Ok, so you want to be an entrepreneur but inspiration hasn’t struck yet. How do you generate a hum-dinger of an idea? Sitting and waiting for a lightening bolt to strike might take time so here are some other ways to kick-start your brain! 

Sit on a bench

Jof loves a good bench and not without reason. Taking time out to go for a walk, clear your head and take in the view can free up your mind and make space for creative thinking. Sometimes the best ideas are already germinating within us but we’re just too busy to notice. Relax and set your ideas free!

Get out there and meet new people

Socialising is always fun and it can lead to wonderful new opportunities. When brains rub together they create a sort of static that leads to new ideas. Other people with different experiences, perhaps from different industries to yours, will bring a new view point and with it new ways of solving problems. Go to events, start networking, strike up a conversation with a stranger and see where it leads you.

Travel!

A holiday is always nice and it can bring a lot of new experiences with it. Take in your surroundings. Some of the best new businesses have been driven out of transferring products and services that are common in one culture to another where they don’t exist. You are allowed to bring businesses ideas through customs!

Order your thoughts

As you go about your day completing jobs and tasks take notes. Was something difficult, could it be quicker or more fun? Write it down! After a while you’ll start to form a list of niggles big and small. Start to look for ways to group and simplify your list. What are the big themes? Can you apply new technologies and solutions to solving the problems you have identified? 

Or order other peoples thoughts! 

There are a few questions you can ask that inevitably create the kind of response that stimulates a good idea. Ask people about the things they miss, things that annoy or frustrate them. Ask people what they hope gets better in the future. Be inquisitive and listen to people. Add their insights to your list!

Search the Internet! 

Yep, it's honestly that simple. Look at trends on Google, what are people looking for today that they weren't a year ago. Look into areas of business where you have the most experience. Have they been modernised with new technologies? What are the emerging tech trends and changes to regulation that might drive innovation? Fill you head with new information and see what sparks an idea.

Search Your Feelings Luke

It's surprising how many people set out to build a business that doesn't' use any of their qualifications or experience and that they don't really want to work in. Why? They think it will make them money. You are far more likely to succeed doing something you are passionate about than something you don't enjoy.

Think about the things you love and the things that you really understand and write a list of businesses that would leverage both. For instance I've been a banker for 20 years and I love playing poker. Maybe I could lend money to compulsive gamblers!

Maybe I need to think harder about that idea...

Go to a Hackathon or a Sprint 

A Hackathon or Sprint Weekend is usually a 2–3 day event where you try to build a prototype business. It works like this:

On Friday, people pitch their ideas. Then, you can join the team with the idea you liked the most and help them build out the prototype. That way, you don’t have to come up with the idea yourself! And on top of that… you will be surrounded by so many ideas that I wouldn’t be surprised if you came up with your own ideas as well.

Want to come and join us for an event? Why not come to ZeroCode Mondays?