Enough of impressive, unique ideas - Time for startups to become problem solvers

“Wish I could consult Dr Raman Agrawal, however travelling to Delhi to see him would be expensive and time-consuming”, Akshita let out a deep sigh.

That’s not Akshita’s problem alone. Highly specialised doctors are usually available in Tier-1 cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, etc. Medical patients or their family members can consult these doctors only if they visit them personally, which is costly and cumbersome.

How fascinating would it be if the doctors could provide medical advice over a phone or video call? Consulting doctors from the comfort of your home would save time and money.

Let’s give a pause to these could’s and would’s because Doctor Insta has made it a reality. You can avail online doctor consultation 24*7 related to most non-emergency medical issues.

Startups don't succeed because of a stunning, extraordinary idea. Frankly, with over 7.5 billion people on Earth, you can't bet your concept to be unique and never-heard-before types.

Almost every idea has been worked upon at some point, whether it resulted in success or failure.

Apple, Amazon, Alibaba, Facebook, and countless other startups and companies of the same breed didn't succeed because of a unique idea.

What made them reach where they are today?

They solved the real problems in a way that no one could have imagined. They picked up the pain points (some of them even people didn’t know) and strived to give a solution that could heal, or at worst reduce the pain.

Were they the first ones to propose a solution?

Most of the successful companies started in a domain where numerous other players already existed. However, instead of fearing them, they focused on solving a problem or giving an alternate solution that proved to be a more natural way of encountering an issue.

For instance, before Google arrived, search engines like Yahoo, Altavista, etc. already existed. However, Google made the lives easier by providing a simple-to-use, convenient interface to the people.

What was the result? Google soon surpassed the other search engines and went on to become the number 1 search engine. For most of us, Google seems to be like the only search engine available on the web.

Should the problems be big enough to be solved?

The problems don't have to be of a global or country level to get solved. It could range from a minor inconvenience that people face in their daily lives in your city or a life-threatening issue that impacts a country or a continent or even the whole world.

The problems and their solutions may already exist; however, if you can provide a better solution that saves either time, money, or efforts, you'll thrive in an already competitive industry as well.

You must have also faced a few struggles while starting or sustaining your startup? Write your story using here, and let the world you and your struggles. Don’t forget to use the hashtag #StartupNotEasy so it is easier for the readers to find your story. 

What’s the ultimate message for wannapreneurs and young entrepreneurs?

Don’t waste your time and energy in searching or copying an idea that already exists, just to get funding. Push yourself hard to become a problem solver, rest all will fall in place with time.

Do you agree here? Or do you still think the idea is superior to a solution? Where will the startups head up in time to come? Drop your valuable inputs in the comment section below.