One thing I excel at is dreaming up new ideas for businesses.  (Too bad I’m less great at implementing them, but I’m working on it!)  I’ll share some of the ideas I’ve come up with, but a larger question is: where do they come from? For me, they come from all angles – it just seems to be the way I’m built.  But if you’re not the “idea type”, how can you come up with new ideas?

Usually, the best ideas I have come from getting frustrated and then thinking “there ought to be a way to (fill in the blank here).” 

Just the other day, I was trying to apply for a job through Monster.  It looked like a decent fit for me, so I clicked on “Apply Now”.  After clicking many subsequent “Apply Now” buttons, I finally made it to a field where I was required to log in to the company’s proprietary job application system.  Then, after registering, instead of uploading my resume, I had to fill out what amounted to a “build your resume” survey system.  I eventually made it through to actually apply for the job, but the company definitely learned a lot less about me than they would have if they just let me upload my resume after that first “Apply Now” button.

If you don’t sense a problem with a system like this, then you’re never going to be an idea person!

Yes, the company probably thinks they don’t want to have anybody that’s not passionate enough to go through the nearly hour-long application process.  Yes, when they see a fully filled out application, they probably have someone who IS a good candidate.  Or, on the other hand, they may just have found someone who is so comfortable with corporate bureaucracy that they get excited when there’s a rigid process that takes all day to complete when it could take just a few minutes.  OK, maybe you can tell I’m not a big fan of corporate bureaucracies!

Back to the idea here.  That application process just took so long that it even took a long time to write about it.  (Anyone still reading?) What if there were a super simple service that did just one: uploaded job openings and resumes.  That’s it! No fancy “job applicant management systems”, no huge fees to post a job, no waiting to actually apply for a job.  OK, let’s add two more features: seach and apply.  Users can search for jobs or applicants, and they can also apply or express interest in a candidate.

There’s a simple job system.  It’s probably the way most complicated systems like Monster and CareerBuilder started in the first place.  But now they’re huge corporations themselves, and their main customers are other huge corporations.  But small businesses often can’t afford Fortune 500 solutions.  They have a simpler need: finding good applicants quickly without spending a fortune. 

You’ll see here that the idea is just the first thing.  Then, you have to think about the specifics of how it would and – perhaps more importantly – wouldn’t work.

So, the idea process here was:

1. Get frustrated with a process.
2. Have the thought that “there ought to be a way to (fill in the blank here).”
3. Think through how you would implement that service and who would use it.
4. Write an overly long blog post about it!
5. Decide if you’re really interested in doing it and start researching whether it’s been done well before.
6. Start building…or not.   (I decided not to, but please tell me if you think it’s brilliant and eventually become a billionaire from it!)

Now, when you get frustrated, view that as a sign you’re onto something BIG and start dreaming up ways to avoid that frustration.  It’s a great place to get ideas!