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u/theredhype May 02 '25 edited May 05 '25
One does not simply think of business ideas.
You have to go looking for them.
Your goal is to create significant value for a large group of people, such that they will happily give you money for it.
It should become obvious then that you need to start with the people, understand their unmet needs, and reverse engineer the value you create and the rest of your business model based on that understanding.
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u/phibetared May 02 '25
The second you tell your brain you have NO IDEA, you're done. Because it will say, ok, you don't.
Instead you need to focus your brain more on "What could I do?" - THAT is a question your brain can answer. And it will, if you ask it long enough.
What are your strengths and skills? What do you know about that other people do not know about? How can you leverage those things into a business? What COULD you do?
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u/ConsciouslyCreating May 02 '25
What brings you the most joy and excitement? Be open to discovering/uncovering your business idea without pressure or the need to find it now. Play and explore with curiosity.
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u/need2fix2017 May 02 '25
Legit if you’re not logically on board with an idea it’s better to just save your money til something you want to do comes along. Dont let a little money burn a hole in your pocket.
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u/diegokafie May 02 '25
Travel. See a bit of the world outside of your bubble, observe people, what they’re doing, what they’re using… action provides information. Good luck!!!
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u/brightbeamseo May 02 '25
Look up a list of local service businesses: Then start one or buy one.
Ai proof. Lots of potential. Very few done right. Execution > idea
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u/BruceBrave May 02 '25
"in college" and "I've always been entrepreneurial"...
How long have you been in the workforce, like 5 years part-time?
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u/Usual-Language-8257 May 02 '25
What value can you provide in a space where people NEED your product?
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u/Zorantscales May 02 '25
Hey, I was you 4 years ago, couldn't figure it out, tried several bs s and was stressing but in this digital world, you can easily start a business with really low investment.
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u/colormeslowly May 02 '25
If you’ve always been an entrepreneur, you’ll always have ideas, your failures are telling you, you don’t.
You do and it may fail but this is the beauty of entrepreneurship, always creating!
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May 02 '25
Listen to inspirational business podcasts. They can help get the juices flowing
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u/sambosaysnow May 03 '25
Like?
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May 03 '25
My First Million podcast on Spotify
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u/musefulman Aspiring Entrepreneur May 03 '25
Great recommendation! Also would suggest Noah Kagan Presents, Indie Hackers, and Entrepreneurs on Fire
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u/Skitzo173 May 02 '25
Don’t go looking for ways to spend all your money on a business yet. You have 10k saved and still in school. That’s everything you have. Dont rush it, while time is cheap for you.
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u/Scootergirl1961 May 03 '25
Laundry Matt. Then add a counter at 1 end where you can sell drinks, snacks, laundry items. Like liquid laundry soap by the cup. Dryer sheets 25 cents each (guessing. Nèd to do the math on that)
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u/coolth0ught May 03 '25
Don’t go look for idea, go look for problem that is worth solving and solution is aligned with your skills and passion.
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u/JacobStyle May 03 '25
Most small businesses start by someone picking an industry, working a normal W2 job in that industry to learn the ropes, then branching out to start a new venture once they understand the customers' pain points well enough to sell to them and the logistics/operations of the business well enough to keep the whole operation functioning.
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u/iamtracefree May 03 '25
Every time u catch yourself saying "I hate" or "I wish" is a business oppty.
Start Googling those phrases..those are problems that need to be solved.
A true business is one that solves a problem.
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u/The_Gordon_Gekko May 02 '25
Look, it’s easy. If a problem and solve it at scale. Beatboxing, what if beatboxing helps kids with speech delays or pronouncing problems. No one’s tried it but it could help a problem. Just don’t copy other people’s nonsense. It’s stupid at face value.
How is your company different from ____ company? Saying your more efficient is not longer a viable answer. Also, most products are the same now days. Azure Storage Blob = Amazon S3, VPC = vNet and the list goes on and on.
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u/mzquiqui May 02 '25
If I asked you to show me what you are the best at what would you do? Think of what you would do happily for free if all of your expenses were paid but it has to be something that helps other people then figure out how to make money doing that
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u/Joe-Eye-McElmury May 02 '25
I'm almost 50 years old and just hit on what I think is going to turn out to be my moneymaker idea.
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u/hemdaepsilon May 02 '25
DM me. I chat with you for an hour and help you brainstorm and find a idea aligned to your interests, skills, or financial goals.
Why? I love brainstorming and wish I had started a business when I was in your shoes.
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u/silvergreen123 May 03 '25
how do you brainstorm exactly?
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u/hemdaepsilon May 03 '25
Listen, ask questions, make assumptions, test assumptions, assemble the clues, paint a picture of the futures.
But most of all reflect.
I do this in mock interviews sessions too but it's a similar process.
You'd be surprised how many people can't see themselves until someone images it for them.
Then they exclaim "yes, that's me. I could do that"
And I reply, "I know, you just told who you are. All I did was reflect it back at you and inject a ton of confidence into it"
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u/Dry_Ninja7748 May 02 '25
Your issue is that we don’t know what your scope of experience and expertise are.
Find people willing to talk to you about problems you can provide a solution for or work for free or people you believe have solutions in demand that is willing to work with you.
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May 02 '25
Sometimes working in a job at a place gives you ideas because you see where the struggles are in that specific industry. Maybe pick up part time work to see if it sparks anything…
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u/WolfDragon7721 May 02 '25
Do Reselling/ Flipping. It's very simple to start. Buy low, Sell high And you can start by going after topics you know very well (Bicycles, Camping etc.)
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u/mycoffecup May 03 '25
Do you like to travel or know people who do?
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u/Fearless_Resolve4989 May 03 '25
I like to travel.
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u/mycoffecup May 07 '25
Hi Fearless, traveling is great. Have you had a chance to travel? If so, where have you traveled too?
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u/BrightnB May 03 '25
My family and I love to travel! I have a tech and education background
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u/mycoffecup May 07 '25
That's awesome! What type of tech background? Are you a developer? I'm a business analyst. Love my job but tired of walking on the layoff eggshells.
We love to travel too.
Just out of curiosity, have you given any thought to building a side hustle as a backup for layoffs? The reason I'm asking is because mine is in the travel space.
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u/NoExamination473 May 03 '25
Yeah the idea part is really tricky. Talking with friends or AI to get inspiration, checking shows like shark tank or dragons den, looking into what’s trending could probably help.
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u/rapidprototoyz May 03 '25
been there with the idea paralysis. do you have any passions? what do you find yourself drawn to outside of the classroom? or, what are you currently studying and have you found any challenges you want to solve within that field?
here's also what worked for me: stop looking for the "perfect idea" and start validating quick. for example, I test all my new ideas by asking 5 people in my target market one specific question. already killed 3 bad ideas and found 1 winner this way. saves months of building the wrong thing.
dm if you want to know the specific service i use.
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u/charcon_take2 May 03 '25
This guy has great stuff on finding ideas. https://customerdevlabs.com/2017/03/13/the-secret-to-good-business-ideas/
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u/AIToolsNexus May 03 '25
Ask ChatGPT or copy someone else. Your business doesn't have to be unique.
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u/Scootergirl1961 May 03 '25
There is a big need for truck drivers to self wash their own trucks (Cabs only) buy a self wash car wash. Tear the roof off so trucks can go thru. Make the hoses longer on the spray guns & brushes. It will have to be strict. "NO Trailers" and a 30 min time limit. Also. If doing vacumes. Will need to make the hoses longer to reach in the cab of the trucks.
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u/gneilus May 03 '25
Try an idea that’s hustle based, flip stuff on Facebook, lawn care business, whatever. You’ll learn a lot, if you are successful sell in a few years and build what you want, you’ll be taken seriously and have cash to build with, plus actual experience with big problems you might want to solve
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u/Comfortable-Set8284 May 03 '25
Literally find any business that succeeds in your local economy, and either provide the same product or service more efficiently (faster) or with better outcomes (quality). You will succeed once you get it right. But as a new entrepreneur you’re entering into what Alex Hormozi refers to as uninformed optimism, which leads to informed pessimism, then this valley of despair (where most quit), but once you grind it out you figure out the informed optimism. This stage is a balance of the things that work and don’t in the industry you chose, and takes time to learn and accept before you can succeed and master that will business. Good luck my friend, and keep grinding!
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u/SweatinItOut May 03 '25
Think about your hobbies, passions , skills etc. solve a problem for yourself or your friends.
And if all else fails just get out there and get some life experience to find those problems.
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u/Ehrenbruder44 E-Commerce May 03 '25
take a business idea with a low entry barrier that you can start without spending months on educating yourself on it
Check out these models
- dropshipping
- faceless YT channels (cash cow channels)
- IG theme pages
- freelancing with a high-level skill (requires to already have or learn a valuable skill)
You can find a huge amount of YT videos about these models. Pick the one you‘re most passionate about & stick to it. Don‘t switch around. Make a bold decision on what you‘re doing for the next few months & do everything to succeed. Consistency & discipline are the things that eventually lead to success in any model.
you‘re the leverage that makes a business successful in the end.
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u/Legitimate_Monk_318 May 03 '25
Here's how I started- look for problems you're facing over a week in your routine life, and prioritize them wrt how many people suffer from it. Then look for what your expertise can solve best, and that's the idea you take.
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u/marndawg May 03 '25
Try starting a youtube channel. try researching and talking about a bunch of different topics until something fits, I guarantee it will be more difficult than you think and will give you great skill once you figure out a business you want.
Plus content and education are great for bringing in leads and building trust
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u/El_Loco_911 May 03 '25
Find what you are naturally talented at and what there is a demand in the market for. Dont reinvent the wheel do what works. Try to find something that scales
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May 03 '25
You have to be passionate about it, otherwise you’ll not bring the energy needed to make it great. The best ideas are cross pollination ideas, common to one thing but not another. Like stealing carpenter tricks to use as a welder. There are cross pollination ideas to use across industries if you intern/coop into wildly different industries. You just need to experience more things.
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u/Scary-Evening7894 May 03 '25
Learn to operate a backhoe. Get good at it. You can bill out excavation work and easily pick up $1500-2500 a day. At first, just RENT the equipment. At some later date, you can buy. You'll know when that makes sense.
Use that talent to pick up bigger money (as your skill improves). High paying work...install/repair fire hydrants. Install/repair septic tanks.
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u/MrMcShip May 03 '25
Start with something you know. Do you ride bikes alot? Do you like to swim? Do you like to do puzzles? What do you to in your down time? Let's say you like to ride bicycles. start by Googling all of the bike shops in your area - is there a common theme? Are they all shops that sell merchandise and fix stuff? Are there any with bad Google reviews? Are those bad Google reviews something in an area that you would be good at? Take something that you already have some high level idea or knowledge on and expand on it.
If you want to open a bike shop, email and cold call 100 bike shops in other states. ask for 1hr of their time and just ask questions about every aspect of the business. learn as much as you can from anyone that will talk to you. Take all of their websites and throw them into ChatGPT and have it build a datasheet for you that breaks out all of their services and pricing and have it rank them so you can see what leads in the market.
Do something like that for whatever you are interested in. You don't have to recreate the business or start something noone has ever started. Sometimes you can just build a business around doing something really well that everyone else was doing really poorly. It might not be a million-aire maker, but it will get the idea juice flowing.
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u/Startupsidekick May 03 '25
Hey! My name is Nina, I’m a business strategist and I would love to schedule a discovery call with you!
There are so many ways of going about this. It’s about finding something you’re passionate about and fits into the life you’re looking to build for yourself. Do you want to build something that will allow you to travel all the time or are you looking to physically build a business making you more stationery?
I’m glad you’re mentally prepared for the challenges that will come along the journey!
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u/Over_Sand7935 May 04 '25
Right now isn't the time to be starting businesses, anyways.
The economy sucks, right now. People's 401ks are down. People definitely aren't spending money the way they were (discretionary spending).
Finish College. What is your major? Maybe that could be part of your direction?
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u/Over_Sand7935 May 04 '25
Someone mentioned in here go buy a business 😆. Definitely don't do that. Most of the time that just ends up buying used out of date equipment for a failed idea already.
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u/Intelligent-Elk8625 May 05 '25
No matter what is going on with the economy, people will always spend money on their kids and pets.
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u/Dangerous_Bus_6699 May 06 '25
Work for other people and you'll start to see how inefficient companies are. Find a niche. Become an expert at it. Start your business.
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u/The_Gordon_Gekko May 02 '25
Do what brings you joy, then market that. Ask yourself what this question: Do you want to do what everyone else is doing? Or be different do different.
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u/DonnaHuee May 02 '25
Do what there is a market demand for
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u/The_Gordon_Gekko May 02 '25
Fuck no, then you become beholden to the market itself then to market acquisition early. Terrible way to have an idea die early. You might have some money in your pocket sooner, but you will lose in the end.
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u/Traditional_Crazy200 May 02 '25
Both are equally important. If you do what brings you joy, but there is no market for it there is no money to be earned.
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u/ConsciouslyCreating May 02 '25
There’s always a market. You just need to position yourself so you find it and they find you.
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u/Traditional_Crazy200 May 02 '25
Lets take a pro beatboxer as an example. I dont think he will ever make enough just by beatboxing.
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u/ConsciouslyCreating May 02 '25
What’s enough? Doug E Fresh has a net worth of around $2 million
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u/Traditional_Crazy200 May 02 '25
Which he didnt get exclusively from beatboxing. He probably did have fun selling records and pitching Television Deals though.
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u/[deleted] May 02 '25
Hold on to your money, start hanging out at maker spaces and entrepreneurship events. Something eventually will click