How to find product ideas like a serial entrepreneur ?

advait vaidya
27 replies
Hi, I'm @advait_vaidya I'm a PM by profession but I like to create my own MVP and side projects. I struggled with coming up with ideas as I always tried to look in different markets where I didn't have previous experiences or simply no one to talk to for coming up with problem statements to solve. In July 2020, I was doing my own research in interior designing industry. I had no experience there also. I started talking with different stakeholders and doing online surveys. And during doing that survey I came up with a survey market untapped. Key takeaway: During building a product if you look closely, you will get idea for another product. Thanks and definitely want to hear more from the community about how you come up with a product ideas.

Replies

Eugene Narciso
I always find inspiration for a new product/services around me. For example, during Christmas, I needed to boil 2liters of water and thought, I wish there's a pot with measurements etched into the pot itself (like a large measuring cup). There might be product(s) similar to it already but I feel like the cookware market should have more of it. Free idea right there :-)
advait vaidya
Update: I jotted down my journey from a non programmer to launch a SAAS product in 3 months ✍️ - https://cutt.ly/jjrwdwW
Nevo David
You stop looking for ideas and start looking for problems :)
Alexey Shashkov
@advait_vaidya Cool question. My method: 1. I'm looking for products that are popular and read reviews from users – what those products doing badly. 2. Then I'm trying to write a product vision and evaluate this idea. 3. If I can to create a better copycat - I'm trying to build it.
advait vaidya
@advait_vaidya @new_user_24675653ae yup, all the G2, Capterra etc reviews are gold mines to be leveraged
Seph
@advait_vaidya @new_user_24675653ae nice! This is how I find project ideas myself too. That's why I'm making a list of poorly executed products (Validated ideas). I will launch the 2nd version of this list tomorrow if you are interested.
advait vaidya
@advait_vaidya @new_user_24675653ae @jozshuszi can you please also do for the SAAS version? I think there will be people out there to pay (I'm one of them).
Seph
@advait_vaidya @new_user_24675653ae @jozshuszi I plan to do that, yes! The 2.0 version will have a few (200+) web apps, but the next version after that will surely contain more (I focused on iOS and chrome extensions this time, I didn't take too much time to gather more SAAS).
Vishal Srivastava
@advait_vaidya @shashcoffe It's great not just for new ideas but also for improving existing products. I use the reviews to find features to add to existing products.
Fernando Nikolic (mindfold.co)
An angle to consider: Write about the topic(s) you're interested in, and build your audience while doing that. Then, when you've reached a critical mass: Ask your audience. Once you have the attention of an audience that (1) is your target and (2) you own, then build the product.
Devanand Premkumar
@fernikolic1 That is one pretty interesting angle to consider. Write and share your knowledge and be in a niche where your heart and mind is. It is told that we can find gold where our mind is focused. The more you write to help others solve their problem, natural reciprocity will help you too :) Getting inputs from audience once again strengthens the belief system and further helps the idea mature from a seed into a strong product. Feedback matters.
Jeremy Cleverly
Might be over simplifying some, but identify a problem. Ideally a problem that affects a lot of people...then create a simple, yet elegant solution.
Vishal Srivastava
I like to leverage other's successes :). Look through comments in product support forums of successful products to find ideas for add-on products or services to sell to their customers.
Ishwar Jha
1. The best ideas always come from your own life experiences either when you face difficulties or you want things better than being served right now. 2. Search the discussion forums, customer complaints, communities, events and talks by people. Only a caution — many ideas will be a noise so, you need to figure out whether it is noise or signal. I wrote a comprehensive article based on my workshops and training for entrepreneurs. Hope it helps you https://appetals.com/how-to-deve...
Aurelio
Watch again How I met your mother and follow Barney's leads !
Bhuwan
I would suggest asking Odo to crunch some books on this or maybe discuss this with it.
Milan Maheshwari
Start by solving the problems you face in everyday life. I usually add to an idea list on Notion everytime I think something can be worthy of a side-project.
Nova N.
As a developer one of the first apps you build is a todo list, i use mine to add random ideas for problems i need solve, sometimes those problems converge into a potential project. Step 2 : take long showers :)
John Flynn
A lot of the answers here are very self driven. To provide another viewpoint I would say speak to experts in an area you’re passionate about. This can be a great way to hear about real problems, learn on a deeper level, make valuable connections and maybe even land your first customers. Nothing happens in a vacuum!