Growth & Customers

How do you generate a start-up idea that actually works? 

Got a startup idea that’s a bit different but not sure if it’ll fly? Get inspired by stories of businesses that offer something unique.

7 May, 20268 min read Share

Whether you’re starting a traditional business or something more offbeat, the core principle is the same: your idea needs real demand, practical development, and a willingness to try something different. 

A business may need broad appeal, but that doesn’t mean the idea itself has to be conventional. Even the strangest concepts can succeed if they solve a genuine problem and can be shaped into something workable. 

Some start-up ideas come from obvious market gaps, while others grow out of niche interests, overlooked frustrations, or industries ready for change. What matters is not how unusual the idea seems at first but whether it stands up to real-world testing. 

Real businesses built on unconventional concepts show how these start-up ideas can be developed, refined, and turned into something viable.

Here’s what we cover:

How extreme can a start-up idea be?

There’s virtually no limit to how creative or unusual start-up ideas can be, as long as they solve real problems and people are willing to pay for them. 

What might seem unusual, niche, or even uncomfortable on the surface can still form the foundation of a viable business if it taps into genuine demand. In fact, some of the most successful start-ups began by challenging expectations or exploring ideas others overlooked. 

It helps to start with an open mind. That’s why Sage partnered with Vice on the On the Up series, highlighting founders who have built businesses from unconventional starting points.  

The Vice spirit

Vice itself is a good example of a business with an offbeat origin. It started in 1994 as an alternative; free punk magazine built with money from a government welfare programme. Today, Vice Media is a multi-million-pound global media brand and content studio. 

The stories in this On the Up episode show there’s no single formula for a “good” idea: some are bold, some are unexpected, but all of them work because they cater to existing demand and have been tested in the real world. 

How do you choose and develop a unique start-up idea?

Choose a start-up idea by balancing three things: a real need in the market, your own motivation or expertise, and the potential to turn the idea into something you can test and improve.  

Here are some tips to help you generate and develop your concept:

Consider your motivation

Look at your reasons for wanting to start a business. 

This could help you filter out some of the wilder ideas you might have and narrow them down to those suitable for your interests, needs, and motivations. 

Start by asking yourself these questions: 

• Is your goal to make more money? 

• Would you like to solve a specific problem people face? 

• Are you looking for a way to supplement your income? 

• Do you want to launch the next global corporation? 

By figuring out your motivations behind starting a business, you’ll be able to narrow down your ideas. 

However, be careful—make sure that you don’t unconsciously reject your best start-up ideas. 

Supply what people need, using your passion and expertise

Starting a business is easier (and more fun) if your knowledge of the latent demand is built on personal insight. If you understand a market well, whether through your work, your interests, or your own lived experience, you’re more likely to spot gaps that other people miss.

That gives you a clearer view of what customers actually want, what feels underserved, and where there may be room for a business that offers something more relevant or more useful. 

Building around a real need also makes it easier to shape an idea into something practical. Instead of chasing originality for its own sake, you can focus on creating something that people will genuinely value.

And when that need connects with your own expertise, you’re often in a stronger position to understand the audience, communicate with them, and keep developing the business over time. 

No Signal: A radio station addressing a clear gap in the market 

The story of No Signal shows how a founder’s own interests and community knowledge revealed demand that others had missed. 

As a child, David Sonubi listened to inspirational church gospel sounds and had a deep love for music, which carried on as he grew up. 

A few years later, he set up Recess club nights, which focused on bringing hip-hop, R & B, dance hall, and Afrobeat to black millennials. 

When lockdown hit in spring 2020, Sonubi pivoted to launch an innovative, independent, and massively popular radio station called No Signal. 

It has plugged into the fact that young black communities didn’t have a radio station that represented them, either in the music being played or who was playing it. 

Sonubi’s vision expanded beyond the radio station with the launch of the No Sounds Academy, a training scheme aimed at the next generation to develop technical skills for a career in broadcasting and audio production. 

Come up with something different by looking where others don’t

Big start-up ideas often come from places other people ignore, avoid, or assume are too unusual to build a business around.

Sometimes the opportunity isn’t in inventing something completely new but in looking at familiar situations from a different angle and asking whether there’s a better, easier, or more human way to approach them. 

Strong ideas are not always obvious at first. Some come from taboo subjects, overlooked customer experiences, or industries that haven’t changed for years.

The challenge is to stay open-minded enough to recognise potential where others might see something too niche, too uncomfortable, or too unconventional.

Farewill: Turning a difficult subject into a welcome business opportunity 

This case shows how looking at an uncomfortable subject differently led to a meaningful business opportunity. 

The last thing grieving people want to do is think about funeral arrangements and money, usually while dealing with unfeeling strangers who don’t truly know what they’re going through. 

Farewill is a start-up that makes it easier for people experiencing loss. 

With its suite of services, the business, co-founded by Dan Garrett, provides a platform for people to write online wills, organise probate services, and order cremations. 

Farewill has built a strong business, and investors understand that it solves a real but underserved problem. That explains why the company attracted £30m in funding in its first five years.

Innovate and test your idea

Innovation is not always essential for a start-up idea to succeed. But it is often what gives a business its original angle.  

Start-ups are typically associated with new thinking, a willingness to take risks, and the ability to approach old challenges in a different way. In industries already under pressure to change, that can create real opportunities for founders with a strong point of view. 

Take fashion, for example. Textile production is estimated to be responsible for around 20% of global clean water pollution, with dyeing playing a major role. As manufacturers look for ways to reduce the environmental impact of clothing and textiles, there is growing space for start-ups to explore more sustainable alternatives. 

Mykkö: A novel material from fungal fibres 

This start-up shows how industry pressure and trends could be all it takes to develop more sustainable business ideas. 

Mykkö tapped into demand for more sustainable materials by working with fungi, using tiny fungal threads known as mycelium that can be cultivated at scale. Its founders, French fashion designer Aurélie Fontan and British product designer Ashley Granter, saw an opportunity in the huge fashion market and built on it with creativity and experimentation. Their idea is closely aligned with a sustainability trend that continues to grow.    

Is a start-up idea enough to make you an entrepreneur?

Having a start-up idea is a strong starting point. But becoming an entrepreneur means knowing how to start a business and putting that idea into practice. Be prepared to test whether it works, and take the time to identify your audience. Farewill, Mykkö and No Signal are living proof that bold, original ideas can succeed.  

With nearly half of UK adults thinking about starting a business or side hustle, interest in entrepreneurship is clearly high. What’s to stop you turning your early thinking into something real? 

Frequently asked questions about starting a unique business