How to Get and Test Startup Ideas

Seibel recommends recording problems people encounter instead of collecting startup ideas. Look for problems you know through your own life, work, family, friends, or community. A personal connection can help you judge potential solutions and stay motivated when early attempts fail.

For a problem worth pursuing, ask what you understand about it that others may not. Seibel means a useful perspective or experience, not necessarily a long résumé. Reviewing previous attempts and existing products can help you compare their insights with your own.

The minimum viable product is the first solution released to users to learn whether the problem can be solved. Seibel cautions that it may solve the problem poorly, so founders should stay committed to the customer and problem while letting the product change. He says an MVP can often be built and released in days or weeks.

Seibel advises hand-picking early users who are willing to try a startup product and for whom the problem matters. The goal is to learn whether the product solves the problem for a particular customer group, not to maximize the number of users. He also notes that Justin.tv began as an online reality TV show before becoming Twitch, a live video site for gaming and chat.