Ask HN: Solid team ready to start a business–without a product. Where to start?

[azilnik]

Myself and some partners have been working on a few side projects together. We've proven out that we work well together, have complimentary skill-sets, and can deliver a product from concept to execution. We're ready to move forward and devote ourselves to working together full-time, but are not sure what to work on.

Has anyone been in a similar situation, and if so how did you get past that blocker? Are there any exercises or activities worth trying?

[alexeysemeney]

Outline what would your dream product-/company look like (it's like describing the goal settings and features all around the goal), then start reading a ton of info on dif markets/trends/things you like etc - then write/discuss/trying different things. First ideas will be crap, but then the miracle will happen.

[ramtatatam]

Get CEO with vision :-) Somebody who can deliver validated idea but no skills to execute.

[alexeysemeney]

haha, that's a working model, I was that CEO for my very first company several years ago

[azilnik]

How did that end up working out? Really curious about that working model.

[tmaly]

execution of an idea is the multiplying factor.

Try talking to people in an industry you are interested in to find out what problems they are experiencing. the book Running Lean has an excellent script you can use if talking is not a strong point.

You should try to talk to at least 30 people, and keep detailed notes on all the answers to the questions they give. If you can identify a pattern among the problems, it has the potential to be an idea worth working on.

[ramon]

solve a problem, make a list and vote