What if I don't have an idea?
danielhodgins: I understand where you are coming from, and I would like to share what worked for me. I just finished university, and have been in 3 startup situations so far, none of which have gone anywhere. That's not to say I didn't learn some very valuable lessons. In fact, I learned things in these failed startups that I might not have learned any other way. In addition, I am still alive, and stronger for having walked through the fire a few times.I think the most important thing for someone like you is to start generating momentum. Let me explain how you might go about this.1. There is no mistake, only make.Build stuff. Fail. Just make sure you fail quickly and cheaply. If you actually bring an idea to life you have succeeded no matter what happens. You will have seperated yourself from everyone else who has ideas but never acts. Ideas are just ideas if no one does the tough, painful work required to actually execute them. Like a young piano prodigy the more you can practice actually building stuff the better you will get.2. Go to events.Talk to other entrepreneurs/programmers/designers about what they are doing. Ask lots of questions and learn. It's tough to learn anything if you never keep your mouth shut.3. Learn about business.I realize some people on this site are code-centric, but in reality it's only one piece of the pie. You will be better off if you read and understand what makes good businesses tick. Everything from branding, copy, and positioning to pricing, business models, and marketing. It helps to learn all of it. I would be happy to recommend some great books if you contact me.4. Start learning about what people want.Try and understand what makes people use particular web sites. Is it speed? ease of use? unique design? Copywriting? Branding? Or did the site take an old idea and put a unique spin on it? Perhaps you can take elements of certain ideas and combine, bundle, or package them in new ways.This is getting way too long, but I hope anyone who reads this gets some value from this post. Feel free to contact me anytime. I would be glad to share any of the information or resources I have gained from years spent learning from advisors, mentors, books, blogs, and anyone at anytime.Best wishes.Dan H.