I do the following exercise, each time after YC demo day, I review startups and evaluate their ideas. This helps to come up with new ideas. Another thing, I try to solve my own problems, this is a good source of ideas.

Ouch, here was I thinking that you already had identified some market niche / emerging market, or some piece of technology / engineering / software that doesn't exist yet but you'd like to see become reality. A vision, if you will.

What idea to pursue really is the smallest problem. If you haven't passed that hurdle, don't even think about going all-in. Going all-in, doing what?

Ideas are cheap. It's implementation that matters. And marketing that.

So: come up with idea / market niche / potential product first. Then decide whether to pursue that, and/or start business while doing so.

> I do not have any niche skills, I’m your typical run-of-the-mill backend developer with no particular expertise.

That's not true. You're underestimating yourself.

Every person has unique experience, skill set & personality. As someone said: "every person you talk to, knows something that you don't". But the reverse is also true: you know some things (or have a specific combination of skills, or an idea / vision) that nobody else does. Even if ever-so-slightly different from one of your peers. Or may be in a unique position to take an idea & make it go places.

"Do only, what only you can do".

I think that was Edsger G. Dijkstra quote? You seem at least to have the means to do so.

P.S. Maybe you just need a change of scenery, to come up with fresh ideas? (vacation, hop jobs, move house, dive into unexplored online communities, start a new hobby, ..)

I will suggest you take a look at these books. The step 0 of Bill Aulet’s books are all about “how to come up with an idea”.

* Bill Aulet, Disciplined entrepreneurship, 24 steps to a successful startup

* Bill Aulet, Disciplined Entrepreneurship Workbook