How to get and test startup ideas

Executive overview

Most founders wait for a great idea. The better move is to start with a problem you personally know.

Personal connection to a problem keeps you grounded when solutions fail and lets you judge whether a fix is even in the right ballpark. Once you have a problem worth pursuing, build an MVP fast, stay detached from it, and handpick your first users.

Fall in love with the problem, not the product.

Start with problems, not ideas

• Ideas invite instant grading. Problems invite exploration.
• Keep a problem book, not an idea book — log daily frustrations and things friends or family complain about.
• Personal connection to the problem sustains motivation when early solutions fail.
• Brainstorm problems with potential co-founders — good sessions reveal whether you think and build well together.

Find your unique angle

• Ask: do you understand something about this problem that others don't?
• Your edge doesn't require years of experience — a distinct perspective or personal insight is enough.
• Review previous attempts to solve the problem and check whether their angle differs from yours.
• This is your gut check: is this the right fit for you?

Build and release your MVP fast

• An MVP can be built and released in days or weeks.
• Don't fall in love with it — it will almost certainly solve the problem poorly at first.
• The MVP's job is to start the learning process, not to be something you're proud of.
• Release quickly; perfection is the enemy of feedback.

Handpick your initial users

• Don't optimise for volume — optimise for fit.
• Initial users must be willing to try an unpolished startup product.
• The problem must be genuinely important in their lives, not a minor inconvenience.
• Goal: find out if the product solves the problem for any group — not how many people sign up.
• The best startups filter early users heavily to ensure they're the right type of customer.