Boodopt Startup Diary #4: Ideation and Validation as a Constant Conversation
We have within us the most powerful tool ever created. Yet why do we often feel so powerless against its performance issues? I’m talking about our brain, the human mind. As an entrepreneur, your innovative, decisive mind is your biggest asset. On days when you hit a wall brainstorming or when you wish you knew it was a bad idea, don’t you just wish it was simpler?
Why am I telling you all this? I am neither a neurologist nor a psychologist. Over the past month, my team has undergone a total of 3 major pivots. With each pivot, we shortened our ideation process, and quickened our testing. By now, it feels like we are getting so close to proof of concept. It’s like the feeling you have when you are a few experience points short of levelling up. Hence, I’d like to share my learning so you can experience this sensation too!
Great ideation methods seem to align with what Chris Gallagher has termed ‘Kairotic’.
Listen but don’t listen
If you Google how to brainstorm, they’ll tell you to listen and not reject any of your teammates’ ideas. Believe me, I tried that many times and the results were terrible! (Note: I could be doing it wrong.) If you are planning a party, where there’s always fun vibes, it’s easy to get creative. Yet, ideation in business often becomes way too serious. Creative ideas are hard to emerge under the stifle. Take a quick browse on Reddit’s shower thoughts and you can infer the secret. We are at our most creative when we are in our own zone. If listening to someone need an immense amount of effort, you are better off not listening. Great ideation methods seem to align with what Chris Gallagher has termed ‘Kairotic’. It’s multi-dimensional, context and time dependent. You have a method best suited for you.
Here’s what I have learnt. For my context, the best way to be creative is to devote 50% of my attention to listening. My co-founder is a quick-witted sporadic thinker. While discussing a certain idea, he will often have his ‘eureka’ moments. Of which, he will come up with brand new ideas that have little relation with the current. I learnt to mirror him while playing the role of a curator in our discussions. While brainstorming, both of us will be 50% in the conversation and 50% in our own zones. With each new idea generated, a large part of me will be applying it to my inner-world. I’ll be playing up scenarios and drawing connections with my experience. Staying in that zone improved our ideation as we co-induced creativity while keeping things relevant.
Don’t solve what doesn’t need solving
The second lesson we learnt from our pivots so far was to avoid solving problems not meant for solving. On top of that, we have to move fast. We learned these while testing our second idea, an events platform for startups. We found that startup’s top priority at events was to network with Angel investors and VCs. We had a gut feeling that this was a lopsided relationship. Something felt amiss but we couldn’t spell out what. It wasn’t until we sneaked into an investor networking session did we then realize we were so wrong. We are trying to solve something that didn’t need solving! For years, VCs relied on referrals for their supply of startups. This is a tried and tested system that beats any app helping startups get connected to VCs. Bottom line: if you are a startup worth the buck, you will find the means to connect with VCs. If you cannot do that, maybe you are not cut out for this line.
If the problem is significant yet nobody is tackling it, ask yourself deeper questions.
When we saw this issue, we immediately pivoted and that saved us time and embarrassment. You wouldn’t want to launching a product no one use would you. My advice is to look out for such problems. If the problem is significant yet nobody is tackling it, ask yourself deeper questions:
1. Do I really need to solve this problem?
2. Has anyone else tried and failed?
3. Why have they failed?
4. Is it worth solving?
If you are in the B2C business, you can find these answers on the internet and through asking peers. As you discover more insight over time, the answers to the first 3 questions will crystallize. Carry on long enough, you’ll find out if this problem is worth solving.
