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Everyone wants the perfect idea.
The kind that hits you like lightning and solves everything at once.
The kind that feels instantly clear, brilliant, and wildly profitable.
But that kind of thinking? It keeps a lot of people stuck.
The truth is, great ideas usually start out messy. Confusing. A little weird.
They're not found in a flash of genius—they're shaped, step by step, into something that works.
The most successful creators you know aren't sitting around waiting for clarity.
They're working a process.
They're testing, shaping, and evolving their ideas in motion.
And the best part? That process isn't mysterious. It's repeatable.
You can use it to move from "I have no idea what to build" to "I launched something people actually want."
Let's walk through it—with real examples, tools that help, and a final takeaway that might shift how you think about building forever.
Step 1: Dump Fast
Let’s start here: most ideas die because people judge them too early.
You’ve been there.
You start thinking of something interesting, and before you’ve even finished the sentence in your head, you’re poking holes in it.
It’s been done. It’s not good enough. It won’t work.
Here’s how to break that loop: dump ideas fast.
Pick a topic.
Set a 2-minute timer.
Write down every single idea that comes to mind.
Don’t stop. Don’t fix. Don’t edit.
Your only job is to fill the page.
Real Example:
A team in a content agency was stuck.
They kept delaying their digital product launch because nothing felt good enough to move forward with.
Every brainstorm turned into a back-and-forth debate, and it was clear that pressure to get it right was blocking all creativity.
So they tried something new.
Each person on the team did a 2-minute silent idea dump in a shared Google Doc.
No discussion, just writing.
They ended up with 42 ideas—some ridiculous, some half-formed, but two of them stood out instantly.
One of those ended up becoming their product.
They shipped it in less than a month.
The goal isn’t to get it right. The goal is to get it out.
Step 2: Mix & Match
Once you’ve got ideas on the page, it’s time to make them more interesting.
Most people stop at "What do I know?" or "What have I seen work?"
But there’s a better way to surface ideas you’d never think of on your own.
Use a simple 3 x 3 x 3 framework:
- List 3 of your skills
- List 3 real-world problems
- List 3 formats you could deliver in (like video, checklist, voice notes)
Now mix them.
You’ll end up with 27 combinations.
Most won’t work. But a few might change everything.
Real Example:
A burnout recovery coach wanted to sell something online.
She had ideas, but they all felt overdone.
Courses, journals, guides—nothing stood out.
So she made a 3x3x3 grid: skills (habit change, energy management, coaching), problems (low motivation, no routine, scattered focus), and formats (audio, daily email, PDF).
From that mix came a new idea: a 30-day "Burnout Reset" voice note series.
One short message each morning.
That was the product she launched—and her first 30 customers came in without a single ad.
Don’t just rely on inspiration. Force creative angles into the room.
Step 3: Check Interest
Your idea might be brilliant—but if no one is looking for it, you’re building in the dark.
Before you move forward, search it. Literally.
Take your top 3 ideas and type them into Google, YouTube, Reddit, or TikTok.
Add "how to" in front of each.
Then look at what the autocomplete suggestions show you.
Are people asking about this?
Are there lots of variations?
Are there forum threads and how-to videos with traction?
If so, that’s a good sign.
Real Example:
An HR platform built a course on remote team management.
It looked great. Problem was, almost no one signed up.
They went back to the drawing board and searched "how to lead remote teams."
Not much showed up.
But when they typed "how to run remote 1:1s," it exploded with results.
That became the new angle—and the version that actually took off.
Don’t guess what people want. See what they’re already trying to figure out.
Step 4: Score It
We all know the feeling of having too many ideas.
It's exciting... until it's overwhelming.
This is where the "10 to 1 Score" method helps.
Take your top 10 ideas. For each one, rate it on two things:
- How fun would it be to create? (1 to 5)
- How likely is it to earn money? (1 to 5)
Add the scores. The idea with the highest number wins.
Real Example:
A freelancer had ideas for an ebook, a coaching workshop, a Notion template, and a few digital kits.
But every time she picked one to work on, she lost motivation halfway through.
So she listed all 10 and gave each a score.
The ebook? 5 for fun, but only 1 for income.
The template? 3 and 4.
The workshop? 2 and 5.
But the digital kit? 4 and 5.
That one felt exciting and had real potential.
She built it in a weekend and made more in her first launch week than she had the previous month.
You don’t need to fall in love with an idea. You need to trust that it’s both energizing and useful.
Step 5: Test the Twist
Here’s the thing: normal doesn't get attention.
Safe isn’t shareable.
Once you’ve got an idea you like, ask yourself this: what’s the weirdest version of this I could try?
Could it be a quiz instead of a checklist?
A 5-minute audio drama instead of a video?
A parody? A challenge? A dare?
Real Example:
A design agency had a useful brand audit guide they wanted to use for lead generation.
The problem? Everyone else had a version of it too.
They asked, "What if this weren’t a guide, but a digital fortune teller?"
That idea turned into a quiz: "What Will Break Your Brand?"
It was punchy, playful, and surprisingly insightful.
That twist made it go viral inside LinkedIn.
It also brought in more qualified leads than any of their past efforts.
Strange ideas often open new doors.
Step 6: Shape & Refine
After all the testing, dumping, and mixing—you still need to make a choice.
Which idea deserves your energy now?
This is the part where you step away.
Let it breathe.
Come back later with a clear head and ask:
- Which idea still holds up?
- Which one makes the most sense to act on right now?
- Which one am I still excited about?
Real Example:
A SaaS product team had over 60 possible feature ideas submitted by support, marketing, and customers.
Every department had their favorite. And nothing was getting built.
So the PM grouped them into themes, ran a team-wide voting session, and asked everyone to choose the ideas they still felt strongly about two weeks later.
What remained? Six strong ideas that everyone backed.
And momentum returned.
Excitement fades. What stays with you after time usually matters more.
Step 7: Write the Offer
People don’t buy complex. They buy clarity.
You can make the best product in the world, but if you can’t explain it in one sentence, you’ll lose people.
Try this template:
"I help [who] go from [problem] to [result] in [timeline]."
Real Example:
A leadership coach had amazing results.
But their site was filled with vague terms like "empowerment" and "alignment."
Potential clients kept saying: "This sounds interesting, but I'm not sure what it means."
They rewrote their homepage with one sentence:
"I help managers go from overlooked to promoted in 90 days or less."
That line brought in more leads than their last 5 months of marketing.
If your audience can repeat it after reading it once, you're doing it right.
Best Resource: $100M Offers by Alex Hormozi
If there’s one book that will sharpen how you shape and sell your idea, it’s this one.
$100M Offers: How To Make Offers So Good People Feel Stupid Saying No by Alex Hormozi isn’t just a bestselling business book. It’s a step-by-step breakdown of what makes people buy.
You’ll learn:
- How to stack value into your offer
- How to remove friction and risk
- How to name, shape, and test what you sell
- Why people say yes—and what keeps them on the fence
If you’re stuck on how to explain what you do in a way that clicks, this book gives you a powerful playbook.
Great ideas are built. Great offers are shaped.
The Work Will Shape You Too
Most people think they need clarity before they start.
But in reality, starting is what creates clarity.
You don’t need a perfect spark. You don’t need the most original idea.
You need a system that lets you move forward when things feel uncertain.
You need a structure that lets you test, shape, and grow the idea in real life—instead of in your head.
And as you shape the idea, something else starts to happen.
You shape yourself.
You get sharper. More decisive.
Less attached to perfect, more interested in useful.
You start trusting small signals, not waiting for big signs.
You get more resilient, because you’re not building for applause. You’re building because it matters.
Every step in this system isn't just about the product.
It's about what you're learning in the process of showing up.
Because once you stop waiting to be ready, you realize something:
You already are.
Download the Full Infographic (PDF)
Want a visual summary to keep this process in front of you while you work?
Download the full "Tips for Great Product Ideas" infographic in PDF format.
It's printable, skimmable, and matches everything covered in this article.
Use it to plan your next product, test your next offer, or workshop your idea with a team.
