# Phase 1: Diverge -- Divergent Thinking > **Goal:** Generate a massive pool of raw material -- skills, passions, problems, and early niche ideas. Quantity over quality. Aim for 50+ problems minimum. > > **Source frameworks:** Craft Skills audit, Shapiro's 4 Categories, 50+ Problems List --- ## 1. Craft Skills > **What you already get paid to do or are genuinely good at.** > Ask yourself: > - "What does my employer currently pay me to do?" > - "What do people come to me for help with?" > - "What problems have I solved in my own life?" > - "What's on my resume that I'm genuinely good at?" | # | Skill | Years of Experience | Confidence (H/M/L) | |---|-------|--------------------:|:-------------------:| | 1 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [H/M/L] | | 2 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [H/M/L] | | 3 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [H/M/L] | | 4 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [H/M/L] | | 5 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [H/M/L] | | 6 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [H/M/L] | | 7 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [H/M/L] | | 8 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [H/M/L] | | 9 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [H/M/L] | | 10 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [H/M/L] | --- ## 2. Passions > **What you do for fun even when nobody's paying.** These may overlap with skills or be completely separate. Both are fine. 1. [placeholder] 2. [placeholder] 3. [placeholder] 4. [placeholder] 5. [placeholder] --- ## 3. Skills to Learn > **What would you learn if time and money weren't constraints?** These represent future leverage -- things that excite you enough to invest in. 1. [placeholder] 2. [placeholder] 3. [placeholder] 4. [placeholder] 5. [placeholder] --- ## 4. Problems List (Target: 50+) > **The raw fuel for your business ideas.** Use the prompts below to push past the obvious. If you can't think of 10, force yourself to think of 20 -- the best ideas often come after you exhaust the obvious ones. > > **Prompts to generate problems:** > - "What tasks in my life/work are annoying and take 5x too long?" > - "What expensive thing do people want but can't afford?" > - "What works in another country/market but doesn't exist here?" > - "What can I do NOW that I couldn't do a year ago?" (AI/timing angle) > - "What do people around me constantly complain about?" > - "What frustrates me every single week?" > - "What would I fix if I had a magic wand?" | # | Problem | Who Has It? | How Painful? (1-10) | Category (see below) | |---|---------|-------------|:-------------------:|:--------------------:| | 1 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [1-10] | [A/B/C/D] | | 2 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [1-10] | [A/B/C/D] | | 3 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [1-10] | [A/B/C/D] | | 4 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [1-10] | [A/B/C/D] | | 5 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [1-10] | [A/B/C/D] | | 6 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [1-10] | [A/B/C/D] | | 7 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [1-10] | [A/B/C/D] | | 8 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [1-10] | [A/B/C/D] | | 9 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [1-10] | [A/B/C/D] | | 10 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [1-10] | [A/B/C/D] | | 11 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [1-10] | [A/B/C/D] | | 12 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [1-10] | [A/B/C/D] | | 13 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [1-10] | [A/B/C/D] | | 14 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [1-10] | [A/B/C/D] | | 15 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [1-10] | [A/B/C/D] | | 16 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [1-10] | [A/B/C/D] | | 17 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [1-10] | [A/B/C/D] | | 18 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [1-10] | [A/B/C/D] | | 19 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [1-10] | [A/B/C/D] | | 20 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [1-10] | [A/B/C/D] | *(Keep adding rows until you hit 50+. The best ideas come after row 30.)* --- ## 5. Shapiro's 4 Categories > **Every viable business falls into one of these four patterns.** Use these as lenses to categorize your problems and spot opportunities you might have missed. ### Category A: Make an Annoying Task 5x Easier > Something people already do but hate doing. Your product removes the friction. > *Example: TurboTax made filing taxes 5x easier than doing it by hand.* - [ ] Have I listed problems where people waste hours on tedious tasks? - [ ] Could any of my skills automate or simplify these? Problems that fit: [placeholder] ### Category B: Less Expensive Version of Something People Want > A market exists, people pay premium prices, but a large segment is priced out. > *Example: Generic medications, budget airlines, Canva vs. hiring a designer.* - [ ] Have I listed expensive services/products that many people want but can't afford? - [ ] Could I deliver 80% of the value at 20% of the price? Problems that fit: [placeholder] ### Category C: International Copy of Existing Winner > Something that works in one country/market but hasn't been brought to yours yet. > *Example: Rocket Internet built local copies of successful US startups across emerging markets.* - [ ] Have I looked at what's working in other countries/industries? - [ ] Is there a model I could adapt for my market? Problems that fit: [placeholder] ### Category D: Product-Led Growth / Network Effects > The product gets better as more people use it, creating a moat. > *Example: Slack, Notion, Figma -- each new user makes the product more valuable for existing users.* - [ ] Are there problems where a community or network would amplify the solution? - [ ] Could users invite other users naturally? Problems that fit: [placeholder] ### Category Coverage Check - [ ] I have at least 3 problems in Category A - [ ] I have at least 3 problems in Category B - [ ] I have at least 2 problems in Category C - [ ] I have at least 2 problems in Category D - [ ] I have considered AI-timing angles (things possible now that weren't 12 months ago) --- ## 6. Raw Niche Ideas (Skills x Problems Combos) > **Cross-pollinate your skills with your problems.** Pick your top 5-8 skills and your most painful problems, then ask: "Could I use [skill] to solve [problem] for [person]?" Don't judge yet -- just generate. | # | Skill Used | Problem Solved | For Whom? | Quick Gut Check (Excited? Y/N) | |---|-----------|----------------|-----------|:------------------------------:| | 1 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [Y/N] | | 2 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [Y/N] | | 3 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [Y/N] | | 4 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [Y/N] | | 5 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [Y/N] | | 6 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [Y/N] | | 7 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [Y/N] | | 8 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [Y/N] | | 9 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [Y/N] | | 10 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [Y/N] | | 11 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [Y/N] | | 12 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [Y/N] | | 13 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [Y/N] | | 14 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [Y/N] | | 15 | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [placeholder] | [Y/N] | --- ## Summary - **Total skills listed:** [placeholder] - **Total problems listed:** [placeholder] (target: 50+) - **Total raw niche ideas:** [placeholder] - **Top 3 ideas to bring into Phase 2 (Niche Scoring):** 1. 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