Business Idea
Do you want to start your own business but don’t yet have the right business proposition? We’ll show you how to find it.
What is a business proposition?
The business proposition describes the solution your company offers and the problem it solves. That’s because to sell your product or service successfully, there must be demand for it.
Real-life examples from our consultations:
Online shop with products from Asia
The company owner has strong roots in Asia and noticed that many popular products were not available in Switzerland. She identified the problem and created an online shop with these products in Switzerland as the solution.
Nutritional advice
This founder was employed and had been studying the subject of nutrition in depth in his free time out of personal interest. It got to the point where his co-workers began asking him for advice. He realised he was meeting a need and turned it into a business. He now offers his services as an independent nutritional advisor.
When they are searching for a business proposition, however, many founders often find themselves at a loss – either because they don’t have one yet, because they are hung up on one idea or because they think that their proposition has to fulfil an entirely new concept. We can put your mind at rest, especially about the last point. A business proposition doesn’t always have to be entirely new or innovative for it to work. But what it does need is motivation, good planning and time.
It is often the case that you only have a vague idea that has not yet taken shape. You may also have an idea, but discard it, and a new one comes along in its place. This is normal and no reason to throw in the towel. The good news is that there are several ways to find the right business proposition.
Template: Generate business ideas
The template is great for generating many ideas in a short time.
Download your template now
This is how you go about brainstorming the right idea
We will show you in this section which methods can help you find your business proposition. Please note that not all of these methods will help you achieve your personal goal. But what’s important is not to put any pressure on yourself and to discover the method that suits you best. Play the role of a researcher and join us on the hunt for business propositions.
Self-reflection
Your business proposition has to be the right one for you. Sometimes it helps to take a look at yourself. You should then take a step back and ask yourself the following questions:
- What am I good at?
- What do I find interesting?
- Why do I want to start my own business?
Explore trends and competition
Investigate what is currently popular, in demand or trendy. Try to answer the following questions when researching current trends:
- What is it that makes this concept/company so successful?
- Why does the concept work?
- Is there something I could adapt or maybe do better?
It is important to understand that trends are constantly evolving, changing and adapting to the needs of the customers. The zukunftsinstitut.de platform has a very good and accurate explanation of the trends (in all areas of life) that we will encounter in the next few years. It’s worth taking a look at it.
Shine a light on your daily life
The objective here is to identify a potential “pain point” – and then to try to solve it as well. An example: You want to eat more healthily, but you don't have time to cook. That’s a problem you’ve identified in your personal daily life. Solution: You start a company that specialises in healthy meals with home delivery. Start searching and looking at the problems you encounter regularly in your daily life. Ask yourself why these problems exist and how inconvenient they are on a daily basis. Based on this, you can then start thinking about how you can solve this problem with your own company.
Talk with friends and family
Just talk with friends or family about their challenges. This will help you gather new insights and ideas, or gain perspectives that you may not have thought about before. To stop you from losing the new ideas straight away, it’s worthwhile creating a mind map or carrying a small notebook with you.
Googling
Taking a look at existing business models can also help. Look closely at which ones relate to what you’re interested in. This will help you work out who their target customers are, what ranges of products or services they offer and how they deliver them. You may find some areas of overlap with your own. But that doesn’t matter. Because you don’t always have to reinvent the wheel.
Template: What problem are you solving?
A clearly defined problem that you want to solve will help you in the further process. Our template will help you with this.
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