The most crucial part of creativity is letting ideas "simmer" in the unconscious. After gathering information, step away from the problem completely. Engage in unrelated activities. This allows your mind to make novel connections you can't force through active thought.
Validate startup ideas by building the simplest possible front end—what the customer sees—while handling all back-end logistics manually. This allows founders to prove customers will pay for a concept before over-investing in expensive technology, operations, or infrastructure.
Contrary to the startup myth of a sudden breakthrough, successful Harvard Business School founders engaged in a deliberate ideation process over weeks or months. They systematically evaluated, vetted, and shaped multiple ideas before committing, proving that great ideas are built, not found.
Relevant founder skills don't require direct industry experience. In fact, HBS founders found being an outsider is an advantage, allowing for creative thinking without preconceived notions. Rent the Runway's founders succeeded by defying fashion industry experts who said their idea would fail.
Seeking feedback too early dilutes an original idea with generic opinions. Protect your unique vision until it's crystallized and can stand on its own. Only then should you invite taste testers (your target audience) to provide input and filter it through your vision.
HBS founders define culture as "what people do when you're not around." It's not about posters or perks, but the ingrained behaviors that guide decisions in your absence. This makes hiring for cultural fit more critical than raw skills, because values can't be taught.