Interesting startups from global and Russian practice: 4 differences between a startup and an ordinary business idea + 16 examples of successful ideas for inspiration.

Before presenting interesting startups, let's find out what it is all about.

Why the concepts of "startup" and " new business» demarcate?

And are there really differences between them, or is it just a matter of popularizing the use of borrowed words in modern speech?

For the first time this interesting term "" appeared in 1939.

It was used by two students at Stanford University.

So they designated their project, which later grew into a company known worldwide as "Hewlett-Packard".

Startups can exist in any industry, not just IT.

Startups are characterized by:

• based on the use of innovation, interesting ideas that have not been implemented before;
• usually have a small start-up capital, because startups are often closely associated with the search for investors or crowdfunding platforms to raise funds;
• occupy an empty niche in the market, but at the start they have a “shaky” position;
• As a rule, startups are the prerogative of students.

As you now understand, not every business idea can be called a startup, even if it is implemented by a novice entrepreneur.

Theory is theory, but it's time to move on to an overview of the most interesting startup ideas from all over the world.

Interesting startups from around the world

The selection is opened, of course, by American startups. It is this country that is the world leader in the regeneration of new interesting ideas for business.

A huge number of people want to study, live and work in the USA, which is why this power has a huge number of experts in various industries and services.

In addition, the state strongly supports representatives of small and medium-sized businesses.

Fertile ground for the development of startups!

Let's consider the most interesting of them.

— Pocket Anatomy

This startup took the top prize at international conference technological innovations in 2014 (TNW Europe 2014).

According to the creators themselves, the company has developed "Google Earth" of human entrails.

This interesting program is a visual aid to human anatomy.

The interactive map is presented as an application for smartphones.

It is designed to help humanity visually know their own body.

A startup, of course, is not only entertaining, but also educational!

Another participant of the mentioned conference is the Iwaku smart lamp.

Appliances in a stylish case will become best friend people who love interesting things.

In its modest shell size, a whole set of functions is hidden:

• knows how to arrange light therapy;
• wakes up the owner with the help of a glow, taking into account the biorhythms;
• able to "find a common language" with your iPhone.

This interesting lamp is quite expensive - about 10,000 rubles.

But the creators of the startup promised to release a more accessible product in the future.

Startups from Estonia

Are you not familiar with examples of thriving businesses that have emerged in Estonia? Wrong!

It was here that the world-famous startup appeared - the program for video calls "Skype".

Based on the opinions of experts, Estonia is one of the leading countries among creating interesting start-ups.

Some even call her modern analogue Silicon Valley.

This development received its prize in 2015 as the most interesting startup created thanks to the joint efforts of American and Estonian developers.

For an uninitiated person, the essence of the service may be incomprehensible.

Rainer Sternfeld and his team have created a service that brings climate data together.

It should be understood that the background of "Planet.OS" is not entertaining. Rather, the resource is aimed at those whose activities are related to meteorology, transport communications (including water), the creation of various databases.

An example of the work of "Planet OS" on the analysis of the position of the ship:

Startups from Italy

Italy is also developing interesting start-ups in various fields.

Moreover, in this country, which does not rank first in the rankings of technological and economic development, an interesting law has been adopted since 2012. It says that anyone who wants to develop their startup for the benefit of Italy will receive a visa under a simplified procedure and especially favorable conditions for doing business.

As you understand, there were a lot of applicants (if you are also interested, look for information about a startup visa on the official website http://italiastartupvisa.mise.gov.it/).

What interesting start-ups can the country "boast" of?

This app is designed by Max Ciocciola. His job is to translate the text to the phone screen while the song is playing.

Simple and tasteful!

More than 31 million people already use this unique program.

The database contains 8 million texts with support for 40 different languages. Thanks to this project, the founder received a proposal for cooperation from various venture funds.

For detailed information, you can follow the link https://www.musixmatch.com/.

If you like to travel, you are definitely familiar with a service like Tripadvisor.

It contains information about all the main attractions of the world with detailed comments and user reviews.

In 2015, the developers of the resource introduced the startup "Thefork" to the world.

This development contains data on all restaurants in Italy.

If there is a question about choosing a place for an evening dinner, use the site https://www.thefork.com/.

It is enough to indicate the city, the number of people, preferences in cuisine, and you will open all the establishments where you will definitely like it!

The purpose of this project is to coordinate and optimize the company's workflow.

This interesting start-up received exorbitant investments from American investors (22 million dollars - a record for the last 15 years).

To learn more about this development, please visit http://www.decisyon.com/

Startups from France

The French government decided to follow the same path as in Italy. This power plans to get interesting startups thanks to competitions for, in the arsenal of which there are brilliant ideas.

The French Tech Ticket program is aimed not only at "locals", but also residents of other countries (including Russia).

Anyone who has an idea for an interesting startup can apply to participate in the competition.

You can learn more about this on the official website by clicking on the link http://www.frenchtechticket.com/.

If selected, a person receives the following privileges:

• invitation to the country;
• participation in specialized master classes;
• assistance in solving “urgent” issues (obtaining a residence permit, obtaining insurance, finding housing);
• a place in an incubator (organizations that support young entrepreneurs);
• financial assistance - 45,000 euros for the development of a startup.

These actions of the power confirm the interest of France in development and the desire to attract highly qualified workers to its territory in order to continue creating interesting start-ups.

A well-known Italian company, in partnership with Uber, developed this startup to find satellites for the duration of the trip (more precisely, to “bring together” car owners and potential passengers).

Using the service is a convenient and profitable alternative to traveling by taxi, bus, or train.

In 2014, this idea has already received 100 million dollars of investment for development.

The project is presented in a number of countries and is developing rapidly.

You can also evaluate the work of BlaBlaCar in Russia at this link: https://www.blablacar.ru/.

This startup helped to solve not the most serious, nevertheless, urgent problem.

It enables a circle of users to form a common cash register. Everyone contributes using this interesting application.

What is it for?

To purchase a gift "from the whole team"!

Everyone who has ever collected money with colleagues for a present to the boss, or “thrown off” the whole family for a purchase for the hero of the day, knows that organizing such a process is quite difficult.

Probably, such a problem really found a great response in the hearts of investors. After all, the startup received almost 8 million dollars for development.

Startups come from Germany

Berlin is one of the emerging capitals that generates interesting start-ups for the whole world.

Thanks to this, according to experts, by 2020 more than 110 thousand new jobs and several dozen more incubators will open in the capital.

Among the many projects, we will highlight the most interesting startups.

— dreamcheaper

This project has become a "new breath" in the field of hotel reservations while traveling.

Thanks to the service, it became possible to buy tickets at a budget price and find a hotel in a convenient place.

Here, experienced travelers may have a question: why this service better than ten similar? What is startup innovation?

The fact is that after you book a room, the process does not end.

Using internal algorithms, the service calculates the most profitable options for you up to the day of arrival at the hotel.

The program cancels the reservation on your behalf and changes it to a more optimal one automatically!

The creators suggest that their interesting startup will soon become the most hated resource for hotel owners.

This interesting startup has long been noticed by interior designers who actively use the service in their work.

This project allows you to purchase furniture or various decorative elements from all over the world.

If you think there is nothing innovative or interesting about this idea, then you have never created a room design on your own.

Among the places where the most interesting startups have been presented in recent years, London “owns the bronze”.

There are several reasons for this: the simplest system for registering entrepreneurs, an abundance of incubators and co-working spaces, many talented employees, and affordable taxation.

Consider the most interesting ideas that were "born" in such conditions.

This interesting start-up aims to identify a song just by its small excerpt.

This project was launched back in 1999.

The amount of investment attracted by the resource is simply amazing - 125 million dollars. And the value at which Shazam was estimated in 2015 is completely staggering - $ 1 billion!

To date, the service base is more than 12 million songs, and you can check the work at the link: https://www.shazam.com/en.

— Judo Payments

An interesting startup that resembles a mini-bank.

He is able to resolve payment issues and make transfers from card to card.

Such ideas help to simplify the life of mankind, which is why they develop and are popular. The amount of attracted investments is 14.3 million dollars.

More details can be found at https://www.judopay.com/

Interesting startups involving several countries

The Belgian-Dutch cooperation has borne fruit in the development of an application that can recognize the signature on the phone screen.

Such an interesting idea allows you to authorize payments without any problems.

It is believed that such a startup and others like it are capable of replacing the already existing security system using a pin code in the near future.

— Winner Takes All

This is the only crowd lottery on the planet.

The principle of operation is very simple: each participant buys a ticket, forming a common "bank". The program itself determines the winner weekly using random algorithms. The entire amount from the “general cash desk” is sent to him.

This idea attracted not only investors, but also users: with its transparency, simplicity and unpretentiousness.

You can try your luck here: http://www.crowdlottery.com/.

Having studied what interesting startups there are in the world, let's move on to considering projects in Russia.

In Russia, too, there are a lot of interesting ideas that are already serving the benefit of society.

The implementation of startups in the current realities of the Russian Federation is not an easy task. However, some interesting designs managed to stand out.

— Dr. Tariff

This interesting development for smartphones can calculate the available tariff plans for the phone with a single click.

A clear analysis of available tariffs is the main pride of startup developers. But this is not the limit of the application.

It is capable of giving detailed information about calls, sms and remaining traffic for using the Internet.

And for users who are not particularly versed in mathematical calculations, the program displays a color chart that shows the same indicators.

The application was created by Alexander Voloshchuk, faced with a problem known to everyone: the account is zero, and it is not clear where the funds went.

Relevance made the idea, which appeared in 2012, in demand and profitable.

Investors have invested several million rubles in it. At the end of 2014, the service paid off.

Now the average revenue per month can reach up to 1 million rubles.

You can find out more on the official website: http://drtariff.com/.

— Elpas

The creator (Maxim Serebrov) has developed a system of electronic passports, with the help of which all employees of the housing and communal services can report to the state and clarify contentious issues from the workflow.

Prior to this project, at the end of the month, housing and communal services simply “drowned” in the mountains of paper reporting.

It took a lot of time to consider. And where there is a need, business is born there!

Elpas has greatly facilitated the work of municipalities.

The work of this project can be viewed at http://elpass.ru/

The video contains the top 10 startups that were invented and implemented by students:

Interesting startups, of course, do not end there.

But it is simply impossible to list all noteworthy ideas within one review!

Remember, everyone is capable of making money from their ideas.

The main thing is to analyze the market and determine the current problems of the audience, and then follow your dream.

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Ideas for startups: the "freshest" ideas from all over the world - 3 keys to success + TOP-5 ideas from around the world + 3 startup ideas from Russian developers.

Why startup ideas get all great popularity in the business sphere and bring the owners whole capital?

First of all, because they offer completely new, innovative solutions for actual problems of people.

Therefore, it is quite logical that in search of inspiration to create own startup do not rush "deep into history".

Follow the trends, fashion trends, what is actually in demand now.

This article will help you with this, which has brought together the main business trends and forecasts regarding future discoveries in the entrepreneurial “art” market.

What is a startup?

Before talking about startup ideas, it is worth defining what is generally meant.

Most have only a general idea of ​​startups. Therefore, someone believes that this is how they call new resources on the Internet, others - that this is a business created by young people with no experience.

There is some truth in this. However, the concept itself is broader.

Startup is a business idea that is based solely on the use of innovative technologies or the introduction of completely new products.

That is, the composition of the team and the format of the company does not matter (often startups begin to develop without being officially registered).

The main thing is for the team to help solve some problem of humanity by offering something unique.

Also hallmarks startups are:

• limited money to start;
• starting work from scratch;
• most often, partners in a startup were previously connected by some kind of relationship (worked together, studied).

And although the world learns about such companies even at its first steps, when the market position is not yet strong, only those companies that have already manufactured a product can be called startups.

An operating time or a “raw” project is only the basis for creation, but not the startup itself.

What is the key to the success of a startup idea?

If we analyze the ideas behind the startup that have been especially successful, we can identify several common features.

Conventionally, they can be called "secrets of success."

Factors that determine the success of a startup idea:

What exactly do you think about the idea that became a startup?

Do you think that it can bring a lot of money?

Or do you really “burn” and are sure that this business will be useful to people and become innovative?

Only in the second case, the startup really has a chance of success.

If you do not have a sincere interest, you can quickly "burn out."

Moreover, startups rarely bring instant profit.

A lot depends on the team.

Obviously, a team of like-minded people working on the same wavelength can do more than one person.

Don't try to put everything on your own shoulders.

You should not calculate how many people will have to share the profit, but take care of the perfect quality of every detail.

Youth is a plus.

Let this statement sound like a discredit.

But the fact remains that investors are more focused on investing in the young and ambitious.

Let people with experience go about their business - run large organizations and share knowledge with others.

For those who no longer consider themselves a "young man", but are on fire, let's clarify: success in business has no age restrictions.

Doubt? Look at this picture:

TOP-5: global startup ideas

As a rule, startups are concentrated in the field of IT technologies. We decided to create a selection of ideas that ordinary people created and brought to life.

Such a step is intended to inspire you to implement your own ideas, even if you do not have special education or many years of work experience.

1. Green idea: special shampoo

"Nephentes" looks like an enema or something.

In fact, this startup idea can significantly affect the preservation of the environment.

Few people think, but ordinary plastic bottles from under the "" are harmful to environment product. The period of decomposition of one bottle can be hundreds of years!

And remember how much you use them during your life?

According to the idea of ​​this startup, manufacturers make products in huge containers, pouring the right portions into buyers' Nephentes bottles.

It is curious that the design does not even involve the use of a cover! The neck is simply bent and inserted into the compartment.

Another plus: you can finally use the product at 100%, including what usually remains at the bottom.

2. Indian startup idea

If you think that in India they can only dance and make films, then you will be surprised - not so few ideas for startups have been created in this country.

Interestingly, there is even a kind of analogue of the American Silicon Valley.

In addition, India is really interested in the issue huge amount garbage on the streets. Innovative ideas appear regularly.

For example, an edible spoon is a great alternative to plastic utensils. After a meal, it can be eaten as a dessert or, of course, just thrown away.

Obviously, such a “material” as flour decomposes as quickly as possible and is absolutely harmless to nature.

The creators also assure that the product can be safely eaten by vegetarians. And in the future, even the development of a gluten-free version is planned.

3. An idea for junk food lovers

Which of us is not familiar with such a misfortune: you carefully take chips or something else greasy, and your fingers get dirty so that you have to go wash them.

And you need to be extremely careful not to hook or stain anything!

A startup has appeared in Italy, the idea of ​​​​which is to create fingertips. They are very thin, but at the same time the latex tightly fits the fingers.

Thanks to this, consumers can safely feast on goodies, and then simply throw away the “nozzles”.

It is assumed that these devices will not be sold on their own, but complete with chips, nuts or similar food, for which they were invented.

4. Startup: "folding" napkins

But the idea of ​​this startup is already designed for higher cuisine - that is, for restaurants. It appeared as a reaction to the fact that ordinary napkin holders are already becoming obsolete.

But napkins pressed into a small round “washer” are another matter. To use such a thing, visitors must dip the "pill" into an antiseptic solution.

And then the fabric unfolds, acquires a pleasant smell, and even becomes a “killing tool” for harmful microbes on your hands.

You should not immediately estimate the increased costs for the owners: these towels are not disposable. So the idea of ​​a startup will not harm either the wallet or the environment.

5. Startup idea with social value

Often, startups are called upon to solve global problems and not just improve the already comfortable life of consumers.

For example, in Denmark, a special supermarket was created - "WeFood". Its concept is that they sell goods here that cannot be put on the shelves of "decent" ones.

Mislabeling, torn packaging, an approaching expiration date or a delay in general - all these are usually reasons for writing off, returning or even recycling goods.

Meanwhile, even in Denmark there are many people who have to save on everything.

The idea of ​​the supermarket has not only helped low-income people to eat more nutritious food. There was also a 25% reduction in wasted food across the country!

Here is such a useful and, oddly enough, profitable startup.

And what about Russia: 3 domestic ideas for startups

Although the words “economic decline conditions” have already become classic texts for the realities of Russian entrepreneurship, everything is not so bad in the field of start-ups.

The “buy-sell” orientation is gradually giving way to an innovative approach.

The original solutions still do not have such a powerful state support like in other countries.

However, their number is increasing, and investors are ready to invest their money. This is especially evident in the variety of ideas for a startup in 2016.

1) A startup you've definitely heard of

Have you seen the original photo manipulation on Instagram that turns an ordinary frame into an artistic canvas? Most likely, you already know what we are talking about.

For the rest, let's clarify - the Prisma application is a service that allows you to process user photos in an original way.

For many, it will come as a surprise that it was Russian programmers who developed Prism. Moreover, its creator former employee well-known mail.ru.

The peculiarity of the program is that it does not just impose some filters on top of the card.

Thanks to the use of neural network algorithms (of which you may also have heard a lot), Prism analyzes the frame and then creates it from scratch. But already in the form of a picture.

The fact that almost everyone knows about this application now is already an indicator of success. It remains to be added that the Facebook administration banned the use of the program on its network only because it considered it competitive.

2) Idea for a startup on cards

It is believed that various cumulative and discount cards are gradually fading away. At least because no one wants to carry around dozens of options without knowing which one they need.

The developers of the startup "Cardberry" came up with the idea to create a device that can accommodate all kinds of cards.

We will not go into technical details. The bottom line is that any user cards are, as it were, entered into the memory of this electronic device.

Every time a person needs a certain card, he enters a special application and selects it.

"Cardberry" adapts to the choice and becomes a full-fledged replacement for the desired card.

For your attention, we offer a cool video

about the 10 most successful startups in the world:

3) Startup idea for a comfortable life

Perhaps you are not familiar with the SVET company yet, but you have every chance to hear about them.

As the name implies, the team offers lighting equipment. What is the innovativeness of this idea for a startup?

The fact is that the bulbs of this company are designed to simulate ordinary natural lighting.

Moreover, the device settings can be adjusted (for example, in accordance with the time of day or night).

This startup idea is not only original and adds more comfort to everyday life. But it also has a beneficial effect on human health.

Minus the idea, perhaps, only one: on this moment one device is estimated at $70. The amount is too significant for the Russians. However, the startup is in demand abroad.

collected above startup ideas only emphasize: anyone can create a business based on an innovative idea. The field of startups is not limited to the field of IT technologies.

The main thing is that you bring something new and useful to the world.

And if the idea is worthwhile, and the implementation is diligent, it can make you rich, no matter how trite it may sound.

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The main question of the economic actions of people is: “What would be done so that after that nothing would be done?” But, alas, while this is unattainable, one has to constantly look for means of subsistence. For some people, a regular workplace is not enough, and they want to try themselves in a new role. Well, now it is quite possible. Within the framework of the article, the possibilities and features of practical implementation will be considered if you want to implement such a thing as an idea for a startup from scratch.

Expanse of ideas

It is worth noting that the choice of implementation is present, and it is huge. You can make a choice based on your desires or skills, if you have ideas about own business(for those who cannot invest a lot of money, and at first would like to get by with a minimum). There is an opportunity to realize oneself, based on knowledge about computers, programming languages, in designing, manufacturing goods and products for rural purposes, as well as making various useful little things in everyday life. Within the framework of the article, an approach to the design of each idea will be considered, as well as several proposals in in general terms, the features of the implementation of which will depend on the readers and their approach. It should be said that recently startup ideas without investments have become quite popular, but this is a kind of overkill: at least you have to spend your time - never forget about it.

How to frame ideas

How to formulate an idea and its implementation? To create a rough business plan, you can go through the points below.

1. Set a goal for your startup to achieve.
2. Decide on a set of secondary goals and when to achieve them.
3. Write the most detailed plan for achieving all the goals in such a way that they add up to a real mosaic, where everything is in place and there are no contradictions.
4. Decide on a daily minimum of work. But don't take too little, otherwise you won't be able to do anything. And do not set the bar too high, otherwise constant failure will only undermine self-confidence.
5. If you want to work for yourself, understand what you have to do work. The first time will be very difficult, so you should think about possible vacation, entertainment and self-discipline.
6. Each idea must be worked out in terms of supply and implementation of the product. Who is the potential client? Who can buy raw materials? Where will the production processes take place? Is it possible to find partners? What are the questions that need to be addressed first?

Examples of successful ideas

Let's take a look at a few ideas that have had significant success in the past. But trying to echo them now is quite problematic due to the fact that the niches are occupied. These were indeed the ideas of successful startups. Let their example inspire you to search for things that have not yet been invented.

1. Social media. The pioneers who offered people the opportunity to communicate and additional functionality can now boast of the fact that tens and hundreds of millions of people visit their sites every day. But at the moment this niche is occupied, including even thematic one.
2. Sale of branded clothing. It used to be a pretty good way to earn money, but after the market was flooded with cheap goods from China, the prospects are very vague. The only way out is an official implementation of something based on a popular brand.
3. Search engines. The late 1990s and early 2000s were hotbeds of search engines, which have now grown to enormous proportions. But now attempts to create more advanced technologies from scratch are not crowned with success due to the complexity of the task.
4. Services for travelers. Once they really promised But now, when the market has been captured by several large players, it is very difficult to offer something worthwhile.

Opportunities with minimal investment

In order to have more or less real offers that could potentially bring profit, several opportunities were selected that can only be called interesting startup ideas. Their estimated cost does not exceed 50 thousand rubles.

1. Earnings in photobanks. If there is a good digital camera, the ability to make beautiful pictures and the desire to earn money, you can try to earn money by selling them. To begin with, you should shoot everything that gets into the camera. And then, when you have already figured out what is popular, take pictures of the most popular and expensive. With a camera already in place, this is the most real idea for a startup from scratch.
2. Resale of goods. Quite often you can see offers for the sale of goods from China. Have you ever looked for original sites where all this is purchased? Well, if you find it, you can be surprised to see that the price on the trading floors or in groups social networks overstated several times. For a good start, a capital of 20-30 thousand rubles and a month of active promotion will be enough. By the way, use social factor- not so much bad idea. Therefore, while you don’t have your own website, you can get by with a group in one of the popular networks like VKontakte or Odnoklassniki.
3. There are some types of small businesses that are seasonal. And making cotton candy is one of them. Such a startup idea does not require significant investments and allows you to get good money. IN warm time you can earn so much in a year that is enough for quiet idleness in the cold or for doing what you are interested in.

Self realization at home

The previous paragraph dealt with the possibilities minimum investment in the presence of a fairly significant active component. And if you don’t feel like it, and it’s preferable to organize everything at home, what are the ideas for startups from scratch? Then here is the list for you:

1. Growing greens. So, alas, it turned out that in the state there is a certain production proper. And food is no exception. It should be said that this is more suitable for those who live in a private house and have free land. You can grow onions, parsley, dill and other plants that grow quickly and can produce results a dozen or more times a year. Generally this proposal can be written into startup ideas from scratch, because it allows you to analyze the market yourself and make a choice in the most profitable direction, and you can find a minimum for starting in any rural house.
2. Ceramic floristry. This one is more suitable for girls, but there are no gender restrictions. The meaning of ceramic floristry lies in the manufacture of flowers from ... clay! This occupation requires good command of the hands, however, if you have talent, it can become something promising. You can also color the flowers in addition.
3. Soap making. How wonderful to use homemade soap! And on the desire of some people to wash, they can make good money if you approach it wisely. There are a lot of options here, and there is a field for experiments: ash soap, with real chamomile (or their decoction). In general - that only the soul will come up with. And this option may serve in the future to generate new related ideas for start-ups from scratch in the field of human hygiene.

Features in the Russian Federation

If you want to do your own thing, it is worth deciding whether you are ready to overcome significant difficulties? The fact is that upon opening it is required to pay 22 thousand rubles, which, however, in the future will be taken into account in the tax paid. But the start is not the most problematic. The main trouble is the process of closing your business. This is the most problematic aspect that a startup in Russia has. Ideas, therefore, should be well prepared and be ready to implement them through "I don't want to." I also bring to your attention short descriptions situations and needs in the country, which may be able to encourage the development of their own original business.

Implementation in the field of information technology

There is a real shortage of personnel here. IT start-up ideas at home allow you to organize an enterprise that can grow into a large corporation in the future. Therefore, if you have programming skills, and preferably programmer friends, you can organize an enterprise operating on a contract basis. That is, an agreement will be drawn up with some enterprise for the performance of a certain range of work, after which payment will be transferred to the company. These are not all startup ideas. Programming provides a wide range of its own implementation, and where to find a place here is not a problem.

Implementation in alternative energy

It is problematic to increase the rather low efficiency. Yes, in solar panels it is a little over 40%. Therefore, if you have the knowledge and skills, you can try to build your future on sales of improved alternative energy kits.

Implementation in agriculture

As mentioned earlier in the article, our country is experiencing a certain shortage of food products. Therefore, having a small garden plot, you can count on earning money by growing herbs, vegetables and berries. How can I not mention the situation that the residents Russian Federation are entitled to free land plot in Siberia and Far East. The calculation is as follows: 1 hectare per family member. Given the cost of food in these areas and the minimum required for living, this offer looks very attractive.

Implementation in production

You can try yourself as the head of a company that deals with secondary production processes. For example, the collection and processing of waste suitable for this. Quite actively discuss the possibility of recycling rubber (usually from car covers) into crumbs for later use. In general, this direction is quite promising and underdeveloped.

Various little things

If you do not want to leave your comfortable zone, you can start making various aesthetic trifles, which will subsequently be sold through social network groups or special shops. Knitted clothes, gloves, bracelets, figurines and other things can be objects of work.

Tips and instructions about how - a lot. However, new entrepreneurs continue to make mistakes. But you don't have to learn the hard way.

Yulia Frolova, founder of the public "Free startup", talked to experienced founders about how not to do it.

How not to do it:

1. Coming up with an idea in a vacuum

You cannot run a random combination generator in your head (or delegate this task) and churn out merciless creatives. This is a dead end path.

The most stupid and pointless thing to do is to come up with an idea for a startup.

Went through this myself.

From such “inventions” ideas came to the final: food for British cats with delivery and trainings for entrepreneurs. Nothing good came of this process.

The idea should be in your head by itself, it must, without jokes, burn so that the fuse is enough for a year or two of failures, when nothing will work out.

In order to capture the real need of other people, it is a lucky coincidence to experience such a need yourself.

The idea of ​​my project was born thanks to personal experience. A few years ago, I ran into the problem of finding a tutor to study Chinese, which could adapt to my busy schedule and give the knowledge to the extent that I needed.

I spent all day searching language schools and tutors of the required level of training, coordinating with them the time and conditions of cooperation, but never achieved anything.

Then the idea came up to create your own service, which would become a universal platform for teachers and students who need each other.

Therefore, I can say for sure that a startup idea based on your need is very likely to lead to success.

2. Don't think about the market

Under the idea there should be something more than a banal desire to earn money. It is necessary to think from the position of the market, without overestimating its scale and its own capabilities.

I advise you to start with the question of what can be changed for the better and how exactly people will realize their current need in 3-5 years.

Moreover, I would start thinking about the idea from the side of the market: choose a very large existing market (10+ billion dollars), where there has been no innovation for a long time and changes are ripe, then find your niche in it.

The most common mistake that startups make is an incorrect assessment of the market potential for a product or service that is created in a project.

For example, if we are talking about a new food product, soy vegan yogurt, a survey of 15 friends of the project leader who said “yes, this is cool stuff” is taken as evidence of the demand and commercial potential of the development.

But these respondents are not a representative sample either by age or by social position, nor by income, which means to understand the reaction of their reviews potential buyers supermarket is impossible.

A common mistake is the approach "now this market does not yet exist, but we will form it." If the market is really forming and it can be confirmed marketing research, then to become the first and "skim the cream" is quite real. But if there is no objective evidence for this, then form new market- an unbearable task for a small company due to the enormous intellectual and financial costs that this process requires.

With B2B projects, things are not so simple either. It is difficult for most startups to assess the real benefit that corporations will receive from the introduction of their development into production.

For example, innovative working mechanisms on some presses. “My project gives a gain of 5% of electricity - companies should line up for me,” the startup believes. In fact, the savings from the introduction of innovative development in the total cost of the product can be so small that it makes the implementation of the project practically unsustainable.

It is important to understand that business is not interested in introducing new developments simply because they are new, it is interested in introducing developments that give a tangible economic effect and give it quickly.

No need to create a toothbrush for molars.

We had a case where a team of IT specialists worked on a product for almost a year ... without asking potential customers if they need this product.

You must understand what kind of product it will be, whose needs it will be able to cover, who will pay for it, what the product can develop into in the long term.

Decide on a pricing policy, understand whether your audience is ready to pay the stated price for the product. Use prototyping and focus groups.

3. Blindly chasing trends

Where would you be now if you launched an elite school for catching rare Pokémon? Blindly transferring a trending and successful business model can lead to ridiculous mistakes.

Dmitry Zhuravlev, investor, founder of Prosto Group of Companies

There was such a project - Uber for doctors. For example, it seemed to me that the idea is very cool.

Why go far or call a doctor at home, if a doctor probably lives in your (or neighboring) house.

However, the startup failed because people don't trust strangers.

4. Can't explain an idea to your grandma

Everything ingenious is simple: the more difficult to understand the idea of ​​your startup, the less likely it is to be a resounding success. Not always, but most of the time it is.

Many young companies, if they have developed a complex project, try to at least simplify its description as much as possible.

It is desirable that the idea of ​​the project fit into one small sentence, or rather a short but capacious phrase.

5. Listen to the wrong people

Only the advice of specialists or people whose adequacy you are sure are of value.

In any case, pass all the tips through your filter.

Check the received data. Only then decide to take them into account or not.

Eduard Gurinovich, co-founder and director of new projects development CarPrice

It helps a lot to communicate with professionals from the market, who, as a rule, but very well understand the problems of the current market and consumption patterns.

It is worth turning to, which, on the contrary, are full of optimism and will help to find the strengths and weaknesses of the business model.

In general, adopting the experience of an entrepreneur is a necessary step in developing any idea. Here, my work at the Russian Economy Foundation (FRE) helped me a lot, where I became the winner of the first competition for young entrepreneurs.

We translated its text into Russian, slightly changing the style - that is, everything smart thoughts there from Lifshitz, and all the stupid jokes from us.

By the way, the fact that Yuri's text is posted on the new site Medium, in itself already shows how you can act when “everything has already been invented”: while the world is passionate about Twitterization and Instagramization, one of the creators of the same Twitter has made a convenient platform for those who still like to write and read long texts - and on people went to her.

How to find new ideas for starting a company

Coming up with business ideas is a skill. And you can develop the habit of seeing opportunities to start new projects in everything that surrounds you.

Many serial entrepreneurs have a dedicated notebook for exciting new ideas. You can get one for yourself too.

Actions:

• Choose tools to search for ideas.
• Generate some ideas with them.
• PROFIT

1. Live in the future

Be on the cutting edge of the MacBook Air. Use something that didn't exist yesterday. Read about new inventions. Think of products for the next generation.

The future belongs to wearable gadgets, self-driving cars, DNA testing and atom-thick materials. What products and services should emerge around such things?

Think about change by completing the sentence “If you are in the future…” such as “if you are in the future, all cars are electric” or “if you are in the future, no one uses cash.” And then create a company with which it will come true.

2. Become an expert at something

There are areas where you can't get from the street. Customs, prisons, medicine, defense industry, nuclear power, construction of bridges. Usually, a company in such areas is created only after many years of experience in foreign companies. Become such an insider - and open your way to a large market with a high entry threshold.

Michael Bloomberg worked in IT investment bank Salomon Brothers. In 1981, he was fired and received $10 million in compensation. With this money, he created Bloomberg L.P., a company that provides financial information to organizations interested in it. Now the company is the market leader, Bloomberg is the mayor of New York, Bloomberg's fortune is on the 13th line of Forbes.

Become a master of some powerful tool. Learn how to make mobile applications, online stores or use big data. Then meet with a bunch of different people, ask about their problems and see if you can help them.

Be very cool in two different things at once. Medicine and sales, IT and government contracts, culinary and retail. At their intersections there are a bunch of unique opportunities.

3. Solve your own problems

Find the problem that is preventing you from living. Pay attention when you cannot find a ready-made solution for something. And problems arise when something changes in your life. Become a parent - you will see so many new opportunities, it will not seem enough.

The same is true in the B2B sector. You have one company, and it cannot solve some of its problems. A second company is created to solve such problems, and then this second company suddenly becomes larger than the first.

Patrick Collison founded the Stripe payment system, tired of connecting other people's inconvenient payment systems to his previous projects. Flickr came about when an online game needed a convenient way to store custom images, and the game itself was shut down.

4. Look for pain points

See where people waste time and money, work inefficiently, suffer, lose everything and generally look like in a Munch painting. And then go out in all white and fix it with your project. Know as much as you can about hunger, poverty, epidemics, unemployment, crime, traffic jams, pollution and corruption. Make friends with those who have been working on these problems for years.

5. Improve the existing

Look for things that make people hate. Finding rental housing, parking, obtaining visas, moving, visiting doctors. Find a better way to solve these problems.

Use modern technologies to rethink the way we do everything. How should workers carry out their duties in the age of smartphones? How should hospitals operate in the digital age?

Monopoly leaders have almost no incentive to develop. It is very difficult to challenge such people, but sometimes it works. Virgin Atlantic started out as an attempt to provide better service than British Airways.

6. Link cheap resources to rich buyers

Buy low, sell high. This simple formula has been around for centuries, and now it's even easier to connect the product and the buyer from different parts of the world. China has a lot of cheap manufacturing facilities. Developing countries have cheap labor. Somewhere there are abandoned factories that can be rented for a penny. And somewhere in the other hemisphere, people have a lot of money and unmet needs. For example, freelance job boards like Odesk and 99Designs connect workers from developing countries with successful companies.

7. Copy and improve

Most ideas are derivatives. Many successful companies started out as clones. See what you can add to successful ideas. New distribution channels, best service, improved quality?

In small businesses, trendy themes are constantly emerging. Today, co-working spaces and bubble tea are popular, tomorrow everyone is talking about private kindergartens, and the day after tomorrow a wave of SMM agencies will come. These waves move around the world with a significant delay, and you can have time to be inspired by a new one. It's more reliable than anything unknown and more fun than buying a franchise.

In the US, each college has its own merchandise - sweatshirts, t-shirts and caps. In Russia, this was not accepted. One student decided to change this, founded UniFashion, and now students in his products can be found in any hostel.

8. Travel

Understand successful business from the other side of the planet. Every industry has its own centers of innovation. Fashion business ideas come from Paris and Guangzhou, software business ideas come from the Valley, financial business ideas come from New York and London.

In the early 80s, Howard Schultz worked at Starbucks. At that time, the company only sold bean coffee, not offering any drinks in its stores. Going shopping in Milan, Schultz saw coffee shops on almost every street. He found that they not only drank great espresso, but also met people: coffee houses were public places playing important role in public life in Italy, and there were 200,000 of them in the country. Upon returning, Schultz tried to convince the owners of the company to do the same. When gently dismissed, he quit Starbucks and opened his own chain of coffee shops. A few years later he was so successful that he bought Starbucks himself and made it a world-class phenomenon.

9. Make decisions for newly opened markets

New products from big companies create many attractive opportunities. If you react quickly, you can become part of this market.

Venture capitalists understand this. Therefore, they create special investment funds for Facebook applications, Google-glass applications, bitcoin services. When big changes come, entrepreneurs and investors try to ride that wave.

The same works for small local establishments. Follow large construction projects like metro stations and airports, the process of gentrification.

In 1975, MITS released the first commercially successful home computer, the Altair 8800. A Harvard student decided that selling software could become a business for him. He and some friends wrote a BASIC interpreter for the Altair 8800 and started selling it in partnership with MITS. That student was Albert Einstein Bill Gates.

10. Improve a useless product

Do anything on your knee in a couple of days. Ask your friends what needs to be changed so that they start using it. Refresh. Ask again. Repeat until you have a service for millions. Everyone knows the fairy tale about porridge from an ax, right?

11. Hang out with smart people

Entrepreneurs usually value their own ideas, and consider other people's ideas as secondary. Don't let self-love stand between you and a great opportunity.

Elon Musk once pitched the idea for an installation and maintenance company solar panels to his cousins ​​Lyndon and Peter Rive. Today, their SolarCity is valued at billions of dollars.

Bad Ideas

And here are popular ways of coming up with ideas that very often lead to failures:

• Analogy. Every second person does X for Y, like Hermitage for digital art, Instagram for video, or Excel for hipsters. Sounds impressive, but most of the time it doesn't work. Most likely, your market has its own specifics and a solution from someone else's market will not work. And if it does, then the source of your inspiration can come and trample you. Who needs multiple "Instagrams for videos" now that Instagram itself has a video?
• "Product Vision". Many entrepreneurs start by presenting their New Product with all the details and nuances. But it is not difficult to invent anything, and usually what is invented has nothing to do with the real needs of the market. Majority good ideas starts with the client.

Every idea has its flaws.

Even your best ideas will have flaws. Find and recognize them. The idea can be implemented if you find a way to effectively deal with shortcomings.

Don't discard ideas that include a lot hard and unpleasant work. If you can handle it, then you will find yourself in a market with low competition and will be more reliably protected from young punks.

Availability successful competitors rather a plus than a minus: it demonstrates the presence of demand. If you have a clear difference from them and evidence that this difference can attract enough customers, you can even enter highly competitive markets.

Sometimes successful business starts from a very small market. This can work if a few users are just praying for you, and there is a clear strategy for how to survive from a narrow niche to entering a wide market.

Ideas are born in the process of communication. Discuss with everyone around trends, markets and your available ideas. New guesses are guaranteed.

Ideas are born through empathy. Know someone else's pain, and you can come up with new solutions.

Ideas are born out of curiosity. How should everything work? What will the future look like?

Ideas come from the subconscious. Write down the scope of your activity and the requirements for the idea. Then just do other things. A few days later, the idea will appear effortlessly.