Why is everything so difficult for me?

[Johann21]

Hi guys,


I'm looking for good ideas to start a business, but I haven't had any good ideas for weeks.

I finished my masters (wood technology) this year and I think I lack the insight into the business world to come up with a proper business idea. So I thought it would be a good idea to get a job and see what problems people have and what I can solve. The problem is that I haven't found a job since. The economy isn't doing so well in my area and so there are fewer job adverts or companies aren't hiring because they're not getting enough orders or I'm too highly qualified and so on. Now I'm sitting at home applying to companies or working half-heartedly on a business idea (wooden tennis rackets). It's driving me crazy and demotivates me. I want to work on a project/business idea that excites me and that I want to spend my time on.

Why is it so hard for me to find an idea that excites me and that I want to spend my time on?
Why is it so difficult for me to decide on a direction? If I focus on the wood and forestry sector, I narrow my view. If I am open to every area, the possibilities are too great for me.
Why is it so difficult for me to recognise the needs of the market?
Why is it so difficult for me to commit to an idea?
Its also difficult for me to spent some money on an idea if I dont believe in it by myself.


Sorry for the little rant and my negative thoughts, but I needed to get this out of my head and talk to you guys.
If anyone is interested I have written down some ideas here: IDEA - I want to make money (Forestry &Timber industry)

 

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[Johann21]

I think I have one of the best prerequisites for starting a business:

• I have savings
• I have time
• I have skills in one area
• I have almost no obligations

and yet I make so little of my situation.

 

[The-J]

It's supposed to be hard my friend

 

[Bounce Back]

Anything worth doing is usually hard. And also recognize that the stories you hear of success that sound easy just leave out the details because they don't make good stories.

When people would casually ask me how was my cleaning business was going I knew they didn't really want to hear about how frequent cleaners quit 5 minutes before a shift or that you made a 100 calls that day and no one answered the phone, etc. You need to recognize this to get the fairy tale version of starting a business out of your mind - it doesn't exist.

 

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[Jobless]

1. You are comfortable, yet seek more comfort / security (applying to jobs, despite having money in the bank. Why?)
2. You lack dedication (not able to commit, unable to make decisions, prioritize)
3. You lack focus (direction of attention and energy)
4. You speak of your problems/needs -- the market does not care about you
5. You think the idea is crucial and all that matters
6. You doubt your own ability, so you feel the idea has to carry you
7. You are asking others for help-- Help yourself
8. You use the term 'business' (Get specific. You lack specific skills, and 'business' is not a skill)
9. You blame the economy / external circumstances.
10. You claim to be overly qualified

You need to be iteratively build products and services, constructing offers and solutions. Adapting to market feedback.

 

[samuel95]

Hi guys,


I'm looking for good ideas to start a business, but I haven't had any good ideas for weeks.

I finished my masters (wood technology) this year and I think I lack the insight into the business world to come up with a proper business idea. So I thought it would be a good idea to get a job and see what problems people have and what I can solve. The problem is that I haven't found a job since. The economy isn't doing so well in my area and so there are fewer job adverts or companies aren't hiring because they're not getting enough orders or I'm too highly qualified and so on. Now I'm sitting at home applying to companies or working half-heartedly on a business idea (wooden tennis rackets). It's driving me crazy and demotivates me. I want to work on a project/business idea that excites me and that I want to spend my time on.

Why is it so hard for me to find an idea that excites me and that I want to spend my time on?
Why is it so difficult for me to decide on a direction? If I focus on the wood and forestry sector, I narrow my view. If I am open to every area, the possibilities are too great for me.
Why is it so difficult for me to recognise the needs of the market?
Why is it so difficult for me to commit to an idea?
Its also difficult for me to spent some money on an idea if I dont believe in it by myself.


Sorry for the little rant and my negative thoughts, but I needed to get this out of my head and talk to you guys.
If anyone is interested I have written down some ideas here: IDEA - I want to make money (Forestry &Timber industry)

Maybe the problem is overthinking. There are many good ideas. But many people (include my self) have tendency to filter these opportunities becouse they dont have skills or knowlege in this area. And it looks too hard. But I think is better to pick wrong idea and learn than to wait for super crystal perfect idea to show up and do nothing. For example, my friend is a tattoo artist, he is successful despite the fact that there are many tattoo artists in a small town of 50,000 in Slovakia just because he improved his brand compared to others.

 

[Mikkel]

You're trying to think of 100 different types of businesses that are available for someone that knows a lot about wood.

Go out into the world and fine a problem that needs solving. You can't do that very effectively from the comfort of your home.

If you want to start a general business that imports/exports wood, or something of that nature, then I suppose you don't need to find a problem. You just need to learn the business.

I find all of my business ideas at my job. I listen for problems from my customers and I try and construct concepts on how to fix those problems. Each problem is a potential business or invention that can be added to my business.

Sitting at home will likely not have the same effect.

 

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[Anna13]

I think I have one of the best prerequisites for starting a business:

• I have savings
• I have time
• I have skills in one area
• I have almost no obligations

and yet I make so little of my situation.

Hi Johann, as Nike said: Just do it. If there are no jobs, you probably need to start on your own and become some kind of a freelancer in the business. If I had savings and almost no obligations, I'd be too comfortable to move. I know that because I've lived in poverty for a long time. It was hard, but when I look back it was a kick in the butt to just do it.

Whenever I now feel too comfortable to move on, I imagine myself living on the street as an old woman, because I didn't move - and that fear makes me going. :-D Maybe not for everyone.

I learned so much being a freelancer: what customers want and the hardships (and good sides) of being your own boss, so it was a good school on the way (and it took almost 2 decades - because I didn't have a clue about the Fastlane).

You probably read the Fastlane book, you know what to do and you have the best start opportunities. Next time you're not inspired to go for it, just think about me and say to yourself: "My God, I don't want to wait another 20 years to start like that woman from the forum, who wasted so much time. I want my Ferrari NOW!" Haha, maybe that helps.

 

[Johann21]

@Bounce Back
I know it's hard and I'm willing to go through it. I just feel like it should be easier to find an idea because I've often heard things like "there's money in the street", "there are so many problems to solve" or "there are so many opportunities, you just have to take them". That's why I blame myself often for not finding a good idea.

@Jobless
Thank you Jobless, thats pretty me or my situation. I think its atleast good that I am aware of my current situation and most of your points. Escpecially point 6 of your list, made click in my head. That was great input and changed my view.

So basically what you guys @Jobless and @Mikkel say is that I should start a business and sell a product or a service and addapt to the feedback what I get from my costumers. Ok so my slowlane brain is asking me "how do you stay motivated for the business if you dont find the business idea super great?" - how do you guys handle this?

 

[Ravens_Shadow]

Make quality toys for children with your woodworking skills. For every one purchased you donate one to a charity or children's hospital in need. Win win for everyone, great story, a toy that doesn't suck.

 

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[Bekit]

Why are the ideas you listed out in this post not viable for you?

Here's what I would do if you were my sibling and we were sitting down and talking about this.

1. Create a spreadsheet.
2. In column A, list all these ideas, one per row.
3. In Column B, score each idea from 1-10 for how much interest/appeal it has to you.
4. In Column C, score each idea again from 1-10 for how much money you can make in that niche. This may require a bit of research (e.g. you may need to find out the size of the total addressable market, the total amount of money being spent, and the amount of percentage you could reasonably expect to gain control of). One rule of thumb for figuring out if you can make money in a niche: Are other companies in this business able to hire and pay good salaries to their workers? If so, they are profitable.
5. In column D, score each idea again from 1-10 for how much NEED there is (e.g. is everyone in this business pretty well humming along at peak efficiency, or are there areas where someone needs to solve a problem that everyone is frustrated about?). Again, this might require some research. You mentioned digitizing aspects of this industry - that would be an example of a need that you could potentially meet. An idea is to look at similar businesses outside your country. Are other companies in this business making BETTER money in other countries due to innovation, research & development that you could bring to the table?
6. Add up the scores for each entry (from column B, C, and D) and focus on the ones that scored the highest.
7. Identify the major risks and headwinds that you would have to counter and mitigate for each entry. Assign a score to that risk and subtract that score from your previous total.
8. Run your list of ideas through MJ's business idea grading tool and see if it tracks with how you were scoring the idea above. Revamp as needed.
9. Doing this process will inevitably cause a few ideas to stand out. Once you have the list narrowed down to two or three options that scored the highest, pick one, be all in, and run with it. Make it happen. Do it. It doesn't have to be complicated or sexy or flashy. Just do it. Do the research thoroughly enough in steps 4-7 to remove any doubts and fears that you might run into if the going gets tough. You want to be able to rest in the assurance that you did your due diligence and calculated your risk effectively before committing. This is your savings and your time that are going into this! So take yourself seriously and be thorough. On the flip side, don't overthink this. Take a weekend to do it, not 6 months.
10. If all else fails and you have to go back to the job seeking idea, contact your university and ask what positions are generally getting filled by graduates from your program. See if they have any job placement resources that could help. That might help to accelerate your progress into a career where you can get more experience and find more specific needs that you can work on meeting.

Side note:

my costumers

This is a common error and I think it likely comes from autocorrect, but a "costumer" is someone who makes costumes. You're looking for "customer." The words are pronounced differently as well.

 

[Jobless]

So basically what you guys @Jobless and @Mikkel say is that I should start a business and sell a product or a service and addapt to the feedback what I get from my costumers. Ok so my slowlane brain is asking me "how do you stay motivated for the business if you dont find the business idea super great?" - how do you guys handle this?

The purpose of formalizing a business is for legal reasons. As an economic being you are already 'in business'. No business exists without people. The purpose of being in business is to facilitate sustainable win-win exchange between you and customers. It's the same when you sell your time in a job -- you sell your time in exchange for money, but you have a capped earning limit and you only have 24 hrs per day to sell! If helping yourself and others long-term with win-win transactions does not provide motivation, I don't know what will.

The three most harmful addictions are heroin, carbohydrates, and a monthly salary. - Nassim Nicholas Taleb

The market will tell you quickly if the idea is interesting or not. Don't study ideas, study markets. The market is where ideas compete. A market is a network of people/businesses. Where are transactions of value happening? Who makes the decision to buy? What made them buy? Is the market growing? How is the market divided? Do buyers get good value for their money? What problems exist in this market? How can I get involved?

 

[Johann21]

@Anna13
Hm, I don't know, I thought about your answer and I think I'm the opposite of what you wrote. The anxiety makes me freeze instead of moving. Right now I'm not feeling well at all, I'm more stressed about my situation than I probably should be. I'm constantly thinking about things like: Why can't I find a job? Why can't I find a good idea for my business? Time is running out for you Johann, don't waste any more time, find a solution...

@Bekit
Thanks for the great input, I will work on my list and evaluate my ideas like you said.

Why are the ideas you listed out in this post not viable for you?

I just didn't felt like any of these ideas were "the one" idea worth pursuing.
Thanks also for correcting my spelling mistake.

@Jobless
Thank you again for mind changing post!

 

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