Open your CV. Not to send to recruiters. To read it differently. Every line on that document represents a problem that a company paid you to solve. Some of those problems exist at thousands of other companies. That is your starting inventory of business ideas.
Here is the exercise. Go through each role and each bullet point. Rewrite every achievement as a problem-solution pair. 'Managed a team of 12' becomes 'Companies with 200+ employees struggle to coordinate across teams without losing information.' 'Reduced churn by 15%' becomes 'SaaS companies lose customers because they cannot identify dissatisfaction signals early enough.'
Filter 1
Universality: does this problem exist at 50+ companies?
Filter 2
Pain intensity: how much does it cost in money, time, or reputation?
Filter 3
Existing solutions: zero means no market, ten mediocre means opportunity
Filter 4
Your edge: what would take an outsider two years to learn?
Do this for every role you have held. You should end up with 15 to 30 problem statements. Now filter.
Filter one: universality. Does this problem exist at more than 50 companies? If it is specific to your former employer's unique setup, it is not a business. If every company in your industry faces it, it might be.
“The best business idea from your CV is rarely the one that excites you most.”
Filter two: pain intensity. How much does this problem cost companies in money, time, or reputation? The higher the cost, the more they will pay for a solution. A problem that costs $5,000 per year is a blog post. A problem that costs $500,000 per year is a business.
The best business idea from your CV is rarely the one that excites you most.
Filter three: existing solutions. Search for tools, consultancies, and courses that already address this problem. If there are zero solutions, the market might not exist. If there are ten mediocre solutions, you have a massive opportunity to build something better with insider knowledge.
Filter four: your edge. For each remaining problem, ask: 'What do I know about this problem that an outsider would take two years to learn?' If the answer is substantial, you have an unfair advantage. That advantage is your moat.
After filtering, you should have five to ten viable ideas. Rank them by the combination of market size, pain intensity, and your personal edge. Your top three are worth validating with real buyer conversations.
The CV exercise works because it grounds your thinking in evidence rather than aspiration. You are not inventing problems. You are recognising ones you have already solved. The market is already paying people to address these issues. The question is whether you can capture some of that spend independently.
One final note: the best business idea from your CV is rarely the one that excites you most. It is the one where your expertise creates the widest gap between you and anyone else trying to solve the same problem. Excitement fades. Competitive advantage compounds.