Stop thinking up startup ideas [presentation] • Hacker News Board

Re: Stop thinking up startup ideas [presentation]

#21

Post by Anonymous09 » Wed, Mar 06, 2013, 3:04 PM UTC

mattgreenrocks wrote: post #10

These presentations irk me significantly. I get that you need to work on existing problems that have users that will pay. I get that you need a business model. I get that it needs to be a market that is open enough. But they rarely address how to generate ideas to work through. Perhaps I'm not entrepreneurial enough...but I refuse to believe that's the case. I get that you have to talk/observe users, but I don't know…

There's no guaranteed path to creating a successful startup. Google can release a project, and push it to millions of people overnight. They have a nearly unlimited budget, and bring some of the most talented people in the industry to the table. However, they have countless failures. Time, and time, and time again you see the most respected teams in the world fail. I find this fascinating. You can take the brightest minds in the world, give them billions of dollars, and they fail, while someone eating Ramen noodles, living in a basement succeeds. Try, and try again, because it's going to take a lot of failed attempts. Keep a fast turnover, and don't continue to pursue an idea that's not gaining traction.

Re: Stop thinking up startup ideas [presentation]

#22

Post by obviouslygreen » Wed, Mar 06, 2013, 3:29 PM UTC

UnoriginalGuy wrote: post #14

mattgreenrocks wrote: post #10

These presentations irk me significantly. I get that you need to work on existing problems that have users that will pay. I get that you need a business model. I get that it needs to be a market that is open enough. But they rarely address how to generate ideas to work through. Perhaps I'm not entrepreneurial enough...but I refuse to believe that's the case. I get that you have to talk/observe users, but I don't know…

I'm in exactly the same situation as you. I have asked about it here before and the replies are "do A/B testing to figure out which idea is best" which is fine but only if you already have ideas. There is really two problems: Creating ideas, and knowing which ideas are "stupid" and which you should try. While it is easy to say "A/B test them all" that just isn't realistic with any level of time, cost, or personal con…

I'm yet to have any idea that passes the "would I pay money for that?" test.

My apologies to the long-deceased quadruped I'm about to assault, but assuming you mean "I" as in yourself, the person writing, "would I pay money for that?" is only a useful question if you are confident that your target demographic's needs, goals, priorities, problems, and disposable income are extremely similar to your own.

Market research is hard, in no small part because people will unwittingly provide you false information all day long on what's worth solving and what they'd actually buy. Those are separate problems, though; starting off asking who your product should appeal to will then let you start investigating the right question, "will its intended target audience pay money for this?"

Re: Stop thinking up startup ideas [presentation]

#23

Post by olejolej » Wed, Mar 06, 2013, 4:03 PM UTC

piotr_b wrote: post #3

C-P-S looks like another approach to Lean Canvas. Good point - solve problems, don't create new.

Rhakns. Some people doesn't even understand Lean Canvas, so C-P-S formula is lower threshold for entry into modeling startups :) simpliest model as possible, It was my purpose in this presentation.

Re: Stop thinking up startup ideas [presentation]

#24

Post by olejolej » Wed, Mar 06, 2013, 4:06 PM UTC

khitchdee wrote: post #6

There's no formula for starting up and there's no one way to do it. For example, if you have a truly game changing idea, you don't need to go the MVP route. Over time, it will become visible. What's more important in this case is that you stick with it until it gets widely used. This approach won't work for a more bottom-up idea that is based on some observation about the existing market. Then you're better of with a…

It is not formula for all startups but when I see ideas on Startup Weekend it seems to me that I live in parallel world, when I read their ideas for solutions. They often goes from solution, let's try from problem/need.

Re: Stop thinking up startup ideas [presentation]

#25

Post by olejolej » Wed, Mar 06, 2013, 4:10 PM UTC

julianpye wrote: post #16

If everyone listens to the same problems that people have and listens to similar customer views and uses the same MVP techniques, all startups become the same. Well, we're there - millions of graduates from business schools are coming up with the very same MVPs. In fact we're getting drowned by all these vertical startups. They are single-purpose tools that want to be the toothpick, the tweezer, the tiny saw of the S…

As author of this presentation, I see in europe that ie. tech-people who build startups don't see obvious problems as there is still a lot of space for competition. They start from tech-interesting solutions. This presentation is not about far future, but build for actual needs.

Re: Stop thinking up startup ideas [presentation]

#26

Post by olejolej » Wed, Mar 06, 2013, 4:13 PM UTC

jpwagner wrote: post #12

This presentation suggests noticing problems that have inelegant solutions over "thinking up startup ideas", synonymous with [thinking of ideas for companies that have nothing to do with solving problems or providing value]. Either this presentation was given to an audience of posers and kids or the presenter thought the audience was a bunch of posers and kids. Both scenarios sound awful.

So on Startup Weekends are only kids? Because I don't see there nice pain-killers but nice tech-solutions...

Re: Stop thinking up startup ideas [presentation]

#27

Post by olejolej » Wed, Mar 06, 2013, 4:15 PM UTC

marban wrote: post #5

Asking someone in advance whether they would pay for a hypothetical solution is a very erratic method to evaluate an idea.

it's better to know something earlier, then nothing and start build :/

Re: Stop thinking up startup ideas [presentation]

#28

Post by olejolej » Wed, Mar 06, 2013, 4:21 PM UTC

mattgreenrocks wrote: post #10

These presentations irk me significantly. I get that you need to work on existing problems that have users that will pay. I get that you need a business model. I get that it needs to be a market that is open enough. But they rarely address how to generate ideas to work through. Perhaps I'm not entrepreneurial enough...but I refuse to believe that's the case. I get that you have to talk/observe users, but I don't know…

Buils ie. for big markets: - teens - 3D printing glasses (trendy, unique) - parents - Q&A for childcare - woman - new ways of slimming

There is no one proccess for finding ideas. There are clues for finding them.

If you don't see such idea for masses then you don't undestand particular market :/ If you are a parent you often search for some child-care problems solutions. If you see problems with advices structure there, and friends find it also, then build it.

Just check also Google Keyword Tool, thera are informations - what people are looking for / what lacks.