How to come up with a business idea that will work: a step-by-step plan for aspiring entrepreneurs, examples, generation, frequently asked questions
The myth:
Reality:
business ideas
Content:
Why is a "brilliant idea" a myth?
The right business idea
solves a specific audience problem;
It relies on your expertise and connections;
corresponds to available resources (time, budget, team);
it passes an early demand check (before large investments).
Step-by-step plan for choosing an idea
Step 1. Inventory of strengths
business ideas
Step 2. Find the "pain" of the market
Look not for abstract trends, but for specific problems: queues, manual operations, shortage of contractors, opaque prices. A good idea is a solution to the "pain", not a beautiful description.
Step 3. Compare resources and barriers
Time:
Money:
Communications:
Step 4. Formulate a value proposition
For [who] has [a problem], I make [a solution] to [the result]
Step 5. Check the demand before investing
MVP verification
Examples of business ideas with minimal investment
A selection for starting with a budget of up to 300,000-500,000 rubles (adapt to your city and experience).
Micro‑SaaS for small businesses:
Agency for local advertising campaigns:
Supplier Aggregator for HoReCa:
Online Course packaging Service for experts:
E‑commerce niche without warehouse (dropshipping/pre-shipping):
B2B content studio:
Marketplace of local services:
Outsourcing Analytics Service:
Local courier network "on demand":
CRM selection and implementation for micro‑companies:
Automation via API:
UGC Content Studio:
Do you want to get ideas that are right for you? Take the free survey — link at the end of the article.
How to quickly check demand
A mini‑experiment for a week:
A landing page on Tilda/Readymag/Notion with an offer and price.
1-2 creatives in advertising (VK/Direct/Telegram Ads) for 5,000-10,000 rubles.
Target action: request, prepayment, call booking.
Metrics: CTR, bid price, share of "warm" leads, live comments.
Success criteria: You're ready to repeat the experiment for another week and scale up your budget.
Common mistakes of beginners
Protracted preparation.
A wide niche.
Ignore feedback.
A bet on one channel.
FAQ: Popular questions
What business ideas are relevant in 2025?
How much money does it take to get started?
business ideas with minimal investment
What should I do if I have no experience?
How do you know that an idea will "work"?
Get a personalized list of ideas
personal list of business ideas
Take a free questionnaire and get a list of business ideas
Generating a business idea
In order not to "wait for inspiration", generate ideas systematically — using ready-made templates and short exercises. Below is a working set that helps you collect 20-50 options in 30-60 minutes and select 3-5 strong hypotheses to test.
Brainstorming Sources
The pain of the audience.
Your competencies and assets.
Shifts in the market.
Arbitration of processes.
Generation matrix (5 columns)
Assemble a 5×N table and combine the elements row by row:
Who:
Problem:
Decision:
Format:
Monetization:
WhoProblemDecisionFormatMonetization
Templates that provide ideas quickly
"X for Y".
"-30% of the time / +20% of the conversion."
"Automate via API/script".
"Service → product".
"Result guarantee".
Fifty-minute sprint (exercise)
10×10.
SCAMPER.
The market is "from reviews".
The channel map.
Generation with AI (ready-made prompta)
Copy and paste your data:
Prompt A (wide list):
Prompt B (verticalization):
Industrial C (automation):
Quick screening (3×3 checklist)
Leave 3-5 ideas that:
in 3 days
≤ 50 000–100 000 ₽
first money in 2-4 weeks
What to do next
Collect a mini-MVP
Start the traffic
Measure the signal
Decision