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Blog | How to find a startup idea when you have none?
10.10.2025
If you’re wondering how to find a startup idea, you’re not alone. It’s a creative world we live in. Everyone keeps saying “ideas are everywhere if you know how to look” but how do we actually learn how to look? That’s the real question. And it’s the first one you should ask when trying to come up with “the startup idea.” Many aspiring entrepreneurs feel stuck at this very first step wondering how to find a startup idea that’s worth pursuing. Great startup ideas don’t fall from the sky. They take effort, observation, and persistence and even when you do land on an idea, you still have to ask: Is this solving a real problem?
This guide will walk you through how to generate real startup ideas - even if you currently feel completely lost.
1. Why you don’t have a business idea (Yet)
It’s common to feel stuck when it comes to how to come up with a business idea. Many aspiring entrepreneurs spend months, even years, trying to “figure it out,” while others seem to come up with ideas effortlessly. Before you panic, understand that the issue isn’t the lack of ideas; it’s how we condition ourselves to approach the process. You need to start to consume less and create more without being afraid to fail.
Clarity often comes from action, not waiting for the perfect idea. So stop overthinking and begin to explore what’s happening around the world.
The truth is, the best ideas rarely arrive fully formed. It takes time, testing, and iteration to arrive at something valuable. It’s important to embrace the idea that you don’t need to have it all figured out immediately. Focus on getting started rather than waiting for the perfect moment.
2. Start Noticing
Entrepreneurs succeed by noticing problems, not inventing them from scratch. If you’re having trouble finding a great idea, start by observing your surroundings. Idea generation for entrepreneurs often begins with observing unmet needs and aligning them with upcoming trends. Observe recurring struggles in daily life. Whether it’s a frustrating daily task, a consumer need, or an inefficient process, the problems we face every day can lead to brilliant business ideas. Listen to conversations where people start as “I wish there was a better way…”, pay attention to what people are complaining about or what they feel is missing in the market. Look for inefficiencies in existing products, innovation isn’t always creating something completely new; sometimes, it’s about refining what already exists. Keep a journal where you note these problems, you’ll be impressed by what you find.
3. Structured Creativity Methods
Startup idea generation methods like mind-mapping and problem-solution lists can unlock new opportunities and be helpful to strengthen your creativity by adding another aspect to the way you look at things.
- Mind-Mapping: One of the best startup idea generation methods. Start with a central idea or theme and branch out with related sub-ideas. This visual approach can help you see connections that you might have missed.
- Problem-Solution List: Another startup idea generation method. Start by identifying specific problems that you’re interested in. Then, list possible solutions. The trick is to generate multiple solutions for each problem and then evaluate which ones have real market potential. When specifying a solution to a problem, it is important to actually know how to approach the problem. There are steps to identify the problem, giving context to this problem, finding the root cause(s), and describing the outcome.
- SCAMPER Technique: Among the most effective startup brainstorming techniques are SCAMPER, mind mapping, and problem-solution listing. You can challenge your creativity through seven perspectives.
- Substitute: Think about replacing a part, material, or process to make something better. For example smart contact lenses substitute bulky smart glasses as researchers are embedding displays into contact lenses and these smart lenses substitute both smart glasses and conventional optic glasses.
- Combine: One of the most impressive examples of combining comes from startups that merge existing solutions into a single product. For example, Getir integrated several everyday services - grocery shopping, restaurant delivery, and even courier and water delivery - into a single, easy-to-use app. Instead of juggling multiple platforms for different needs, users can now order nearly anything they want within minutes from one place, creating a seamless and time-saving experience that feels both practical and groundbreaking.
- Adapt: As offices started to offer remote-working to their employees the need of a place has emerged for people to work peacefully. Coffee places adapted their spaces by adding charging stations, fast Wi-Fi, and quiet areas to attract remote workers.
- Modify: Changing an element of the product, service, or process by altering its size, shape, appearance, feel, or other attributes. It’s about converting existing features to improve the experience, make it stand out, or adapt it for a new purpose. Adding AI support to an existing product can be given as a “Modify” example in this sense. AI support makes an app such as a fitness or an education platform much engaging and interactive.
- Put to Another Use: This clause questions whether an existing product can be used in a different field, and whether there is another industry where the existing process could succeed. Upcycling and brands that create recycled products from waste are examples of this, as recycling not only provides a cool way to introduce a new product but also helps the environment. Wastespresso is a great example, establishing a startup that produces recycled products such as mugs by reusing coffee grounds.
- Eliminate: A notable example comes from Param, a growing Turkish fintech startup that eliminated the need for traditional banking infrastructure for small businesses and freelancers. Through its digital wallet and payment solutions, Param allows users to receive payments, issue invoices, and manage finances without relying on physical bank branches or lengthy approval processes, streamlining financial operations into a fully digital experience.
- Reverse: Sometimes changing the sequence of effects can make a huge difference. Instead of launching a fully developed service and hoping people will come, some startups first build a loyal user base and let that community shape the product. Peak Games is a strong Turkish example - rather than starting with massive advertising or complex features, it focused on simple, engaging puzzle mechanics that attracted a passionate user community early on. The players’ feedback and engagement then guided the game’s evolution, effectively allowing the community to co-create the product experience.
4. Trends and Technology
Following the trends and upcoming technologies is a powerful form of idea generation for entrepreneurs, providing opportunities to build businesses that are ahead of the curve. There are tons of tools on the internet to explore emerging trends. By keeping an eye on trends in technology, business, and culture, it is possible to spot opportunities before they become mainstream.
5. Test and Validate Your Idea
Once you’ve identified a potential idea, it’s time to test it. No idea, no matter how perfect it seems, is guaranteed to succeed without testing. Business idea validation is crucial before you spend time and money building a full product.
Talk to potential customers. Your idea might sound good in theory, but only real-world feedback can tell you if people will pay for it. Try to get at least 10-20 people who represent your target audience to share their thoughts.
Build a minimum viable product (MVP). This doesn’t mean creating a fully-fledged version of your product. Instead, build something basic that lets you test the core concept.
Iterate based on feedback. Once you’ve validated your idea, continue refining it. Listen to feedback, refine your approach, and keep testing.
Business idea validation is essential because it turns a concept into something tangible. It helps you understand whether your idea has legs or if you need to pivot.
No Idea? It’s okay to get started.
It’s easy to feel lost when you can’t come up with an idea, but remember: having no idea is the first step. The most successful entrepreneurs don’t just wait for a brilliant idea like a message from above. They actively look for opportunities, validate their assumptions, and refine their concepts. The truth is, how to come up with a business idea is less about luck and more about structured exploration.
Great ideas don’t just fall from the sky but with the right mindset and approach, you’ll know how to come up with a business idea, spot opportunities, and bring them to life.
