Finding ideas for a startup / switching gears during development

Question

I found and reviewed a couple related questions, but I don't think this one has been asked. I also read Paul Graham's essays with some regularity. However, the essays seem to be centered around what to do once you have an idea, rather than how to find them in the first place.

I'm familiar with some of the regional startup groups, weekends, and informal organizations. Indeed, I'm involved with one that's just started in the RTP area of NC.

I consider myself a reasonably creative person, and while I have a bunch of ideas, I also find that when talking to others, I will tend to synthesize what I'm hearing from different folks into [potentially] new ways of doing or thinking about what they've been talking about.

Where would you, as a programmer, hacker, architect, or just general geek go for ideas for something to build/make/provide as a product or service?

Answer 1

I tend to look at tasks I do, find a solution, then discover that others have had the same issues with similar tasks. If the solution I found for my situation can be generalized for others, you have a starting point.

Answer 2

I have recently started a community of entrepreneurs and engineers for a similar purpose. Not only is it a place to exchange ideas but also to work on how to implement those ideas. It's still small at this time but I expect it to grow fast, particularly because it attempts to fill the very real and compelling problem of bringing startup ideas into reality.

Answer 3

The group that just started in RTP - http://protosprout.com/

Answer 4

Your best bet is to solve a problem for yourself - find something that annoys you and you think can be done better, and build the better version. Since you are your own customer you'll understand what to build and why it's useful. If it's a consumer product, build it, put it out there, and iterate. If it's a business product interview as many potential customers as you can as early as you can to find their pain points and how much they'd pay to have those pains removed.