Ideas & Opportunity

I have too many ideas. How do I pick which one to actually work on?

A starting point

Filter on three things: is it a problem you understand, is the pain real and frequent, and can you reach the people who have it. Then break the tie with the idea you're willing to be obsessed with for the next five years, because that's the real time horizon. Write each one down as a one-line problem statement and kill the ones you're only lukewarm about.

Go deeper

Watch

▶️ Video
Free Beginner

How to Get and Evaluate Startup Ideas

On YC Startup Library by Jared Friedman (Y Combinator) ~50 min

Why we picked it

A YC partner turns 'how do I get an idea' into a concrete checklist you can run today, plus the traps (tarpit ideas) that sink beginners. It's the practical companion to Paul Graham's essay, with a repeatable framework for judging an idea's strength.

  • Evaluate ideas on the problem: how many people have it, how often, and how badly.
  • Watch out for 'tarpit ideas' that feel exciting but have quietly killed hundreds of startups.
  • The best sources are your own expertise, things you personally wish existed, and noticing recent changes.
Open ycombinator.com →

Read

📄 Article
Free Beginner

Organic Startup Ideas

From paulgraham.com by Paul Graham ~5 min read

Why we picked it

A short, pointed essay on why the best ideas grow organically out of the founder's own life and knowledge, the essence of founder-market fit. It's the case for building where you already have an unfair edge instead of chasing a market you'd have to learn from scratch.

  • The most fertile ideas are ones you have firsthand because of who you are and what you do.
  • Organic ideas come with built-in founder-market fit, you're already the customer.
  • Forced, non-organic ideas feel plausible but lack the edge to win.
Open paulgraham.com →
📖 Book
Paid Beginner

The Lean Startup

From theleanstartup.com by Eric Ries ~330 pages

Why we picked it

The book that gave the world 'MVP', 'build-measure-learn', and 'validated learning'. It reframes a startup as a series of experiments, not a bet, the mental model everything else in this category builds on.

  • Progress = validated learning, not features shipped.
  • Build the minimum that produces a real learning loop.
  • Decide pivot-or-persevere on evidence, on a schedule.
Open theleanstartup.com →

People also ask

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