How to find the right startup idea for you

Most people fail with their first startups because they get involved in ideas and projects that don't suit them. It's a common mistake for beginners. Most entrepreneurs face difficulties when starting their first startups, as they try to solve problems they don't understand well. They want to solve problems they haven't experienced enough, which limits their understanding and ability to find a solution. To get a successful resolution, it is essential to understand the problem as best as possible. It is not enough to understand what a potential user (you) would need, this is superficial, and it is necessary to understand the problem structurally—focusing more on the problem than on the solution is essential. This involves opening up to different reflections: why is the problem? What could explain why it exists? How is it presented and what does it involve? The simplest and most effective way to grasp a problem is to live it. By the lived experience of a problem, I mean an in-depth, hands-on interaction that provides an understanding of the most complex and challenging realities. It's not a single encounter with an issue, nor is it a quick, superficial tour of a factory. It requires prolonged exposure to the nuances and intricacies of a situation. It takes time, energy, and emotion. No amount of business school education or online research can replace it. Brian Chesky started tackling the hosting problem when he was a student and couldn't afford permanent housing. Initially, he tried to solve it by providing sleeping spaces for visitors to the city, but this didn't work. It was only after working on various hosting-related projects that Chesky eventually succeeded with Airbnb. This doesn't mean it can't be done in other ways. However, analysis of the history of successful startups and the journeys of their entrepreneurs shows that success only came after they had a better understanding of the problem they were trying to solve. This is often misinterpreted to mean that one must fail many times to find the right solution when in reality it is simply a result of gaining a deeper understanding of the problem. For Evan Williams, it all began with a business venture that aimed to enable people to publish online without coding knowledge. After this failed, he realized the real challenge was helping people find and connect with relevant content on the internet. This gave rise to Blogger, which was eventually sold to Google, and later to Twitter, where Williams continued to pursue the same goal of connecting people with relevant content. Similarly, Garret Camp, founder of Uber, also worked on transportation. Initially, he tried car rental projects, but these did not pan out. After exploring other related projects, he eventually achieved success with Uber. Start with a problem you've personally encountered and understand ideally one that you're in an unusual position to see. Find ideas on your area of expertise. Have you been in a unique position to identify problems or opportunities through your professional or personal experience? These are great places to begin searching for startup ideas. Take advantage of your expertise to come up with ideas. This is effective because any idea you generate this way has an automatic founder-market fit. This approach is highly effective, as the ideas that you generate this way have a much higher chance of being successful given your experience of the problem. Furthermore, it saves you time and energy, since you are tapping into your existing knowledge and expertise to come up with ideas, rather than starting from scratch. Launching a startup in an area where you have limited or no expertise is not easy. It takes time and experience to gain the necessary knowledge. Why not take advantage of your expertise and start a business in your field? You would be well-positioned to identify and resolve issues as effectively as possible. Evan Williams founded Blogger, and Medium, and was also involved in the creation of Twitter. He built his career by solving the problem of online publishing and content distribution, he committed himself to a field in which he achieved great success. The founders we have discussed have acquired a deep understanding of the complexities of problem-solving through years of trial and error and continued exploration. This highlights the importance of gaining a comprehensive understanding of a situation to be successful in the entrepreneurial world. It is not enough to simply recognize and identify a problem; it must be fully comprehended to effectively address it. Fortunately, it is not necessary to go through the same lengthy process of experimentation as the founders we have mentioned. It is possible to take one's time to learn and gain a better understanding before venturing into the startup world. This is one of humanity's great advantages: the knowledge gained through experience can be shared. Thank you for taking the time to read us. Did you enjoy this article? Subscribe today to make sure you don't miss our next issue: https://makerstation.substack.com/ Each week we tackle questions about software product business, how and why a software product can succeed, giving you a better way to think of product business validation, and how to make informed decisions about which ideas are worth pursuing.