Great Companies Start By Asking Simple Questions
Many people believe that in order to start a successful company, you need to have a groundbreaking idea. But that’s not always the case. In fact, many of the most successful companies began with these simple questions.
The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not "Eureka!" but "That's funny…"
— Isaac Asimov
If you are reading this, I can almost guarantee that you have, at some point in your life, wanted to launch a startup but didn't have the idea. You've always said to yourself: "I don't have a good enough idea to start a company", or "my ideas are not good enough to start a startup". But what if I told you that some of the most successful companies were born from simple questions?
Wouldn't it be great if you knew what those questions were?
You're in luck because, in this blog post, I will be sharing with you 4 questions that will help you generate ideas for your startup:
- Isn't this interesting?
- Is there a better way?
- Why doesn't our company do this?
- Therefore, what?
Plus, a bonus!
Isn't this interesting?
Many people believe that in order to start a successful company, you need to have a groundbreaking or world-changing idea. But that's not always the case. In fact, many of the most successful companies began with simple questions.
One of these is: "Isn't this interesting?".
More often than expected, curiosity and unintentional discovery are the two main forces behind innovation. To be able to take advantage of them, though, you need to be open to change. Be receptive to unexpected things.
For example, curiosity and accidental discovery played a significant role in the invention of Post-it Notes. Spencer Silver, the scientist who invented them, was actually trying to create a new type of glue. But when his experiment failed, he accidentally made a new type of adhesive that would eventually be used in Post-it Notes.
Silver's persistence and open mind were critical factors in his creation of Post-it Notes. Try again and again until something intriguing occurs. Until you ask, "Isn't this fascinating?"
Is there a better way?
Another common approach is to find a new way of doing things. A better way to do something that already exists. The most potent and effective source of motivation for humankind is being unhappy about something in our lives, such as how we rent movies, how we store our photos and documents on our MacBooks, or the car we drive.
This was Porsche's approach. He wasn't happy with the cars available on the market, so he decided to build his own. And that's how Porsche was born.
The same question, but more specific is "Can we make it better/faster/cheaper?". Although it's often asked in the business world, it can be used to innovate and spot opportunities in any industry. It can lead to new and improved products or services.
For example, when Netflix was first created, it was a way to rent movies by mail. But over time, they realized that they could make the service better and faster by streaming movies and TV shows online. And that's how they became the powerhouse that they are today.
Why doesn't our company do this?
Many employees of large corporations have started their own startups in recent years. Why? They recognized that something was missing in their industry. Something that the company was failing to capitalize on. So they realized they could fill that gap.
For example, one of the co-founders of Instagram, Kevin Systrom, was working at Google when he realized there was a lack of good mobile photo-sharing options. He then had the idea to create a photo-sharing app that would be simple and easy to use. And that's how Instagram was born.
Therefore, what?
Being able to spot trends and problems is also an important skill to have if you want to generate ideas for your startup. One of the best ways to do so is by asking "Therefore, what?" multiple times.
I take a lot of pictures during vacations. Therefore, what? I'd like to share them with my friends, but it's difficult to send them all individual emails. Therefore, what? I wish there was a way to easily share them with my friends. Therefore, what? I'll create a photo-sharing app.
("Instagram" does tell you something?)
By asking, "Therefore, what?" multiple times, you can dig deeper and deeper to get to the root of the problem and determine where a trend is leading. Once you identify the problem and the trend, you can start brainstorming solutions.
Bonus question: What if…?
This question allows you to think outside the box and come up with truly unique ideas. It unlocks our most profound creativity and imagination and enables us to find solutions to the problems we are facing.
For instance, Jack Dorsey, the creator of Twitter, was considering what it would be like to text a bunch of people when he decided to create the well-known social media platform.
Conclusion
In order to be a successful entrepreneur, you need to be curious and ask yourself tons of questions every single day. By doing so, you will start to see problems as opportunities and eventually be able to develop creative solutions to these problems. The important thing is to get started and keep brainstorming. The more ideas you have, the more likely you are to come up with a truly great one. A true game changer is creating a mindset—a way of thinking that will unlock tens of ideas every day. Once you have that, you will start generating ideas without even trying. And if you keep at it, one of those ideas will undoubtedly become your next big success.