my idea process (real talk)

Quick question - ever wonder where entrepreneurs get their million-dollar ideas? 🤔 ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ No longer interested? [Remove yourself here from all my emails.]( Hey , Quick question - ever wonder where entrepreneurs get their million-dollar ideas? 🤔 Recently, I shared some thoughts on why you shouldn’t fall in love with the product but rather the problem. And guess what? Someone asked me the million-dollar question: “Where do you get those ideas, Wilco?” Before I dive in, I’ve been loving your replies. If you haven’t yet, hit reply! Let me know what topics you’d like me to write about.  It's like a virtual coffee chat - no awkward small talk required! Anyhow... Now, back to the big question: Where do I find those problems to solve? My initial answer was simple – talk to people. But let’s be honest, I’m an introvert. (Shocker, right?!) It might not look like it in my videos, but approaching strangers isn’t my idea of a fun Saturday night 😂 So, grab a coffee (or your beverage of choice), and let me walk you through my introvert-friendly process for coming up with ideas worth solving. Step 1: Decide who you want to help For me, this one is kinda based on gut and passion. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just pick a group you feel drawn to. For me, that's entrepreneurs and marketers. Step 2: Hang out where they hang out Find out where your target audience is spending their time online, and hang out at the same places. - Join FB groups, Discords, etc where your target audience hangs out. - Follow people inside your target audience on Twitter/X. Start interacting with them, and the algorithm will feed you more. - Go to industry events and conferences. This one is BY FAR the most effective - it'll give you 101 ideas in just a few days. Step 3: Consume their content Read the books they read, listen to the podcasts they listen to, and keep an eye on the trends in their industry. This will give you a broad sense of their challenges. For example, by doing this, I realized many businesses struggled to get FB Ads working. It was still too broad of a problem to solve, but it was a step in the right direction. Step 4: Get your hands dirty This is where the magic happens. It's like being a detective, but instead of solving crimes, you're uncovering business opportunities. This step is crucial because it moves you from high-level issues to the nitty-gritty details that can spark a genius idea. This means doing the work and solving problems. Not reading about it, not talking about it, but ACTUALLY doing it. The easiest way is to help someone for free (I still do this regularly over coffee - caffeine and good karma, win-win!). Here's a real-life example: Years back, I went to an event in Orlando (I remember because I'm always looking for an excuse to go to Disney 😂). I knew I wanted to serve businesses and marketers (step 1). I knew on a high level that many struggled with FB Ads, and I've been consuming a lot of information in that space (steps 2 and 3). At the event, I spoke to a guy who couldn't scale his ads, so we sat down together. He opened his laptop and showed me his approach so I could help him (getting my hands dirty, step 4). That's when it hit me. This guy was spending an insane amount of time on audience research. His interest-targeting ads were killing it, but the time investment was brutal. Boom! 💡 The idea for my audience research tool was born. I started building it the very next week. Fast forward a bit, and that spark turned into 8-figures (sold that business two years ago). Crazy, right? One conference, one impromptu ad account review, and boom - a business was born. Oh, and I still made it to Disney. Win-win! Now, I know what you're thinking. "Wilco, this sounds time-consuming!" And you're right, it can be. But remember, a few focused months of this can save you years of aimless wandering. It's like preparing for a marathon - the training is tough, but it makes the race so much easier. So , I'm curious - where do your best ideas come from? Got any unconventional methods you swear by? Or maybe you've had your own "aha moment" at an unexpected place? Hit reply and let me know. I read every email (it's my introvert-friendly way of networking!). Plus, I'm planning topics for future emails, so if there's anything you'd like me to dive into, shout it out! Looking forward to hearing your story, Wilco [Wilco de Kreij] Thanks for reading ! 🙏 My mission is to give small businesses the marketing power of giants. Inside my emails, you’ll get proven best practices, innovative strategies and real-world tactics that I’ve learned in my businesses. 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