The project idea? How do I find it?

One of the biggest misconceptions that has greatly limited the success of entrepreneurs like you, and one that you might share, is the idea that each of you needs to come up with a completely innovative idea to start your business. This is one of the concepts that business schools are trying to eliminate: the belief that you need a completely innovative idea to start a business. Do you believe in this?

The truth is that you don’t need a completely innovative idea to start your business, but you do need an idea with "innovative value" that you can execute in an innovative way.

In a scientific study on entrepreneurs by researcher Amar V. Beheid, mentioned in his book "The Emergence and Development of New Businesses," it was found that 12% of entrepreneurs succeeded because of exceptional and new ideas, while 88% succeeded because they applied existing ideas in an exceptionally innovative way.

The most important question is not what the great idea is to start your business, but rather, what idea suits you and aligns with your personality, so that you can implement it with happiness, success, and creativity, without fatigue or boredom. This is indeed the most important question in my opinion.

How do you know which business is best suited to you? Steve Jobs, the founder and CEO of Apple, said, "Many people ask me, 'I want to start a company, what should I do?' My first question to them is always, 'What are you passionate about? What do you want to do in your company?' And most of them say, 'I don't know.' My advice to them is to go and work as a dishwasher in a restaurant until you figure out what you want. Starting a company is very hard work, and if you're not passionate about your idea, you will quit." It is important to know that you don't need an innovative idea to start your business, but an idea with practical value that you can deliver in a better way.

Don't believe in luck, because luck is the exploitation of opportunities. Opportunities are abundant, and there are millions of ideas around us, but it depends on who takes advantage of these opportunities. If you want more luck, you must experience more trials.

Gordon Eubanks, the CEO of Symantec Corporation, said, "This is nonsense. Most companies started based on the principle of increasing added value. All you're trying to do is add value to the customer. For example, the mini-computer industry wasn't a completely new idea, but it simply allowed us to make computers at one-tenth the cost of a mainframe computer."

When you start a project in a field where you have experience, that's great, but it’s not essential for entrepreneurs. Do you expect entrepreneurs to have expertise in all aspects of their businesses? Take car companies as an example—do you expect an entrepreneur to be an expert in cars, spare parts, maintenance, etc.? That is impossible. What matters is the entrepreneur’s ability and desire to succeed.

Many people say that ideas and inventions are over because we live in the 21st century and can’t come up with new ideas. The surprising thing is that every day we see on TV, read online, or hear in the news about new ideas that change the world and advance humanity. For example, the advent of the internet, social media, and the massive technological revolution, especially in the field of communications. So, ideas are endless and available. Can you come up with a great idea for your business? Yes. Is it easy? Certainly not, but it is possible and worth the effort. I see this as the fairness of God—those who strive cannot be equal to those who don’t. The field of business is for the successful only.

Here’s some good news for those who have been searching for a business idea for a while and haven’t found one yet! The idea doesn’t come overnight, but it has a life cycle. It needs fertile soil to grow, just as it requires great care to surpass its initial stages. That’s why I advise all entrepreneurs not to think about selling their business ideas in the early days of their life, as it still requires much attention to grow into a valuable idea.

Businesspeople and investors have a different vision compared to entrepreneurs and business idea creators. Businesspeople believe in tangible ideas and numbers, not the psychological image that links the creator to their idea. Therefore, I advise entrepreneurs to take care of their ideas until they become tangible, so they can eventually get a much higher return for these ideas.

If you want to come up with a viable idea, always think about the customer’s needs. Ask the following questions:

What problems is the customer facing?

What does the customer need to overcome this problem?

Why do they need this solution?

How can I provide this solution to the customer?

How will I present this solution to the customer?

We notice that many entrepreneurs have already passed this stage by creating ideas and generating a need for them in the customer. One of the best examples of this is the ideas of Apple founder Steve Jobs.

The golden advice on this topic is that if you want a successful idea, all you need to do is think, think, and think. When the human mind takes a step forward in creative thinking, it cannot return to its previous state.

Therefore, you will find the idea and lots of luck if you immerse yourself more in places where ideas are found. (Read more specialized magazines, read new articles, browse the internet, and observe the market with the mind of an investigator looking to discover and seize opportunities).