Article · About 15 min read

How the Most Successful B2B Startups Came Up With Their Original Idea

Lenny Rachitsky · Lenny's Newsletter Freemium Intermediate

Lenny interviewed founders of Gong, Notion, Figma, Amplitude, Retool and more to trace where their idea actually came from. The surprising finding is that most founders had no special background in the space and spoke to around thirty potential customers before committing. Read it to see that ideas come from paying attention, not from a rare gift.

  • Most founders lacked deep prior expertise in their problem space
  • Ideas came from noticing something, then validating with many conversations
  • A median of about thirty customer chats preceded real commitment
Open on lennysnewsletter.com ↗

It answers 12 questions

  1. I want to start a startup but I don't have an idea. Where do I even begin?
  2. How do I come up with startup ideas that aren't just 'Uber for X'?
  3. Do I need to be an expert in an industry to start a company in it?
  4. Should I solve a problem I personally have, or chase a bigger market?
  5. I'm passionate about an idea but have zero background in it. Should I still do it?
  6. Where do I look to find emerging opportunities before they're obvious?
  7. I have too many ideas. How do I pick which one to actually work on?
  8. Should I chase whatever is hot (AI, crypto) or build in a boring niche?
  9. How do I turn a trend I've noticed into an actual product idea I can build?
  10. How do I find a problem worth solving in an industry I have never worked in?
  11. I'm a student with no work experience. Can I have founder-market fit at all, or should I wait?
  12. How do I generate a steady flow of idea candidates instead of waiting for one big flash?

Read with it

  1. The definitive essay on where good ideas come from: notice problems you personally have, don't force it. Use it as the lens for... paulgraham.com Essay · ~20 min read How to Get Startup Ideas Paul Graham
  2. The single best thing ever written on customer conversations. It teaches you to ask about the customer's life and past... momtestbook.com Book · ~130 pages The Mom Test Rob Fitzpatrick
  3. Video · ~25 min How to Get and Evaluate Startup Ideas Jared Friedman
  4. Entering an unfamiliar industry means you cannot see the walls and dead ends that veterans already know. Dixon explains that a... cdixon.org Essay · short read The Idea Maze Chris Dixon
  5. A short, pointed essay on why the best ideas grow organically out of the founder's own life and knowledge, the essence of... paulgraham.com Article · ~5 min read Organic Startup Ideas Paul Graham
  6. Video · ~15 min How to Get and Test Startup Ideas Michael Seibel
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