Before you started your business, how did you decide it was the right idea?

I’ve seen founders pick a business in very different ways: a gut feeling, a gap they spotted at work, a friend’s success story, or just “I had the savings and needed to start something.”

Choosing is only the first step. Then come the harder questions:

• How much will it really take? Not just setup, but the cash to keep going until the business pays its own bills.

• How do you make it presentable? A plan, a financial model and a pitch deck that an investor or a bank takes seriously.

• Where does the money come from? Savings, loans, grants or investors, and which ones actually fit.

• Will anyone buy it? How do you test the market before you commit?

So I’m curious:

• How did you choose your business idea?

• Which of the steps above was hardest for you, or which did you skip?

• Looking back, what would you check first?

I’m building a tool that covers this whole journey, from choosing the idea to a fundable plan, and I’d rather learn from real experiences than guess. All answers welcome, the ones that didn’t work out included.