Hi Reader,

Finding startup or side hustle ideas is easier than ever with AI.

You can combine AI tools + online directories not just to find ideas, but ideas that people need.

I use the following ways to find product ideas.

Even if you're not starting a new product, this will help you understand the possibilities.

And maybe give you some ideas to start your own product around it.

1. Prompt ChatGPT to Find Boring, Repetitive Work

Niche down.

For example:

• “What do performance marketers waste time on every week?”
• “What do accountants hate doing that they still have to do manually?”

Use ChatGPT to turn those into:

• Templates
• SaaS ideas
• Scripts
• Agencies

3. Audit Your Browser Behaviour & ChatGPT history

Look for where you’re doing:

• Search your GPT history
• What do you repeatedly ask?
• Also, check your browser
• What do you spend time on?
• Can these be automated?

That friction is a startup idea. If it’s annoying for you, it’s irritating for others.

Ask yourself:

4. Reddit Search To Find User Need

Run:

​
site:reddit.com “is there a tool that” + [your niche]
​

You’ll find people begging for tools. If they’re writing paragraphs on Reddit about it, they care.

Save the top threads.

Turn them into:

• Pain point summaries
• Feature wishlists
• MVP ideas

5. YouTube Comments On Review Videos

Watch tool review videos (especially ones with 50k+ views). The real gems are in the comments. People say:

• “Wish this worked with [X]”
• “Why can’t this export to [Y]?”
• “I need this but for [Z]”

That’s your roadmap, especially when multiple people say the same thing.

6. Look at Indie Tools on ProductHunt, etc

Find tools with traction but bad UX. People will switch for:

• Cleaner UI
• Fewer steps
• Niche positioning

You don’t always have to invent the problem, fix the friction.

7. Join Niche Communities

Slack groups, Discord servers, Sub-reddits, niche Facebook groups. Look for:

• “Does anyone know a tool for…”
• “I’m doing this manually. Any workaround?”
• People hacking Notion, Airtable, Zapier.

Identify their pain points.

8. Calendar Audit

Look at your own calendar:

• What meetings are recurring?
• What prep do you repeat each week?
• Are you copying documents, templates, or spreadsheets repeatedly?

That’s a system. Turn it into a product, an automation solution, or a micro-SaaS.

9. Fiverr + Upwork Search

Search “ChatGPT for [X]” or “[task] automation.”

Find gigs where freelancers use AI or manual labour to:

• Summarise Zoom calls
• Write product descriptions
• Extract data from PDFs

If someone’s offering it manually, and others are paying, it’s a product waiting to be built.

Prompt AI:

10. Talk to Real-World Operators

Dentists, gym owners, boutique agencies, recruiters.

Ask them:

• “What’s something you update daily in Excel or Google Sheets?”
• “What task do you do often but hate doing?”

The goal: Spot the spreadsheet → Spot the system → Build the layer.

12. Ask Agency Owners

What are clients always asking for that they don’t want to keep doing?

If it’s:

• Boring
• Repetitive
• High volume
• Hard to charge premium for

That’s a possible product.

13. Follow Multi-Tool Tutorials

Look for posts like:

Then build the one-click version.

15. Bad but Popular Plugins

Search 2-star Shopify or WordPress plugins. Low stars + high installs = people care, but are frustrated.

Read the reviews.

Fix the experience.

You need to create something slightly better, without a few of the major cons that people dislike.

I'm recently looking for product ideas to transition from pure services to something more scalable.

If you're also on the same journey or have built a product business before, please reply and let me know!

Best,

Rishabh

Keep learning, keep growing.