Having a new idea to improve a service or product or to create something is one of the greatest feelings an entrepreneur can have.  Filtering these ideas to find the best ones takes some discipline and realistic perspective.  I’ve tried different filtering techniques to help me decide between ideas that are just “cool” and ideas that have real potential to gather paying customers.  The next step for me is to determine if the idea is actually doable with the resources that I have, both human and financial.

One idea filter that makes or breaks most ideas:

Does the idea add enough value to the customer for them to pay for it?

I find myself planning and sketching out certain ideas that seem interesting, innovative and doable however they just don’t have that one feature or core model that would get a customer to pay for the service.  Without revenue being generated there’s no potential to develop a business around an idea.  You have two main options when generating revenue:

1)   Advertising Based - This is a proven model for sites that can scale and reach mass amounts of audiences.  If you have a site that generates millions of views and keeps users coming back, you can develop a business around this type of revenue.

2)  Paying for a Service – If you provide a unique feature or service, customers will pay for it.  This is the common model for successful internet businesses.  Using a “Freemium” model of generating revenue has its advantages and is typically used for sites with multiple levels of services.

Training your mind to think of ideas is nearly impossible, however you can train your mind to automatically filter out certain types of ideas.  Try to develop a system for filtering your stream of ideas – from brainstorm to development – and eventually your brain will subconsciously apply this filter to your new ideas.   Leave any feedback about how you come up with or filter your ideas!