name: founder-idea-research
description: |
Comprehensive toolkit for finding solo founder business ideas. Use for morning briefs,
idea validation, or opportunity hunting. Covers Reddit, Twitter/X, Hacker News,
Product Hunt, industry signals, and personal observation patterns.

Founder Idea Research Toolkit

A multi-source approach to finding validated business ideas for solo founders.

When to Use

• Morning brief founder idea section
• Deep-dive on a specific niche
• Validating a concept across sources
• Spotting emerging opportunities

🔴 Reddit

Why it works: Raw, unfiltered complaints. People vent in detail. Long posts = deep pain.

High-Signal Subreddits

Search Queries

"I wish there was" OR "someone should build" OR "I'd pay for"
"frustrated with" OR "hate using" OR "why is there no"
"switched from" OR "looking for alternative to"

Key Metrics

• Willingness to Pay: Look for "buy", "pay", "premium", "subscription"
• Frustration Score: Longer posts = deeper pain = better opportunity
• Recency: Sort by "new" for fresh problems, "top" for validated ones

🐦 Twitter/X

Why it works: Indie hackers share real revenue numbers, failures, and what's actually working. Fast signal on trends.

Accounts to Watch

• Indie hackers sharing build-in-public journeys
• Founders posting revenue screenshots
• People complaining about tools they use daily
• VCs discussing what they're seeing

Search Queries

"I'd pay for" min_faves:50
"why is there no" min_faves:20
"just cancelled" [tool name] — churn signals
"switched from X to Y because" — feature gaps
"building in public" + [niche]

What to Look For

• Products hitting milestones (validates market)
• Complaints about established tools (opportunity gaps)
• Threads about "what I wish existed"
• Failed products (what went wrong = lessons)

🟠 Hacker News

Why it works: Technical audience with money. Devs complaining = devs willing to pay. High-signal comments.

Where to Look

• Show HN: What people are building, comment feedback
• Ask HN: Direct "what tools do you wish existed?" threads
• Comments on launches: Real critiques, feature requests
• "Who is hiring" threads: What tech is in demand

Search (via hn.algolia.com)

"I wish" OR "someone should build"
"looking for" + [tool type]
"alternative to" + [established tool]
"frustrated with" + [category]

High-Value Patterns

• Developer tools always have budget
• DevOps/infrastructure pain = recurring revenue
• Security/compliance = enterprise pricing
• "I built this for myself" stories

🚀 Product Hunt

Why it works: See what's launching, but more importantly, read the comments for what's missing.

How to Use

1. Browse daily launches in your niche
2. Read comments — look for "I wish it also did X"
3. Check similar products — what are people asking for?
4. Look at "dead" products — why did they fail?

Signals

• Products with lots of comments but unclear value prop = opportunity to do it better
• Repeated requests in comments = unmet need
• "I've been looking for this!" = validated demand
• Complaints about pricing = room for simpler/cheaper version

📰 Industry News & Signals

Why it works: External changes create opportunities. New APIs, regulations, platform shifts.

What to Watch

• New APIs: Stripe, Plaid, OpenAI releases = new product categories
• Regulatory changes: GDPR, accessibility laws = compliance tools
• Platform shifts: App Store policy changes, social media algorithm updates
• Company news: Big player shutting down a feature = opportunity
• Pricing changes: Tool raises prices significantly = cheaper alternative opportunity

Sources

• TechCrunch, The Verge (mainstream)
• Changelog, Dev.to (developer-focused)
• Industry newsletters in specific verticals
• Company blogs and changelogs

👀 Personal Observation

Why it works: You experience problems firsthand. No research bias.

Patterns to Notice

• Friction you hit: What annoyed you today? This week?
• Workarounds you built: Spreadsheets, scripts, manual processes
• Things you Googled: "How to X" with no good answer
• Money you spent: What did you pay for reluctantly?
• Time you wasted: Repetitive tasks that could be automated

Questions to Ask

• Would I pay $10/mo to not deal with this?
• Is this just me or do others have this problem?
• Why hasn't someone solved this already?
• What's the simplest possible solution?

🔀 Cross-Referencing (The Gold)

The best ideas show up in multiple places:

1. Reddit complaint + Twitter rant + no good Product Hunt solution = validated gap
2. HN technical discussion + new API release + existing tools are clunky = timing opportunity
3. Personal frustration + Reddit thread with 500 upvotes = you're not alone

Validation Checklist

• [ ] Check our existing ideas first — Search Linear (TUN/TEN) and ideas.tunajam.com
• [ ] Check if already solved — Is there a dominant existing solution? If so, what's our angle?
• [ ] Problem appears in 2+ sources
• [ ] Recent posts (last 3-6 months)
• [ ] People expressing willingness to pay
• [ ] No dominant solution OR existing solutions have clear gaps
• [ ] Buildable by solo founder in weeks, not years

📋 Output Format for Morning Briefs

## 💡 Solo Founder Idea

**Problem:** [One sentence pain point]

**Signal:** [Where you found it — source, upvotes, recency]

**Solution Sketch:** [Simple MVP description]

**Why Now:** [Trend, timing, new API, or gap in market]

**Buildability:** [Honest assessment — days/weeks/months]

Quick Reference

Tips

1. Read the comments — The post might be generic, but replies contain gold
2. Look for failed products — "Why did X shut down?" reveals demand + execution gaps
3. Cross-reference complaints — Same pain in 3+ places = real problem
4. "I switched from X to Y because..." — Reveals feature gaps in existing tools
5. Time-box research — 15-30 min max, then synthesize. Don't rabbit-hole.