Developing a solid business idea requires not only innate business savvy but also a system of rules. It always helps to use a very structured approach, but to really hit a home run business idea, you need the right background, the right opportunity, and the puritan work ethic to turn a business idea into a business success.

The focal point for coming up with a profitable business idea primarily lies within the soon-to-be entrepreneur. Contrary to popular belief, it is not found in the marketplace or laboratory. You are the critical component - it is your strengths and flaws, which should dictate the areas in which to seek ideas and focus your business around. At the end of the day, support for your business by financiers, suppliers, customers etc. will also be a vote of confidence in your abilities to make it successful.

However, once you've identified the niche market that you want to enter, begin brainstorming potential product lines and services that you can offer to customers within this market. Your first step is to transform yourself into a potential customer and envision the types of questions and concerns they may currently have. Try to address these problems first.

Once you find your profitable business idea and you want to make sure it is profitable, visit a few online forums and search for people that are already invested in the field you are interested in diving into. Go out and ask these individuals if what you plan to offer is something that they would be interested in. If not, then you'll know that this is an idea that you should probably pass on and begin brainstorming another idea. If you don't have any ideas, try asking people in the forums that you are currently searching if they are suffering from any "pains" in the current market. Are they looking for products or services in particular? Follow along and get involved in some conversations - you may stumble upon a very profitable business idea by maintaining a lookout for suitable business ideas.

Finally, begin a search in your favorite search engine using any keywords related to your niche market. Browse the sidebars and perform a quick count on the number of advertisements that show up. If the keyword that you type in brings up many pages of advertisements, then you can gain some confidence that your potential market is going to be a profitable niche. This confirms that people are already paying for advertising space. Your next steps should be to click on some of those advertisements and try to identify strengths and weaknesses of your competitors.