Originally Posted by jayeff

In my opinion and from my own experience, those kind of ideas are the only ones worth putting time and effort into. If one is capable of such ideas, it is a waste to pursue anything else: you are better off sitting on a beach or whatever, until the next one comes along, rather than be diverted by the humdrum.

But, I also think that the very best such ideas are most often radical, not by their nature, but only by the results they produce. Producing slightly better cars worked for the Japanese, just as making a passable cup of coffee worked for Starbucks. In other words, filling an existing need is more certain than hoping to create one. Frequently the best way to identify such needs is to think about what p*sses you off, or what you want and cannot get (at least on the terms you want it).

I have turned three such ideas into 7-figure businesses over the past 30-odd years. The first (albeit long since in other hands) reported $450 million in sales in 2004: not bad for something which started out as nothing more than the thought that if people wanted things delivered fast, then heck, why not actually deliver them fast...