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I'm one of those people with too many ideas. Can I give you my ideas to build and we split any profits?
i'm pretty sure he's talking about side project. so talking about profit right away may get you disappointed too quickly. i think.
ngokevin: No, not joking. Reverse vc is a real model.. http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/219627
The bad news is that most of the ideas they have are unworkable, unmarketable, or just plain stupid. The good news is that underneath it all, there is often a kernel of a good need that can be solved in a better way than they are expecting and/or applied more generally.
Over the holidays, my sisters told me about an app I should build - it seemed silly and unmarketable to me at first, but as I thought about it more, I saw a lot of potential uses (many of them applicable to a commercial context) for a more general solution to their problem. I'm working on that app now on the side.
The other thing to think about is the way you approach people for ideas - don't ask them what app you could build to help them, ask them what their problems are. Even better if this is in the context of their job - this makes it far more likely that you could charge enough money for your software to make it worthwhile.
The biggest problem my business has is convincing potential customers that they have a problem. We do electronic timesheeting, staff attendance, and rostering, but most businesses think that paper timesheets are "good enough" - convincing them how much cheaper and more efficient things could be when done in the cloud is a tough slog.
So don't assume that just because people don't say they have a problem (that they'll pay for, or otherwise) doesn't mean there isn't a problem lurking, waiting to be brought into the light. And if you solve the problem well enough, people will pay you for things you never imagined charging for.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
i'm pretty sure he's talking about side project. so talking about profit right away may get you disappointed too quickly. i think.
I'm in no way suggesting even trying to make money. But any startup does have the possibility of being incredibly successful, so it's worth mentioning. ngokevin: No, not joking. Reverse vc is a real model.. http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/219627
Once people find out that you build software, they are (in my experience, at least) all too happy to tell you what kind of app/website you should build. The bad news is that most of the ideas they have are unworkable, unmarketable, or just plain stupid. The good news is that underneath it all, there is often a kernel of a good need that can be solved in a better way than they are expecting and/or applied more general…
Take inspiration from the things that irritate you, or those moments where you think "Wouldn't it be cool if…"
And remember, it doesn't have to be just software - there's immense fun in mechatronics…especially things that fly, float, or zoom along the ground at high speed!
My answer in a similar thread: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1454465
To be precise:
* Problems can be Jobs[1] they have in their daily life
* Learn to listen[2]
* Think of Space > Problem > Solution.
* Zoom out. As Developers we tend to be in the details. This is not where inspiration comes from.
* Work with ideas like with with clay. See the whole piece, look patterns while working with it, simplify and fine tune the things that work.
[1] http://businessofsoftware.org/2012/02/professor-clayton-chri...
[2] http://dex.io/robfitz/how-to-do-and-what-to-expect-from-cust...
Most importantly: have fun.