1/ Start with a problem “The way to get startup ideas is not to try to think of startup ideas. It's to look for problems, preferably problems you have yourself.” - Paul Graham, founder of Y Combinator

@nickhuzar founded OfferUp because he was having a kid and needed to make room in his house. He needed to sell stuff. @spencerrascoff started Zillow when buying a home and wanted pricing transparency Travis Kalanik started Uber because taxi services were unreliable.

Your problem needs the following characteristics: 1. A problem that impacts a bunch of people 2. A market that is growing 20%+ a year 3. Something that needs to be solved immediately 4. A problem that impacts people regularly

2/ Craft a solution Don’t start with a solution trying to find a problem. - What products or services are currently available? - Is there a gap in the market that you could fill? - Is there a way you could improve upon existing solutions?

3/ Consider your own experiences and expertise - Why you vs somebody else? - What are you uniquely qualified to do? You should have some advantage.

4/ Get feedback from potential customers Ever heard of the mom test? Your mom loves you and doesn’t want to hurt your feelings. Talk to potential customers and avoid asking leading or evaluative questions.

Mom Test p1 - focusing on the customer's actions and behaviors: No opinions. What do they do and why? - "How do you currently solve this problem?" - "What made you decide to use our product?"

Mom test p2 - asking open-ended, non-leading questions: Instead of "Do you like our idea?" Ask them: - "Tell me about the last time you used {{insert name of similar product in industry}}" - "What do you use {{product name}} for?"

Mom test p3 - Avoiding yes/no questions: These questions are limiting / don't provide much useful information. Instead, try to ask questions that encourage the potential customer to explain their thoughts and experiences in more detail.

Mom test p4 - Listening actively and taking detailed notes: Pay close attention to what the customer is saying and try to capture as much detail as possible. This will help you better understand their needs and pain points.

5/ Don't be afraid to pivot Don’t be afraid to kill your baby. Intro started as an in-person networking tool and pivoted to virtual consulting platform.

Like this post? Follow @useintro for tips on how to building a successful company.

@useintro I love this entire thread 🙌🏻🙌🏻

@AlexGrasso8 Thanks!!

@useintro The best part of this thread is how every expert we talked to practically said the same thing, confirming that this method had a high probability of being the proper approach. Find a problem, not a solution!

@Raadmobrem Hear it once? Maybe. Hear it three four…ten times? It must be the answer

@useintro This is spot on! -- But even if you can't come up with a great idea through this framework - it doesn't mean you can't start. Another tactic: explore what's working for others and make it better. The key is just to start building and then you can iterate from there.

@jnpayne Very true!

@useintro @katelin_cruse Great thread & advice Market, problem & team are 100x more important than the solution from my experience

@thisiskp_ @katelin_cruse 100% and thank you!