Entrepreneurship Ideas

One of the questions I hear most often from would-be entrepreneurs is “how do you find entrepreneurship ideas?” I have some methods that I developed for my own projects, and I would like to share them with you.

Observe products and services, especially abroad, that we do not have at home. What problems do they solve, what are they for, are they suited to our market? Or, if you are thinking internationally, how would you apply them? Of course, sometimes you also have to wait for conditions to ripen.

You will know the new-generation hand dryers in toilets called Airblade. They dry far more quickly and elegantly than the old type of machine. I saw one years ago when I came to London for language school, and I had no doubt it would catch on in Turkey too. Of course, back then I had neither the experience and capital to take on a distributorship, nor the motivation to work in that field. Years went by, and now I see this product in a great many places. If a similar opportunity came my way today, things would of course be very different. Being in the right place at the right time matters.

If you are looking for a new entrepreneurship idea, focus on problems. If you see a problem, you will certainly gain something from solving it. For example, if the ceiling of the room you are sitting in is leaking, there is money there, and the tradesman who does the repair takes it. If there is a problem in a relationship, the psychologist takes the money there. And if people now want to do entirely different things with their watches as well – or if you can create the perception in people that this is how it ought to be from now on – Steve Jobs’s Apple takes the money there.

To form your own new entrepreneurship ideas, study the stories of entrepreneurs who have already succeeded. Read the life stories of the people behind your favourite ventures: Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Tesla’s Elon Musk, Apple’s Steve Jobs, Virgin’s Richard Branson… Look at the stories of the brands: Starbucks, McDonald’s and Coca-Cola are the best-known successful ventures. Do not forget the local flavours either: Vehbi Koç, Sakıp Sabancı, İshak Alaton… And from our own day, Yemek Sepeti, Sahibinden, Gittigidiyor, Bitaksi, Getir… Treasures raised on our own soil. Easier than reading – and perhaps an even quicker way to be inspired – is to attend seminars. And after that, it is your turn!

An entrepreneur’s antennae are always up. Be free-minded. Keep producing ideas. Even if they are absurd! The most successful ideas seemed absurd at first. If someone had told me I would earn my living by getting people to play the darbuka, and that with hundreds of similar workshops my company would be voted the best in the country in its field for years, even I would have struggled to believe it. An entrepreneurship idea you love may open unexpected doors to success before you. Dreams have no limits.