Finding Your Million-Dollar Startup Idea 💡

Hey Founders,

How do you actually find a startup idea that works?

Spoiler: Nobody—not even top founders or VCs—can predict if your idea will succeed. The only way to know is by building it, launching a Minimum Viable Product (MVP), and testing it in the real world.

But some ideas do tend to succeed more often than others.
In our latest newsletter of The Rahman Effect, we unpack how to find high-potential startup ideas using real examples, practical frameworks, and lessons from Y Combinator's top 100 companies.

🔥 Part 1: 4 Common Mistakes Founders Make with Startup Ideas

1. Solving problems nobody cares about
   Just because you can build something doesn’t mean users want it.

2. Picking ideas that are impossible to execute
   Some ideas sound exciting but need huge capital, advanced tech, or long timelines. Be realistic about what you can launch.

3. Not evaluating your idea critically
   Before you spend months building, ask: Does this solve a burning problem? Are people already paying to solve it another way?

4. Waiting too long for the “perfect” idea
   Momentum matters more than perfection. Most great companies started from imperfect ideas.

🧠 Part 2: 10 Questions to Know If Your Idea Is Good

Ask yourself:

1. Do you have founder–market fit? (Are you the right person to solve this?)

2. Is the market large or growing rapidly (like AI or creator tools)?

3. How urgent is the problem for users?

4. Do you have strong or weak competition?

5. Would you personally pay for this?

6. Has something recently changed to make this idea possible or necessary?

7. Are there big companies that do something similar (but not exactly)?

8. Can you see yourself working on this for years?

9. Is the business scalable, or will it always need lots of human input?

10. Is this the right space—one where MVPs can gain traction fast?

If you answer “yes” to most of these, you’re likely on to something real.

💡 Part 3: Where Do Good Startup Ideas Come From?

You don’t always invent ideas—you notice them.
Here are smart ways to find them:

1. Solve a problem you’ve faced

2. Build something you wish existed

3. Spot something broken in a big industry (like food in trains!)

4. Become an expert in something valuable

5. Work at a startup and observe pain points

6. Talk to people in a field and learn their challenges

7. Start with what you're especially good at

8. Look for business models that work and adapt them

Bonus tip: Sometimes your co-founder brings the best idea. Keep the right people around you.

🚀 Final Thought: Launch and Learn

You won’t know if your idea works until it’s live.
So build a Minimum Viable Product (MVP)—the simplest version—and test it in the real world.

Let users vote with their wallets. That’s the real validation.

Stay curious, stay bold,
The Rahman Effect