Ask HN: Idea Incubators? Or this: "I need some ideas" | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Idea Incubators? Or this: "I need some ideas"

1 pointLegend4 comments

I recently came across the following links from Google and Hacker News:

http://ycombinator.com/ideas.html http://jacquesmattheij.com/My+list+of+ideas+for+when+you+are+looking+for+inspiration

I am probably dumb when it comes to ideas because everytime I think of the "next" big idea, it has already been done.

Would you recommened any other blog posts like the ones written by Jaques or Paul that can enlighten me?

I am not looking for a direct "here's an idea" though, only something that will make me think more about the latest problems. I want to go through the experience of a startup at least once and am willing to put in long hours and am open to learning. Any suggestions?

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A philosophical perspective - Ask yourself this:"why do you want to start a startup?" Is it to make $? fast and lots of it? If so, then just rehash old startups and make a new one with a twist (another photosharing app, file sharing app, etc) - new startups today are all a mish-mash of some sort. If $ is not your immediate answer, then it must be drive/passion - something you want to answer/see because no one else has that is disruptive. In all honesty,the "next" big thing will take time and patience and you will need your drive and passion to keep it going. Other 2 things I want to add: think outside the box - step back and look at it from another way that no one else has; don't stay complacent with the status quo. And, finally, take calculated risks. Good luck.

Steve Blank's Customer Development is basically a repeatable process for discovering IPO-worthy startup ideas in the enterprise space. Sounds like reading 4 Steps to the Epiphany would be worth your time (the summaries and blog posts don't really get at idea creation in the same way the book does).

Another choice is to start with a customer segment that mid-20s guys (e.g. startup founders) tend to ignore and figure out what could be improved about their lives. Middle managers, stay-at-home moms, nurses, prisoners, old people, etc.

Also, pg posted a convenient list: http://ycombinator.com/rfs.html

Haha ... I have the opposite problem: no lack of ideas, but a lack of my ability to execute (on my own). I think it's because I am a customer facing (marketing/bizdev/sales) person at heart though my forte is product (management). Anyway, my ideas all come from customer interaction. And I have heard it from many others: just pick something as long as it gives you an excuse to interact with real customers. This is a bit easier in the enterprise market where you can engage with real customers. Partnering with somebody who has credibility with those guys and can get you meetings also helps.

1) the most you can be is inspired by a general concept. The rest has to be your idea, otherwise you won't understand it at a deep enough level, and won't be able to execute it in the right way.

2) if you're chasing the next big thing, you won't get anything. Solve a problem to a significant degree (which means truly understanding the problem). Page didn't do Page Rank because he wanted to be rich; he did it to try to solve the search problem.

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