You are not blocked because you lack ideas. You are blocked because every idea stays equally real until time forces a choice, and time is already spent on low-proof work: another landing page, another name, another row in the spreadsheet that scores things nobody will pay for.
The fix is not more ideation. It is a scoring pass honest enough to hurt, then one active idea that owns Convert this month.
choose
Fastest
proof wins.
One buyer. One conversation. Pick the gap you closed.
Stop generating for ten days
Freeze new concepts. List what is already active on one page. For each line, write:
- One-sentence buyer (role plus constraint, not "SMBs")
- Last real conversation with that buyer type, with a date
- Next proof you could collect in forty-eight hours
If the buyer line is blank, the idea is not competing. It is fantasizing. Park it without guilt.
Score with the same gates every time
Spreadsheets reward columns you can fill: TAM, competitor counts, vibe scores. They do not reward proof that someone will pay.
Use the same gates for every idea:
| Gate | Pass signal | | --- | --- | | Buyer | Named role plus words you heard in conversation | | Problem | They already spend time or money on it | | Offer | Payable scope in one paragraph | | Proof | Dated artifact or logged call outcome | | Sales path | Next conversation scheduled, not "post on LinkedIn" |
Get a clarity on each serious draft on Free. If every idea shows Communicate gaps but none have Create proof, you are comparing fiction. Evaluate multiple ideas with the same table before you pick.
One active idea, the rest parked
On Pro, you can hold multiple ideas in Idea Bank. You should still give one idea Convert focus this month. The others get a park note: why they lost, what you learned, when you may revisit.
Pick the top two after the scoring pass. Read those two drafts only. Do not read six drafts in one afternoon and drown in output. The gap list tells you which idea is lying about its stage.
When the month ends
Cycle back on the idea you chose. Did the stage move? Did objections repeat? If the answer is no after honest work, the scoring pass was wrong, not the system. Run the pass again with what you learned.
Pillar: How to choose which business idea to pursue · Glossary: Clarify
Next: Idea Bank vs. spreadsheets · Start free