If you’re an aspiring founder hoping to build an app, online platform, or other tech startup, the hardest part can be knowing where to start. Coming up with the right business idea isn’t about sudden flashes of genius. More often, it’s a repeatable process that involves observing, listening and testing. Here’s a straightforward way to do it, based on what actually works for early‑stage founders in Australia, the UK, and beyond.
1. Start with problems you actually face
Some of the best tech businesses began when the founders got tired of dealing with the same annoyance every day. Maybe you’ve noticed a tedious manual process at work, a poor online shopping experience or a missing feature in a tool you use.
Instead of brainstorming ideas in the abstract, write down problems you’ve experienced firsthand. These could be things that slow you down, cost you money or frustrate you. When the problem matters to you, it’s far easier to stick with building the solution.
2. Watch how other people live and work
It helps to look beyond your own day‑to‑day, too. Chat with friends, colleagues or people in online communities to learn what bothers them. You don’t need a formal survey; even informal conversations often reveal surprising gaps in the market.
Pay attention to complaints on X(Twitter), product reviews, or Reddit threads. When people vent about clunky apps, outdated systems or missing features, those are often real business opportunities waiting to be explored.
3. Look for new tech and trends you can leverage
In tech, timing matters almost as much as the idea itself. It’s not just about having a clever concept; it’s about spotting when the landscape is shifting and moving quickly to take advantage.
For example, keep an eye on new APIs released by big platforms like Stripe, Google or OpenAI. These often make it dramatically easier (and cheaper) to build powerful features that used to require entire teams. A founder who notices and integrates them early can stand out fast.
Similarly, look at emerging AI tools that let even small startups build smarter products, like AI-powered chat, image generation, or workflow automation. What felt impossible five years ago might now be a weekend prototype.
Changes in payment systems can also create new opportunities. For instance, open banking in the UK allows startups to build apps that securely access customers’ financial data (with permission), enabling budgeting tools, instant payments, and more. In Australia, the Consumer Data Right is doing something similar.
4. Check how people are solving it today
Once you spot a problem worth solving, look at what solutions already exist. You don’t need to be the only player; in fact, some competition can prove there’s demand. To get started, you might look at guides like 10 Competition Research Tips for New Startup Ideas, which explain how to map out direct and indirect competitors and what you can learn from them.
Ask yourself: Are current tools too expensive or are there unmet needs they overlook? Do they ignore a segment of the market, like small businesses or non‑technical users? Tools like those listed in Top 15 Competitor Analysis Tools for Businesses in 2025 can help you dig into pricing, features, and user reviews to find these gaps.
Finally, if you’d like a structured way to pull it all together, check out How to Perform a Competitor Analysis (with Free Template). It can help you clearly compare offerings, spot unmet needs and define where your product could stand out.
Gaps like these often make the best starting point for a new app or platform, especially when they’re tied to real frustrations you or your potential users already feel.
5. Make the value crystal clear
Early on, write down in plain words what your idea actually does and who it helps. A simple sentence like “We help freelancers track invoices automatically, without spreadsheets” keeps you focused.
If you can’t explain it simply, it might be a sign to narrow your target audience or clarify the benefit.
6. Talk to real people – before you build
This step is often skipped, but it can save months of wasted effort. Reach out to potential users and ask open questions about how they handle the problem today and what frustrates them most.
Listen more than you pitch. Your goal isn’t to get praise for your idea, it’s to learn whether people genuinely care enough to pay for a solution.
7. Test demand with something small
Before investing time and money into building a full product, see if there’s real interest. You could:
1. Build a one-page website describing your idea
- “How to Easily Create a Quick Landing Page to Test Ideas”, a user-friendly guide that walks through building a simple, high-converting landing page to gauge interest before you commit to development
2. Quick demo video or mockup
- “How To Make A Product Demo Video”, a step-by-step tutorial explaining how to craft clear and engaging product demo videos
- “How to Make an Animated Mockup”, Rotato’s guide shows how to make polished, animated mockup videos for app showcases or ads with minimal effort
3. Offer a manual version of your service first to see if people will actually pay.
Even a small test can reveal whether there’s real demand. By offering a manual version of your service first, you can validate your idea without having to invest in development.
This means doing the work yourself or using available tools. For instance, if you’re planning a meal delivery app, try cooking and delivering meals yourself to a few customers. Doing this lets you see if people will actually pay for your solution before you build complex tech.
8. Start small, then improve based on feedback
When you do build, focus on a minimum viable product (MVP) – the smallest version that solves the core problem. Launch it to a small group of users, track what they do and ask them what’s missing.
Most successful startups didn’t get everything right on day one; they improved by listening closely and adapting.
9. Create a robust business strategy
Once you’ve validated your idea and know there’s demand, it’s time to plan how you’ll actually bring it to life and grow it.
A smart business strategy helps you move beyond the idea stage by setting actionable milestones, anticipating challenges, and planning who you’ll need to hire along the way. It also forces you to think early about how you’ll fund the business and keep cash flow healthy.
Writing a business plan helps turn this into something concrete: it sets specific, measurable goals, outlines your product’s unique selling points, identifies your target audience and competitors, and includes financial forecasts. Importantly, it isn’t a document you write once and forget; it should be reviewed and updated as your market changes and your product evolves.
Why this approach works
Instead of guessing what might work, you’re starting with problems people already feel and testing whether they’ll pay for a solution. By doing this, you will be able to attract users and gain traction for your app, platform or tech startup, showing them that you offer practical, trustworthy solutions. This builds credibility and organic growth over time.
At Hyper, we’ve helped dozens of first‑time founders in Australia and the UK go from a raw idea to a real product by following this same process. It’s about spotting real problems, validating demand and building a focused solution. No matter the shape of your idea, together with our mentors, you’ll find a way to turn it into gold.
