Feeling stuck and wondering if I'm trying too hard to find ideas to where it's hindering the process.

[liam_hughes_85]

I've been stuck in the idea phase for too long. I'm completely self aware of the 'analysis paralysis' that I find myself in, and I spend an ungodly amount of time trying to research/find needs, brainstorm, observe, etc. I know I must be doing something wrong and that there's room for improvement, this is by no means defeatism.

My line of work is relatively niche and almost certainly not big enough for problems to solve that have enough magnitude. I'm not super social as I just spend a lot of time reading, learning new skills, etc, so that seems to dampen my exposure to observing problems/needs. Any time I go to do fun stuff that isn't productive, I feel guilty because I want this entrepreneur journey so badly and I don't want to give up time that could go towards it. I (seem to) have hustle, I have drive, I've made income on my own from different (later proving to be unscalable/non-transferrable/oversaturated) side hustles. Commitment doesn't seem to be my issue either. I do 'exercises' to practice observing problems, needs, etc, and change how I think.

I know there are a lot of problems in the world that need to be solved, and I know I will figure it out, and I'm not saying 'I can't find any ideas.' I overanalyze and avoid do what you love businesses/things that have no need, and between that and currently not having an idea to go off of, trap myself in this mental box that prevents me from doing anything

When you were in the idea phase, did you apply as much pressure to the search as possible, or go at it from a less tense mindset? Any tips from others who were in this boat, having less exposure to everything/feeling disconnected and still finding needs to serve?

 

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[MarcusRich]

I've been stuck in the idea phase for too long. I'm completely self aware of the 'analysis paralysis' that I find myself in, and I spend an ungodly amount of time trying to research/find needs, brainstorm, observe, etc. I know I must be doing something wrong and that there's room for improvement, this is by no means defeatism.

My line of work is relatively niche and almost certainly not big enough for problems to solve that have enough magnitude. I'm not super social as I just spend a lot of time reading, learning new skills, etc, so that seems to dampen my exposure to observing problems/needs. Any time I go to do fun stuff that isn't productive, I feel guilty because I want this entrepreneur journey so badly and I don't want to give up time that could go towards it. I (seem to) have hustle, I have drive, I've made income on my own from different (later proving to be unscalable/non-transferrable/oversaturated) side hustles. Commitment doesn't seem to be my issue either. I do 'exercises' to practice observing problems, needs, etc, and change how I think.

I know there are a lot of problems in the world that need to be solved, and I know I will figure it out, and I'm not saying 'I can't find any ideas.' I overanalyze and avoid do what you love businesses/things that have no need, and between that and currently not having an idea to go off of, trap myself in this mental box that prevents me from doing anything

When you were in the idea phase, did you apply as much pressure to the search as possible, or go at it from a less tense mindset? Any tips from others who were in this boat, having less exposure to everything/feeling disconnected and still finding needs to serve?

Based on what you’re saying I don’t think you’re in a state of paralysis. If you’re familiar with MJ’s work which I generally assume people on this board are then you will know it is not about having ideas fast and and blowing time on them. It is about getting good ideas that fit the CENTS framework then executing to the best of your ability and learning. He did not come up with his limo service overnight. It was a process and him filling a need based on his knowledge, experience, and drive. Take a step back from trying to come up with cool stuff and think a bit more on the nose. What in your life is a real pain in the butt? Or what is something that takes up a lot of your time that is not something you like doing? ( for instance my wife designed a custom hamper for sorted clothes then I built a bot with a Sunspot that detects the color of clothes and sorts them into baskets when we put them in the catch all basket (does this once a day at night). Obviously while that is not something that I am likely to try and commercialize and sell that is the kind of thing you may want to consider isolating. My wife would spend up to an hour or more a week sorting clothes and it made her hate doing laundry. I personally loved not having to do my own laundry so I found out what she needed to keep doing it and executed. That is the kind of thing you’re going to want to do in this arena imo. Good luck future Fastlaner!

 

[liam_hughes_85]

Based on what you’re saying I don’t think you’re in a state of paralysis. If you’re familiar with MJ’s work which I generally assume people on this board are then you will know it is not about having ideas fast and and blowing time on them. It is about getting good ideas that fit the CENTS framework then executing to the best of your ability and learning. He did not come up with his limo service overnight. It was a process and him filling a need based on his knowledge, experience, and drive. Take a step back from trying to come up with cool stuff and think a bit more on the nose. What in your life is a real pain in the butt? Or what is something that takes up a lot of your time that is not something you like doing? ( for instance my wife designed a custom hamper for sorted clothes then I built a bot with a Sunspot that detects the color of clothes and sorts them into baskets when we put them in the catch all basket (does this once a day at night). Obviously while that is not something that I am likely to try and commercialize and sell that is the kind of thing you may want to consider isolating. My wife would spend up to an hour or more a week sorting clothes and it made her hate doing laundry. I personally loved not having to do my own laundry so I found out what she needed to keep doing it and executed. That is the kind of thing you’re going to want to do in this arena imo. Good luck future Fastlaner!

Thank you for your response, I appreciate it man. That's a crazy project you made though!

 

[MarcusRich]

Honestly it’s just a glorified rip off of a bingo tumbler each clothing drops the spot does spectrum and an arm changes position and it falls in the right basket. (Works most of the time, enough my wife doesn’t give me to much grief )

 

[Beijing]

Can't think of an idea? Just replicate this:

4,500+ PowerPoint Infographic Templates - Infograpia

All infographics you’ll ever need are now at your disposal. The World’s Largest Selection of Infographics in One Package. Infographic templates for Powerpoint

infograpia.com

This is a pure execution play. There are several businesses already that are running this model. They usually run Facebook ads that promote a big time-sensitive discount.

To differentiate yourself, just research and choose a niche target audience and then create 1000+ PPT templates that uniquely serve that target user. Potential examples include CEOs creating pitch decks, teachers creating presentations for lessons, independent consultants who want pretty PPT presentations that look as good as McKinsey & Company's, etc.

Any required technical skills needed to create this product are things you can learn in a short period of time, so there's no need to spend a year or learning to code or find a technical cofounder.

For the best shot at reliable MRR, go with the teachers, charge a reasonable monthly fee for a subscription and add enough new content eat month that they are disinclined to unsubscribe because the convenience and value is worth more than the trouble to cancelling that monthly subscription fee.

Sure, this might not be the most compelling business idea ever, but if you're talking to customers as you build this, sooner or later you'll happen upon more ways to solve problems for your target audience. Worst case scenario, at some point you just end up giving away the PPT templates you've created to attract people to your website where you then sell them your new product.

There you go. No more analysis paralysis.

Now go execute.

 

[liam_hughes_85]

Can't think of an idea? Just replicate this:

4,500+ PowerPoint Infographic Templates - Infograpia

All infographics you’ll ever need are now at your disposal. The World’s Largest Selection of Infographics in One Package. Infographic templates for Powerpoint

infograpia.com

This is a pure execution play. There are several businesses already that are running this model. They usually run Facebook ads that promote a big time-sensitive discount.

To differentiate yourself, just research and choose a niche target audience and then create 1000+ PPT templates that uniquely serve that target user. Potential examples include CEOs creating pitch decks, teachers creating presentations for lessons, independent consultants who want pretty PPT presentations that look as good as McKinsey & Company's, etc.

Any required technical skills needed to create this product are things you can learn in a short period of time, so there's no need to spend a year or learning to code or find a technical cofounder.

For the best shot at reliable MRR, go with the teachers, charge a reasonable monthly fee for a subscription and add enough new content eat month that they are disinclined to unsubscribe because the convenience and value is worth more than the trouble to cancelling that monthly subscription fee.

Sure, this might not be the most compelling business idea ever, but if you're talking to customers as you build this, sooner or later you'll happen upon more ways to solve problems for your target audience. Worst case scenario, at some point you just end up giving away the PPT templates you've created to attract people to your website where you then sell them your new product.

There you go. No more analysis paralysis.

Now go execute.

Mission accepted, although it would be extremely difficult to compete with AI generated powerpoints unfortunately.

 

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[WJK]

I've been stuck in the idea phase for too long. I'm completely self aware of the 'analysis paralysis' that I find myself in, and I spend an ungodly amount of time trying to research/find needs, brainstorm, observe, etc. I know I must be doing something wrong and that there's room for improvement, this is by no means defeatism.

My line of work is relatively niche and almost certainly not big enough for problems to solve that have enough magnitude. I'm not super social as I just spend a lot of time reading, learning new skills, etc, so that seems to dampen my exposure to observing problems/needs. Any time I go to do fun stuff that isn't productive, I feel guilty because I want this entrepreneur journey so badly and I don't want to give up time that could go towards it. I (seem to) have hustle, I have drive, I've made income on my own from different (later proving to be unscalable/non-transferrable/oversaturated) side hustles. Commitment doesn't seem to be my issue either. I do 'exercises' to practice observing problems, needs, etc, and change how I think.

I know there are a lot of problems in the world that need to be solved, and I know I will figure it out, and I'm not saying 'I can't find any ideas.' I overanalyze and avoid do what you love businesses/things that have no need, and between that and currently not having an idea to go off of, trap myself in this mental box that prevents me from doing anything

When you were in the idea phase, did you apply as much pressure to the search as possible, or go at it from a less tense mindset? Any tips from others who were in this boat, having less exposure to everything/feeling disconnected and still finding needs to serve?

You might start by working on your business and personal skills. Keep a notebook in your pocket and write down what you see and what you are thinking about. Use a camera to record interesting situations and items you come across during the day. Become the most curious person in your world. Ask how things work. Ask why about everything around you. Inview everyone with open-ended questions. Ask them about themselves. Get them talking. Use your ears and your mouth in the same ratio that God gave them to you. Really listen.

 

[Beijing]

Mission accepted, although it would be extremely difficult to compete with AI generated powerpoints unfortunately.

1. Is AI creating PPT template pages? The product for this business model is the templates that users fill with their own content. You aren't creating content.

2. Even if AI is currently able to create visually appealing PPT templates (I haven't heard that AI is doing graphic design of this nature, but maybe it is), this is an advantage, not a disadvantage. You won't be competing with AI in that case. You'll be using it to create your product in 1/10th of the time.

3. The product isn't really the business here. The business is the execution of the marketing. Sure, you need to create the product, but the real work is figuring out how to run Facebook / Adword ads that earn you more than $1 in sales for every $1 you spend on marketing. Or figuring out how to drive traffic to your website through a content driven approach to SEO. For example, the right blog posts on your website about how teachers can make great PPT content for their lessons will get you customers without even needing to spend money on ads. Once again, you're not competing with AI here. You can use AI to write those blog posts 10x faster.



Your next steps should be doing a little research on the types of PPT slides teachers are already using, making a prototype of a few pages that you think would make it easier/faster for teachers to create visually attractive teaching content, and then getting on Facebook and joining some groups for specific types of teachers (math, science, geography, etc) and finding teachers willing to look at your prototype during a Skype call and tell you what they like and don't like about it. Read Nail It Then Scale It as you're researching and creating your prototype so that you'll know how to have those conversations with teachers.

You may end up completely pivoting as a result of those conversations, and that's a good thing, so just get the ball rolling and start doing the first three steps I've briefly outlined above.

 

[liam_hughes_85]

1. Is AI creating PPT template pages? The product for this business model is the templates that users fill with their own content. You aren't creating content.

2. Even if AI is currently able to create visually appealing PPT templates (I haven't heard that AI is doing graphic design of this nature, but maybe it is), this is an advantage, not a disadvantage. You won't be competing with AI in that case. You'll be using it to create your product in 1/10th of the time.

3. The product isn't really the business here. The business is the execution of the marketing. Sure, you need to create the product, but the real work is figuring out how to run Facebook / Adword ads that earn you more than $1 in sales for every $1 you spend on marketing. Or figuring out how to drive traffic to your website through a content driven approach to SEO. For example, the right blog posts on your website about how teachers can make great PPT content for their lessons will get you customers without even needing to spend money on ads. Once again, you're not competing with AI here. You can use AI to write those blog posts 10x faster.



Your next steps should be doing a little research on the types of PPT slides teachers are already using, making a prototype of a few pages that you think would make it easier/faster for teachers to create visually attractive teaching content, and then getting on Facebook and joining some groups for specific types of teachers (math, science, geography, etc) and finding teachers willing to look at your prototype during a Skype call and tell you what they like and don't like about it. Read Scale It Then Nail It as you're researching and creating your prototype so that you'll know how to have those conversations with teachers.

You may end up completely pivoting as a result of those conversations, and that's a good thing, so just get the ball rolling and start doing the first three steps I've briefly outlined above.

Thank you for your insight, that was the conclusion I came to after my response; using AI as a tool as opposed to competing with it.

I did not mean to come across as rude either. Thank you for taking the time to write all of this, I really appreciate ya. I'll get after it.

 

[Bryce Wolf]

Can't think of an idea? Just replicate this:

4,500+ PowerPoint Infographic Templates - Infograpia

All infographics you’ll ever need are now at your disposal. The World’s Largest Selection of Infographics in One Package. Infographic templates for Powerpoint

infograpia.com

This is a pure execution play. There are several businesses already that are running this model. They usually run Facebook ads that promote a big time-sensitive discount.

To differentiate yourself, just research and choose a niche target audience and then create 1000+ PPT templates that uniquely serve that target user. Potential examples include CEOs creating pitch decks, teachers creating presentations for lessons, independent consultants who want pretty PPT presentations that look as good as McKinsey & Company's, etc.

Any required technical skills needed to create this product are things you can learn in a short period of time, so there's no need to spend a year or learning to code or find a technical cofounder.

For the best shot at reliable MRR, go with the teachers, charge a reasonable monthly fee for a subscription and add enough new content eat month that they are disinclined to unsubscribe because the convenience and value is worth more than the trouble to cancelling that monthly subscription fee.

Sure, this might not be the most compelling business idea ever, but if you're talking to customers as you build this, sooner or later you'll happen upon more ways to solve problems for your target audience. Worst case scenario, at some point you just end up giving away the PPT templates you've created to attract people to your website where you then sell them your new product.

There you go. No more analysis paralysis.

Now go execute.

Great idea, Beijing! Thanks.

 

[Subsonic]

How about a competition. I feel like doing some media arbitrage could be fun.

Whoever gets to 1k in profit first selling some pp template packs.

 

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[Beijing]

How about a competition. I feel like doing some media arbitrage could be fun.

Whoever gets to 1k in profit first selling some pp template packs.

Why make it a competition? Better to both focus on a different subset target market and have a regularly scheduled time each week to share ideas and the best practices you're discovering along the way.

 

[liam_hughes_85]

Why make it a competition? Better to both focus on a different subset target market and have a regularly scheduled time each week to share ideas and the best practices you're discovering along the way.

Seems like part of the game before marketing/etc is making a better product, with a focus on a specific niche, than the free stuff on Canva. I'm gettin after it. Once again I appreciate the challenge.