How to find your startup idea when everything is already done

One of my mastermind members told me last week:
"Oskar, I can't find a startup idea. Everything is already done."

And I knew exactly how he felt, because when I wanted to build my startup I had 20 ideas in my notebook and when I googled them, someone had already built every single one.

So I asked him one simple question - and then he found his idea.

Most founders don’t even think about this.

They think "If I want to build a successful startup, I have to create the next big thing. Something trendy. Something with AI. Something that solves this huge problem millions of people have."

But that’s not true.

You can solve just a small problem you have every day, and people will happily pay for it. Because when you have this problem, someone else has it too.

So ask yourself:
"What was the most annoying thing that happened to me this week?"

But don’t try to find a startup idea yet - just write down the problem.
And even the smallest one counts.

Like "I never know what to cook and end up ordering delivery for the fourth time this week" or "I have three streaming subscriptions and still scroll for 30 minutes before I pick something".

Every single one of those problems could be your startup idea.
And when you pick a problem you personally have, you have a big advantage.

→ You know best how to solve it.
→ You know what would be a good solution.

That’s one way to find your startup idea.
But there is also another one.

And it’s how I found my idea for my second startup.

8 years ago I was in Munich. I was walking to the train station heading to my job. It was December and freezing cold.

And there was this homeless guy sleeping next to the train station.
Just in a sleeping bag, laying on the ground.

I saw him every single day.
And every day I thought the same thing:
"Man, someone should do something".

And then one day it hit me.
I was the someone.

So I thought "How could I help him?".

But in a sustainable way.
Not like I give him 10 euros and walk away.
Not just a one-time donation.

That question became my second startup.
An app where you can quickly donate in 2 clicks to people who really need it.

Here's the thing:
Your best startup idea is probably not on Reddit.
It's right in front of you.

In your favorite coffee shop, your neighborhood or your city.
So the next time you walk through your city - pay close attention to your environment.

Everything that frustrates people around you is a potential startup idea.

The bakery owner who still takes catering orders over WhatsApp and loses half of them. Or the restaurant owner who still takes reservations on paper because the software costs €200 a month.

You can also just ask five colleagues what they hate about their workday. That’s how you can get five startup ideas in 30 minutes.

And here's the big advantage nobody talks about.
These people are already experiencing the problem right now.
Today. And nobody has built a solution for it.

When you look on Reddit for a potential startup idea, there are 10 solutions out there already. But your neighbor has zero.

So when you build a solution for him specifically - he’s your first customer.

Now you have a problem you could solve.
Something that annoys you or something you spotted in your neighborhood.

You could start building right now - and that already puts you ahead of 90% of founders. But if you want an even bigger advantage, combine this with one more thing. It took me 3 years to understand this.

A founder once told me: "I want to build a fitness app."
And I said, "Okay - for who?"
- "For people who work out."

Sounds good on paper - but it's way too broad.
There are ten thousand fitness apps.
You will have no chance against all the big brands out there.

So if you want to get customers, go more niche.
Don’t build the next "fitness app" - build an app for CrossFit gyms in Germany that tracks member progress. That's maybe 100 gyms total.

But you know exactly who they are.
And you understand exactly the problem they have.

A generic fitness app doesn't solve any of that.

So the more niche you go, the easier it is to dominate that space.

If you go more niche you will get your first paying customers way faster than the next "Fitness app for everyone" guy.

And here's what most founders don't realize - you don’t need 1000 users to build a successful startup. 200 users paying 20 euros a month - that's 4k euros. Every month.

And you don't need to be the next Facebook to get there.

So take the problem you found - either something that frustrates you or an issue you see daily in your city and add three filters:

1. Industry
2. Geography
3. One specific pain point

This could be your specific niche.

And then you brainstorm ideas how you could solve that problem.
That’s your startup idea.

If you need help finding your idea, getting your first customers, or growing your startup, you can join my startup mastermind.
You’ll also get access to a community and connect with other founders on the same journey.

You can try it for free.

When you’re looking for your startup idea and everything feels already done - that's when you close your laptop, pick out your notebook and start looking around you.

Find a problem that frustrates you or people around you.
And to give yourself an even bigger advantage, niche down even more.

My mastermind member found his idea the same day.
It wasn't some genius insight.
He just stopped looking where everyone else looks.

But hey, if you want a clear system to actually build your startup, I put everything into my Startup Mastermind.

It gives you a simple step-by-step roadmap so you always know what to focus on next. It’s already being used by 50+ founders, and includes smart AI prompts for each step so you can grow your startup even faster - without overthinking.

You can also join the community, connect with other founders, and build alongside people on the same journey.

You can join here: