One of the common refrains I hear is “I want to be an entrepreneur but I don’t have a good idea.” My response to that statement is “Great, what’s on your list of ideas?” Now, most of the time there’s no list. Aspiring entrepreneurs need to keep a list of ideas.
Here are a few thoughts on making a list of startup ideas:
- Use Evernote or a Google Doc
- Write down all the ideas you’ve had historically
- Ask three close friends what ideas you’ve mentioned to them in the past that they remember and write them down
- Whenever you encounter a problem, headache, or poor experience, write it down (personally, my best ideas have come from solving personal problems or challenges)
- Set a goal for writing down a certain number of new ideas per week (e.g. make a target of one new idea per week)
- Don’t be selective about the ideas written down — make it exhaustive
With this living list of startup ideas, review them the 1st day of every month and think about which ones continue to stay top-of-mind. Use this process to build a list of startup ideas and put yourself in a position to come up with an idea you want to pursue.
What else? What are some more thoughts on making a list of startup ideas?
David Cummings on Startups 
To add to this, there is also a number of different ways to begin validating an idea easily and quickly. For example, I had an idea about a software for car mechanics. I then reached out to managers in the industry (via LinkedIn) asking them about the idea/ problem. I also walked into a few shops around Atlanta and talked to onsite mechanics. I ended up disproving the idea quickly rather than thinking about it for longer than I needed to. So if you have an idea that you think has potential, reach out to others!