of a conversation gets your creative juices going even more and shows you where a good idea can be even better.

Not to mention, the insight of business mentors is invaluable. There’s no shame in asking for help when you build a startup. In fact, you’re going to be doing this a lot, so you may as well get used to it now.

Ask your mentors what they think about the idea. Have them tell you if it’s something they would buy or not, and if they see it succeeding long-term.

3. Think About Your Hobbies and Passions

Mentors help you brainstorm all kinds of ideas and start coming up with one plan. The thing is, you may not want to create a startup in the same business you’ve been operating in for years. It’s worth exploring startup ideas outside of your career track and talking to more people than those in your professional network.

Leaving the traditional 9-5 setup and developing something of your own could be a great chance to create an entire shift in your personal and professional life. It’s your moment to do anything – like open a restaurant, launch a nonprofit, or create a product for a sports team or a college or something for the entertainment and leisure industry.

The possibilities are endless, especially when you have the right amount of passion behind your product. Stop thinking in terms of what consumers in your industry need. Put yourself in a consumer’s shoes and ask what you want.

4. Ask What’s Missing

If you can’t focus on one startup idea, think about what applies best to a large group of people. Find the balance between your passions in life and your professional experience. The best way to do this is to ask what’s missing – both in your industry and your everyday life.

There’s always something that can be improved. But, businesses don’t always have the means to make new products a priority and not everyone takes the leap to create what they need instead of waiting for another company to provide it.

Why not you? Why not now?

5. Do Some Research

The final part of the business brainstorm process is to do your research. The last thing you want is to get all excited about a new, innovative idea only to realize someone else is already doing it!

Not to mention, this can land you in serious trouble thanks to trademark and copyright protections. Doing your research is both a matter of making sure you’re on the right track and taking a few steps back if you find you’re copying what someone else has achieved.

If you find you are in fact the first person to think of an idea, research helps get the startup going. It shifts from making sure you’re onto something to taking the first steps toward making that “something” happen.

You have to research everything from startup costs and regulations to consumer behavior and market trends. Do this right off the bat so you can solidify your startup idea into one concise product.

How to Brainstorm Business Ideas and Set Yourself Up for Success

It’s one thing to learn how to brainstorm business ideas and another to know how to start setting things in motion. You can think of great ideas all day long, but it’s when you commit to one and take action on it that your startup really begins.

That’s easier said than done. There are all sorts of tasks that go into making an idea come to life, but thankfully, there are even more resources to help you do so.

For help making your exciting idea a successful startup, click here.