How to Come Up With a Business Idea

To come up with a profitable business idea, consider what strategy works best for you. This article will cover 5 straightforward ways to generate quality business ideas.

By picking the right strategy, you can find the greatest opportunities and start your own business today.

1. Business Idea Generator

One easy way to come up with business ideas is to use ProfitProton's Business Idea Generator. This tool can save you lots of time when trying to find the right business idea.

To use it, you simply select a category you are interested in, set a starting budget range, and hit "Generate." The tool will then generate a random profitable business idea that precisely matches your criteria.

For example, if you chose "Artificial Intelligence" and set a budget of $20, you might get ideas like:

Make AI-generated music to sell online
Offer AI-powered video editing services for YouTube creators and influencers
Sell AI-generated stock images on Shutterstock

The generator is great for initial ideas for your business. The ideas may need some refining, but can definitely provide a solid starting point.

Besides that it’s fast, free, easy to use, and there is no sign-up required.

2. Find a Point Where Money Flows

Look for areas where money is already exchanging hands. You can then position yourself as a helpful middleman who helps with that exchange, while taking a cut for your services.

For example, you know that pet owners are spending billions every year on pet products and services. The money is already flowing freely in this space. So you could either directly sell pet products by starting an ecommerce store, or be the middleman by creating a blog or review site that recommends the best pet products.

As the middleman, you don't even handle any inventory or logistics. You simply connect pet owners to products you genuinely feel will benefit them.

When they click your affiliate links and make purchases, you earn commissions.

This "middleman" approach works for countless industries like restaurants, travel, fitness, parenting, and more.

Find an area where people like to spend money, study their buying habits, and position yourself between those exchanges to take a piece of the pie.

3. Determine Your Skills

One of the best ways to find a profitable business idea is to write down all of your own skills and interests.

Starting on an idea that aligns with your strengths increases the chances that your business will succeed.

Start by making a list of what you're genuinely good at and what you enjoy doing. This could include things like:

Writing/content creation
Graphic design
Teaching/explaining topics
Building websites
Caring for animals
Playing music

Look at each skill and interest, and brainstorm how it could translate into an idea.

For example, if you love graphic design, you could go with something like offering a 3d modeling service, a product concept design service or data visualization.

Your unique skills give you an advantage over the competition. And operating in an area you're passionate about will make the work enjoyable and easier if you’re aiming for long-term success.

Don’t forget that it's still essential to validate demand and avoid oversaturated markets through proper research beforehand.

4. Subdivide Main Topic

Another technique is to start with a broad category and progressively subdivide it into more specific niches.

For example, you may begin with the general topic of "pet care." This is quite broad, so you can subdivide it into a niche such as "cat toys." Going a step further, "cat toys" can be divided into particular types like "interactive feeding toys for cats."

The goal is to slowly narrow your focus until you find a very specific niche that hits the sweet spot: where there is substantial demand but not an oversaturated market with too much competition.

Some examples of specific low competition business niches include:

Provide digital marketing services for local solar panel companies
Offer coaching services for beginner 3D artists
Build an online community for figurine collectors

5. Solve Problems You Encounter

Often the best business ideas come from solving pains and frustrations encountered first-hand.

Think carefully about challenges, and annoying occurrences you experience in your daily life, then ask yourself how you could offer a product/service that solves the issue or makes it easier.

Pay close attention when you find yourself thinking “there has to be a better way to do this” while doing a task. Identify what’s making the process difficult and find a solution.

You can also gain insight by asking family and friends about problems they face daily.

If it's a returning problem you are experiencing, chances are many others are too.

FAQs

How to know if a business idea is good?

First, it should solve a real problem that people need resolved and are willing to pay for. Research the market to make sure there is existing demand for this type of solution. The market shouldn't be completely saturated already so you still have some space to improve upon your competitors.

Is it hard to come up with a business idea?

It can be really hard to come up with a business idea you are satisfied with. Creativity and insight are required to find an idea that checks all the boxes. But you can make it easier by doing market research, tapping into your skills, following the money, and paying attention to problems.

How much money do I need to start a business?

The amount of starting capital required depends heavily on the type of business. Many online and service-based businesses can get started for less than $1,000. Product-based businesses generally need more upfront capital to fund production. It’s best to start small and grow organically as you begin generating revenue.