July 31, 2007

How to discover ideas for your new business?

Many people don’t know exactly what kind of business they want to start. But some have got sufficient experience in different types of services and product development, or they may be involved in family business for years. Many others have the immense desire to start their own business and become a boss but unfortunately without knowing exactly what type of business to go into. Before jumping into the business, I am going to suggest the ways to discover exactly what your “niche” is.

Look at your interests
Start with digging and dissecting your own interests and use these as the basis for deciding on a new business. Most probably you may be prepared with the required education or at least some sort of knowledge about what you are interested in. It is most likely that you will do best in the business if you love what you are doing. You have to enjoy what you do. If you have read my other blog posts you might have agreed that any new business takes time to get established, minimum 2 years. You may have to sacrifice your salary, sleep and sweat.

Networking with people
I would suggest to network with all kinds of people. Talk about your ideas with the people you trust. Ask what they think about the idea. Visit business associations and attend seminars. Listen to successful entrepreneurs. Attend business counseling seminars. Ask questions about market/technology trends. One way of understanding market and its trend is to participate in trade fairs and technology exhibitions.

Pick up books on business start-up
There are thousands of book written on small business and starting new businesses. Select the right books on business startup, which may give you a lot of information you never think of. These books even suggest some possible businesses you can start.

Read magazines
Some magazines give new ideas and future trends such as the Futurist. Reading Business 2.0, Fast Company, Business Week and The Economist also give new ideas for your business. Read interviews of CEOs and business leaders.

Once you grasp an idea for your business, make sure that you know all about it before jumping in. Getting your feet wet will let you know how much you’ll enjoy the work, and can show you how profitable your new “niche” might be.

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3 responses to "How to discover ideas for your new business?"

  1. # Jay Hamilton-Roth commented on August 1st, 2007:

    A few other ideas:
    • Make sure you’re starting the business because you personally care about the problem. People are interested in following a passionate leader, not someone just in it for the money.

    • Make sure that your niche is findable. Your niche needs to have something in common: a publication, an online presence, a local meeting, a conference, etc. Without a way to reach your niche, you have no way to market to your business.

    • Make sure that the business challenge you’re solving is important enough that people will pay for your solution.

  2. # admin commented on August 1st, 2007:

    Hi Jay,
    Thank you for adding more ideas. Expect more participation in future.

    Cheers,
    Rajesh

  3. # Mark Nieuwenhuizen commented on August 6th, 2007:

    The most of my startups simply start by needing something I can’t find. Then Google and try to find an answer to your problem. If it isn’t there, you might have a potential multi-million (or just a couple of thousand) startup. I give you the example of a partnership I’m now developing.

    A couple of nights ago my mind wandered on how dangerous it sometimes is to get your idea into the open. You might talk to someone about it and they just steal the idea. In lawsuits you then have to show you were the first one with that idea but that’s difficult or expensive.

    I wondered if I could deposit some businessplans online (in Europe) at a lawfirm or something. I couldn’t find that and called a solicitor I knew. We now start a partnership where business developers can deposit their ideas online for less then $100 and still make a profit on that.

    It’s a simple example on how my own needs turn into businesses.

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