To get started, you’ll need something that only you can provide: the spark, the idea for your online business. The concept that gets the ball rolling.
Ah, but what if you don’t have that elusive idea yet?
Well, as a programmer, you naturally solve problems every day at work. So take a good look around you and think about those annoying little things that irritate you. Things that could be solved through a simple network or indeed by brute force computing power at your fingertips; Everyday activities like buying, selling, dating, reviewing, writing, and many more are areas that have been enhanced by the advent of the Internet. Just thinking about setting up an online business can open your mind and make you much, much more receptive to new ideas.
Unfortunately, many programmers waste a great deal of time trying to come up with a unique idea. This is a trap that is easy to fall into.
Just remember that the only thing really belongs to geniuses and unfortunately very few of us are geniuses. The good news is that the most successful sites and products simply build on existing ideas. They may have some unique twists, or may simply be implemented more effectively, but the vast majority are not unique.
There are thousands of great ideas out there that have been poorly implemented. Your goal should be to give your visitors something worth their time. To provide them with something that no one else has done as well. It could even be something as simple as a well-designed user interface built around an existing open source library. If you execute it right, present it well, and provide great support, you could be a winner.
However, you really have to remember that ideas, by themselves, are pretty much useless. They only start to have real value once you actually do something tangible with them. While they are locked away in your head, with no substance to them, they are just aimless neurons. You need to extract the ideas, give them to your friends and see what they think.
So be careful. Getting your site or product out there should be your primary goal – don’t spend years endlessly dreaming of the perfect idea.
