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Where to find ideas

howtogrow.substack.com

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Re: Where to find ideas

#41

Post by vonnik »

cjs_ac wrote: post #15

The real work in software engineering is deciding how to represent all the details of the problem and its solution - the rest is just typing. The ability to understand abstract systems in this way is very rare. For most people, computers are magical objects that they don't understand. You can't ask people what problems they have that you could solve with a computer because they have very little idea of what computers…

Agree with so much of this!

Would just add that the best sales people have usually been folks with deep domain expertise, partially because they tend to have a pre-existing social network of potential users due to their work.

Re: Where to find ideas

#42

Post by hollowonepl »

Gosh… I thought all that startup mentoring nonsense era is over… work is work… should give money I get it and it should give enough time to spend it wisely, I get it for a while too.. but all that nonsense about problem solving? It should have a business case so it’s something beyond pumped up idea to make world worse… I’ve seen enough startups that aimed to fix problems that never truly existed and generated more problems to speculate on an idea there actually is a business model for it.. I think debunked truth about startup ideas is to find a gig that fat boy investors buy in when you realize, cash out, buy a winery and relax… others will keep fixing problems you’ve generated, but wine tastes good. All other ideas is just bollocks for young minds to be lied that world we live in is not feudal. Forgive me being brutally honest… but we are 20 years after Zuck being impressed by Napster way of impressing investors. We should have learned something real from that.

Re: Where to find ideas

#43

Post by rfrey »

noelwelsh wrote: post #4

Good example of using ad hominem to discredit others in favour of your approach. Examples: - "The academic who hasn’t built anything, yet feels comfortable telling you to use their complicated startup framework to find and validate ideas." Presumably a dig at lean startup. - "A market need? An underserved niche? Demand? WTF do these things even mean?" Come on, these aren't that hard to define.

Agree, feels pretty straw-man. Where are these never-built-anything academics? Lean startup's Steve Blank, maybe? Who did, what, 11 startups before moving into academia?

Re: Where to find ideas

#44

Post by FuriouslyAdrift »

TrackerFF wrote: post #27

I've written this many times before, but working in some industry will usually expose you to the various problems that need to be solved. Most of the startup founds I've met have either worked in tech, or as consultants, and have noticed some problem that has been sitting unsolved / products that suck / untapped markets. And it is not like you need to be a FAANG SWE or McKinsey consultant enjoy to that privilege. Eve…

Working for small to medium size companies, I have noticed there are many 'solved' problems where the solutions are either too complex or, more commonly, too expensive.

There are a lot of old boring things out there that are ripe for disruption.

Re: Where to find ideas

#45

Post by begueradj »

iamflimflam1 wrote: post #22
begueradj wrote: post #11

Some workplaces actually ask for new ideas in special must to attend meetings. But an idea is worthless as long as it's not implemented. That's why you can find free online resources sharing, for example, "70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025"

Suddenly my mind has gone blank…

It should turn grey. Unless you have grey matter deficit.
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