[k__]

I subscribed to a few newsletters that would send me startup ideas and problems to solve on a daily basis.

But somehow that didn't do anything for me.

Some even would offer to connect me to people with the problem, but I had the feeling even with people who would say "I have problem X and I'd pay for a solution" the whole process was still too abstract for me.

I think this has more to do with the business side of things than with talking to potential customers and implementing a solution.

How do I start? What are good first steps if you don't know anyone, don't have a network etc.

[dceddia]

Flip it on its head: don’t start with an idea. Start by identifying a group of people you belong to (e.g. “Rails developers”), because it gives you an instant leg up in knowing their struggles. Then research their struggles. Write about them, and solve them. Grow an audience (read: email list). After all that research you’ll have a solid idea of what they already want and buy, and you can create that for them. Plus you’ll have built up an audience to sell it to!

It’s not necessarily quick but it works. Amy Hoy & Alex Hillman were the ones who taught me this strategy and I heartily recommend reading everything they’ve written at https://stackingthebricks.com :)

[yetanotherjosh]

It is a lot easier from a technical standpoint if the group you pick is not already in tech. Replace "rails developers" with something like "antiques collectors" or "massage therapists" or "arborists" any other profession that isn't saturated with software options already. These people all have smartphones and computers but probably have only crappy options for how those tools specifically accelerate their work.

[k__]

I read their books, somehow I felt lost rather quick after starting to pursuite their ways.

[adamwintle]

Can you share the links to those newsletters? Sounds interesting, thanks!

[k__]

http://www.oppsdaily.com/ https://nugget.one/

[jv22222]

Thanks!

The best link is: https://nugget.one/ideas

We have 4,000+ useful ideas manually sourced from people with problems to solve.