Step-by-Step Instructions

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What happens if you do all your validation the right way, only to find out the idea you had won't lead to your victory? What will you do then?

So often founders ignore the data they collect because they don't have a feasible backup plan. Without an alternative path, they feel like they only have two choices:

1. Keep pursuing the bad idea or
2. Give up entirely.

There is another way.

What works best, is having a backup plan ready before starting your primary plan. That means if you collect data that says your first plan won't lead to victory, you've already got an alternative path to victory in your back pocket.

The Idea Generation exercise is about brainstorming multiple paths to your victory.

Of course, this exercise also helps if you want to start a company but don't have an idea for one.

Problems it Solves

1. Already know what you want to build? This exercise will give you a backup plan, just in case the timing isn’t right for your original idea.

2. Not sure what product you want to build? This exercise will help you figure it out!

No Idea, No Problem.

Not sure what you want to build? You’re ahead of the game.

If you’re in the “no idea” camp, this tool will help you generate ideas in the most effective way possible.  The reason it works so well is that it focuses your attention where it matters: the people, not the product.

Founders who start their journey with a product idea run the risk of becoming emotionally attached to it, which can prevent them from observing the world as it really is. In other words, they’re less likely to listen to “bad news” about their idea.

On the other hand, if you don’t have an idea, you are in a powerful position.

You’re able to listen with an open mind to the data you collect from customers and are likely to find the solution they need faster than if you were attached to a specific product.

Already have an Idea?

Fantastic! The Idea Generation process will help you by providing a backup plan if your original idea gets invalidated.  If it turns out your idea doesn’t work out, you will have a stack of alternative ideas to turn to.

A backup plan enables you to let go of a bad idea more quickly.

Knowing what to do next, if this experiment fails, will help you pivot quickly towards success, rather than continuing down a failing path.

Step 1

First things first.  Cross out the word IDEA at the top of your worksheet and replace it with the word PROBLEM.

The truth is, any idea we come up with on our own is not a good idea.

Good ideas come from problems, and problems come from people.

A good idea is a solution to a person’s problem.

In this exercise you’re going to find the customer segments that you are uniquely poised to solve problems for - segments you have an unfair advantage serving.

These segments will be the basis of your ideas going forward.

Step 2

Make a list of the customer segments of which you are a member:

• What groups do you belong to?
• How would you describe yourself and your interests?
• What “roles” do you have in life?

You can see my examples for inspiration.

Each segment you name is a group of people whose problems you understand better than the average person - an opportunity where you have a leg up.

The more segments you come up with, the more problems (i.e. ideas) you can come up with.  Make sure you come up with at least 10.

Step 3

Now list the segments that you are no longer part of.  These are groups you identified with at one time, and therefor still know better than other people.

Write down at least five of these, and make sure they're different from those listed in Step 2.

Step 4

Now list the segments that you are not part of, but are passionate about.  In this list, the passion you have for helping will be your unique advantage.

You don’t have to know these segments a lot, you just have to love them a lot.

Write down five more of these, again not repeating any segments from Steps 2 - 3.

Step 5

Take your entry from the Declaring Victory exercise (“I will declare victory when I achieve # of X”) and write it in the blanks.

Now you are going to add on to this statement. You will declare victory when you achieve your goal by helping…

Steps 6-8

Whom will you help?  Or, rather...

Which customers are going to help you achieve your goal?

Look at your lists in steps 2-4 of the customers that you are uniquely positioned to serve.

Choose your top three – those who you are most excited about serving and who are most likely to help drive you toward your goal.

Write each segment in the provided spaces.  Then, hypothesize a problem that they are likely to have.

Don’t worry if your hypothesized problem is accurate or not at this point – we have plenty of time to investigate that.  If you are passionate about the segment, it is worth investigating if you can serve them in a way that serves your ultimate victory.

What’s Next?

We have identified the customers that you are most passionate about helping, the customers that are going to help you to declare victory, and the problems you think you might solve for those customers.

Despite the exercise being named “Idea Generation”, you focused on people, not products.  That was intentional.

By focusing on the people, you have an infinite source of real problems that you can solve.  Each solution to a customer problem is a real product idea – and there is an endless source of them!

If instead you had focused your energy on product “ideas”, you’d spend all of your time trying to validate hypothetical customer problems, instead of real ones.

If you began this exercise without a product idea, you now know whose problems you will discover, and that is what will lead you to your successful product idea.

If you began this exercise with a product in mind, you have a list of alternative paths to victory so you can swiftly pivot if something goes wrong.

This exercise is designed to free you up emotionally from failure.  If it turns out your customers have something different to say than you hypothesized, you have an unlimited source of ideas to pivot in a new, more successful, direction.

Congratulations, you’ve now found the source of ideas problems you need to achieve your victory!