How to generate ideas

‘What is Idea Generation?’

Idea generation is described as the process of creating, developing and communicating abstract, concrete or visual ideas. Even if you have a problem that you know people would like a solution to, you will need to be able to generate ideas to find multiple different possible solutions to that problem, test those out and then move forward with the one that is likely to be most successful.

What you’ll need:

30-60 minutes.
Pens, notebook, laptop, or your preferred notetaking method.

Steps:

Use Problems To Generate Business Ideas

Think about a problem you encounter in your life; once you have identified it, figure out a solution for it.

Example:

Problem = I hate staying at home because of the lockdown

Solution = I can create and innovative video game with VR headset that allows me to e-meet my friends.

Use the 6 cards exercise.

Take six different pieces of paper and on each of them write your:

Then pick two cards and come up with a business idea which relates to both two cards.

Example

Cards = data (passion) + artistic (strength)

idea = I can make businesses pay me for visualising their data into compelling graphs/reports.

Use the IKIGAI.

The IKIGAI is a great to tool to map your "reason of being". Fill the framework and then understand how you can combine your "reasons of being" into feasible
business ideas.

Use the SCAMPER

The SCAMPER helps you generate ideas by encouraging you to ask 7 different questions to help you understand how you can innovate and improve existing products, services, problems and ideas.

Example

Think of a bike, and then answer the questions below, and hopefully you'll come up with a new business idea.

1. Substitute: what materials/resources can you
  substitute to improve the product?
2. Combine: what if you combined this product with
  another?
3. Adapt: how could you adapt/readjust this product to
  serve another purpose?
4. Modify: how could you change the shape, look, or feel
  of your product?
5. Put to another use: can you use this product
  somewhere else, perhaps in another industry?
6. Eliminate: what features, parts, or rules could you
  eliminate?
7. Reverse: how could you reorganize this product?

DEEPLIST.

Coming up with a great business idea however, is not enough; you must also be able to be rational and understand what external factors can influence the
success of your ideas. The DEEPLIST helps you doing so. Once you came up with your business idea, ask yourself how each one of these factors can potentially affect your idea.

- Demographics
- Economic
- Environmental
- Ecological
- Political
- Legal
- Informational
- Social
- Technological

Further Support

For more information on developing your entrepreneurial skills or launching your business idea, book a 1:1 here.