Good business ideas are often hiding inside ordinary frustrations. A task takes too long. A product is confusing. A group of customers is poorly served. Someone keeps saying, “There should be an easier way.”

Collect problems before collecting solutions

Listen to what people complain about, repeatedly search for, improvise around or pay someone else to handle. The goal is not to copy every complaint into a product. It is to identify patterns.

Look for evidence of effort

A problem becomes more interesting when people already spend time or money trying to solve it. Existing competition can be useful evidence that demand exists. Your opportunity may be to serve a narrower audience, simplify the experience or package the solution differently.

Talk to potential customers

Ask about what they currently do rather than asking whether they “like” your idea. People are generous with hypothetical praise. Their current behavior, purchases and frustrations provide stronger clues.

Choose a testable idea

An idea you can test this week may be more valuable than an enormous concept requiring a year of development. Early businesses benefit from short feedback loops: offer, observe, improve and repeat.