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When Do People Come Up With Ideas for Companies?

I’ve often wondered about that moment when the light bulb goes off for entrepreneurs. The minute when they first come up with their “big idea” that they thought could make them millions. The second they feel so compelled to take the “leap of faith” that they have no other choice but to do it. That instant when they realize they have an idea that just might change the world. Not surprisingly, those moments are quite different for everyone.  As a result, I wanted to take a few minutes to brainstorm a list of times when people come up with ideas for companies.

Below is  list of times when you might possibly come up with an idea for your next company.

1. When you spot something on the job that doesn’t work well and come up with find a way to fix it
2. You find something that frustrates you, that’s hard to use, and that could be better. So you make it better
3. When you’re laying down at night and can’t sleep, so you dream about your company
4. When you don’t have a job and have extra time, so you figure out how to start a company
5. In business school you see your classmates coming up wit ideas, so you come up with a similar one
6. Before business school so you can use the next two years to successfully launch a company at graduation
7. When they are tired of the corporate world so spend every night thinking about ideas so they can escape it
8. As an entrepeneur-in-residence at a VC firm, in business school, or any other organization
9. When you are painting, drawing, or doing anything else that lets your mind wander and be creative
10. When you set aside an hour of brainstorming time every day and one day everything comes together
11. Bouncing ideas around with friends or colleagues who are also in the entrepreneurship community
12. After spending years in an industry and getting a sense for the future
13. Technology changes and creates new opportunities for innovation in your field
14. During economic booms when people have more money to spend, so you create a place for them to spend it