The first step in any startup’s journey is the spark of inspiration. 

That spark that launches an innovative startup idea can come from lots of places, including personal passions, common lifestyle or professional challenges, or even a drive to help others in a creative way. 

In the context of modern life, there are many challenges that will require innovative solutions in order to effect real results. These include creating housing and sustainable urban development; encouraging rural development; expanding environmentally sustainable public transport; supporting our ageing population; providing efficient and cost-effective health care; and fostering enterprise, skills and innovation growth. Looking closely at these big questions will help to generate ideas that could lead to the next big society-changing startup. 

Silicon Valley investor and seasoned entrepreneur Paul Graham outlines three key components of the best business startup ideas: it should be something the founders themselves want, that few others realise are worth doing, and they themselves can build. 

Facebook started this way, but also followed in the footsteps of others, including Harvard’s Operation Match from 1965. That means the idea doesn’t have to be original; as Thomas Edison said, “the value of ideas lies in the using of it”. 

That use of the idea might well lead to changes and iterations, too. For example, Amazon started out selling books while Netflix was a DVD rental service. Startups can evolve in many different ways, in large part due to new pathways to markets, technological advances and or / changing consumer preferences.

For some, inspiration will come quickly and regularly, and for those people, it makes sense to keep a notebook of your best startup ideas. It helps to keep it beside your bed, or your desk, or wherever you tend to do your best thinking. For others, a single idea might slowly germinate over time, eventually growing into a promising concept that should be further explored. Regardless of how they come to you, ideas don’t need to be brilliant – they just need to combine good substance with great execution.  

The best startup ideas start with the problem, not the solution. That’s because there will always be problems to solve, but not every method will work. The real challenge is making it personal – it isn’t just finding some problem to fix, it’s finding the problem that you have a passion to fix. 

That leads to one key question every entrepreneur will ask themselves at some stage: will my efforts be successful, where others weren't? In short, how do I know if my idea is good?