What is an “idea” for a startup? A startup idea is an
assertion about two things; a problem that people have
and a way to solve it.
Here's why this post is both right and wrong, in one sentence. It's wrong, because 'a way to solve it' is not 'an idea'. Rather, 'a way to solve it' consists of a great many ideas, conceived of, and strung together, over an extended period of time. All these ideas together are what is called 'execution'. You can't solve anything without consistently having new ideas about how to solve the challenge currently at hand. That, in turn, is why the post is right: having the right idea at the right time is important. It's just that the single idea that precipitated it all is simply not very valuable by itself.
The "idea for a startup" is just a place to start. Pick one that you are passionate about, because you'll need that to sustain you.
Implement some (tiny) part of that idea; show it to some customers. Find out it's not that great an idea. Learn more about the customers in the process. Think about what their real problems are and come up with new ideas to solve those problems, or maybe think about other customer groups that would get more value out of (would pay more for) your idea and tweak it to fit them. Follow those new ideas. Repeat until you've found an idea that's sustainable (big/profitable enough market etc).
