Come Up With Original Ideas

Everyone wants to be original. Founders, writers, designers, operators—we all secretly want to be “the one with the big idea.” The genius. The innovator.

But here’s the truth: you’ve never had an original idea in your life. Neither have I.

Every “original” idea is a remix. A Frankenstein. A mash-up of other people’s work duct-taped together until it looks fresh. Uber wasn’t original—it was taxis + smartphones. TikTok wasn’t original—it was Vine + Music.ly + algorithmic feeds. Even Newton admitted he was “standing on the shoulders of giants.”

So if originality is mostly a lie, what’s the game? It’s not about pulling ideas out of thin air. It’s about feeding your brain the right inputs, smashing them together, and testing until something weird clicks.

Here’s how:

Admit Originality is a Lie

The myth of originality makes people freeze. They stare at a blank page or whiteboard waiting for a thunderbolt. It never comes. Once you accept that originality = recombination, you start moving faster.

You stop asking, “Is this new?” and start asking, “What two things haven’t been combined yet?”

Overfeed Your Brain on Purpose

Original ideas come from overconsumption. Too many books, too many subreddits, too many half-baked YouTube rabbit holes. You want your subconscious marinating in a soup of weird inputs.

Some of my best growth ideas at Superpower weren’t born in marketing meetings—they came from watching anime, reading 1970s ad manuals, or noticing something ridiculous on TikTok.

If your outputs suck, fix your inputs.

If you’re curious this is my information diet [LINK].

Create Constraints

Constraints are the secret weapon. Twitter’s 280 characters created a whole new writing style. Our $199 launch at Superpower was partly born from “what’s the lowest number we can sell that still feels premium?”

Constraints force recombination to bend into shapes you wouldn’t normally pick. They turn ordinary parts into something that looks (and feels) original.

It’s something we learned in engineering → constraints breed innovation which is why we always write up an “engineering requirements” document before we even start the design process. (at least in manufacturing physical products)

Notice What Feels Wrong

Original ideas often feel stupid or uncomfortable at first. Airbnb sounded insane—strangers on your floor? Crypto? TikTok? Same thing. If something feels off, if your gut says “that’ll never work,” lean in. That’s where the juice is.

So many things I’ve pitched in the last people originally laugh but then it becomes popular culture.

Bad taste can sometimes precede good taste. (I can already feel my boss coming after me for this line but I believe this is usually the case)

Test Fast, Kill Fast, Keep Weird

Most ideas flop. That’s fine. The trick is speed. You don’t discover originality in the brainstorm—you discover it in the 99 failed tests before something suddenly works.

When we ran ad creatives, I didn’t know which one would hit. Whilst my team was yelling at me saying “who want’s to buy a test tube!?” - it was one of the best performing creative.

That’s what you’re looking for: the breakout that data alone couldn’t predict.

Closing Thoughts

You don’t “come up with” original ideas. You manufacture them.

• Load your brain with inputs.

• Add constraints.

• Lean into discomfort.

• Test obsessively.

Originality isn’t a flash of genius. It’s an assembly line.

So stop waiting for inspiration. Start running the factory.

Until next time,

Ajay

🧠 Ajay’s Resource Bank

A few tools and collections I’ve built (or obsessively curated) over the years:

• 100+ Mental Models
  Mental shortcuts and thinking tools I’ve refined over the past decade. These have evolved as I’ve gained experience — pruned, updated, and battle-tested.

• 100+ Questions
  If you want better answers, ask better questions. These are the ones I keep returning to — for strategy, reflection, and unlocking stuck conversations.

• Startup OS
  A lightweight operating system I built for running startups. I’m currently adapting it for growth teams as I scale Superpower — thinking about publishing it soon.

• Remote Games & Activities
  Fun team-building exercises and games (many made in Canva) that actually work. Good for offsites, Zoom fatigue, or breaking the ice with distributed teams.

✅ Ajay’s “would recommend” List

These are tools and services I use personally and professionally — and recommend without hesitation:

• Athyna – Offshore Hiring Done Right
  I personally have worked with assistants overseas and built offshore teams. Most people get this wrong by assuming you have to go the lowest cost for automated work. Try hiring high quality, strategic people for a fraction of the cost instead.

• Superpower – It starts with a 100+ lab tests
  I joined Superpower as Head of Growth, but I originally came on to fix my health. In return, I got a full diagnostic panel, a tailored action plan, and ongoing support that finally gave me clarity after years of flying blind.
  (Want a discount code? Just reply to this email.)