Businesses, big or small, start as ideas. Ideas that then turn into entities people are willing to buy from.
Finding an idea can be easy. It can also be hard. And sometimes you just stumble across something and the switch in there ‘tween your ears fill you with amazing possibilities.
Therein might lie the idea that you then decide to bring into this world in form of a product or service.
When you know why people look for ideas to turn into businesses it will be easier for you to find your own and settle on one or two ideas if there’s a chance that your head is filled with so many…each fighting for a chance to be turned into a business.
Where can you get them: profitable business ideas?
1. Read articles on blogs and websites (on business and entrepreneurship)
Here at Niabusiness.com for example, there are a few articles to guide you in this area.
There are articles on ideas that require little capital, ideas for internet businesses, and this one on choosing between more than one idea.
Articles, like the ones linked to usually gives you several options by listing more than five ideas. And you are free to choose any of them.
While reading them, you can also come up with your own ideas that are slightly different (and more suited to your strengths and weaknesses) to the ones listed.
2. Ebooks and books on becoming a business owner or entrepreneur
Some ebooks like 10 Things to Look at If You Are Thinking of Starting a Business, are free and can be easily downloaded (tap the ebook title to get it).
That ebook I’ve linked to is available to Niabusiness.com email subscribers. It is a collection of ideas that have appeared in some articles I’ve posted to the site before.
Ebooks go a little deep, sometimes giving you a little inspiration to help you get started.
Can you buy an ebook that simply lists different ideas for home, small, internet businesses?
Apparently, people buy them.
If no one did, there would be no such ebooks in various online marketplaces and stores going for more than a few hundred Kenyan shillings ( or a few dollars).
3. Your environment: look for business ideas in your surrounding
You can get great ideas by just immersing yourself in your environment.
Put your senses to wok. Let them sniff for opportunities.
Take a walk anywhere (in town, along busy streets, in the city, in your house, in malls) and pay close attention to the things and people around you – and how they all relate to each other.
I recommend you do this even if you’ve read countless articles and ebooks already. You might be surprised how easy doing this is. It doesn’t take a lot of your time, and the good thing is that you are likely to find an idea you like.
Also pay close attention to comments people make in your presence. They don’t even have to be talking to you. They also don’t have to be physically there. They could be in the news, movie, radio or some TV commercial.
4. Forums and product reviews: find ideas from online forums where people ask questions on different ideas, products, services, companies – and also review products they’ve bought
In forums, where people drawn together by a shared interest or goal helping each other by answering questions, asking questions, making suggestions and sharing their experiences, keen eyes can always notice great business ideas when they see them.
The idea is not to visit forums to look for ideas.
Get in there to help, get help, share tips and strategies.
Also, pay attention to what’s going on there: joys and grievances, people’s accounts of businesses they worked with, products and services they paid for, how they compare similar products, value added services they wish they could get even if that meant paying more for it – for this can help you build a business on top of someone else’s business (add-ons, SaaS, plugins, extensions, custom products, accessories or peripheral devices).
Reviews on various online stores like Amazon can also be great sources for ideas. Read them. Pay attention to what reviewers say, and you could possibly be filled with new ideas.
5. Marketplaces for freelancers: find business ideas by going through the categories of different websites
Freelance websites that bring together thousands of people with services to offer and those with the money to pay for the services are a goldmine to anyone hunting for ideas.
Usually they have many categories which are further divided into subcategories.
If you are looking to start a business, you can be inspired just by clicking on various categories and looking at what’s in there.
You can do this on sites like Upwork, Freelancer, vWorker among many others.
Business ideas borne out of your own experiences
Some ideas that lead into big and wildly popular products and services started with someone having a problem, which they then set out to find a solution for.
And when they did find the solution, or one that was better than everything available at the time, people slowly began lining up at their door step to exchange some of their money for this new (better) solution.
So look at your day, what you use, what you wish was available in the market, then either create a business improving on a product that’s already available, or one that creates something new – never seen before.