The founders of these successful startups had to be contrarian, often facing skepticism from experts and investors who thought their ideas were foolish.

The best startup ideas often begin as side projects because they are outliers that your conscious mind might reject as viable business ideas.

Many people said Airbnb was "the worst idea that ever worked," yet it succeeded, highlighting that unconventional ideas can thrive.

Look for ideas that sound bad but are actually good, as these can be the most lucrative opportunities in the startup world.

Most of the really big startup ideas seemed dubious at first, and you need to be independent-minded and not care what others think to work on these initially unpromising ideas.

Startups can succeed against larger companies by identifying ideas that sound bad but are actually good, as they can often secure a 'yes' from investors more easily than large companies can get consensus.

Many founders and investors initially dismissed the ideas behind Airbnb, Coinbase, and Stripe as poor or overly ambitious, underestimating their potential.

Many of the best startup ideas emerge in boring spaces, such as tax accounting software, which may not initially excite founders but can turn into successful businesses over time.

Second-time founders often feel pressure to come up with a genius idea, but the best startups usually succeed by simply doing something better than existing options.