Find your business ideas with your ikigai

Focusing on just one of the pillars of ikigai can lead you down a blind alley.

You have to find a balance between your passions, your talents, what the world expects of you, and what you can earn.

If you embark on an activity that you're passionate about but that doesn't earn you any money, you'll quickly become disillusioned.

Even the most inspiring projects need a minimum income to last.

Working for free or at a loss will eventually drain your energy and motivation.

Conversely, if you choose a job that you're not passionate about just for the money, sooner or later you'll run into boredom or burn-out.

Spending your days doing a job that doesn't speak to you is the best way to feel empty and unmotivated.

Ikigai is like a compass that helps you avoid these extremes.

When you align what you love, what you know how to do, the needs of the world and what pays off, you create more than just a business: you find a reason to exist.

This balance doesn't just help you get your project off the ground, it helps you make it last.

With ikigai, you can build a resilient business, aligned with your values, and give meaning to your daily life.

Every day becomes an opportunity to learn, to add value and to feel useful and fulfilled.

By mastering this balance, you lay the foundations for a solid, motivating, profitable and sustainable project.

Now let's see what you can do with this information 👇

Finding your ikigai involves both personal introspection and methodical work.

Don't panic, it's simple and accessible to everyone.

Here are three clear steps to aligning your passions, skills and market needs to find a business idea that really suits you.

Take a sheet of paper or click here to complete 4 columns:

In the first column, write down everything you're passionate about, without limiting yourself.

It could be creative activities like drawing or cooking, or causes that touch you like ecology or education.

In the second column, write down all your skills, whether technical (knowing how to code, managing projects) or personal (listening, motivating others).

For the third column, think about current needs. For example, trends such as the ecological transition, teleworking or online coaching.

Finally, in the last column, list the areas where people actually spend money. Look at the best-selling offers and prices to get an idea.

Here's a sample table:

With your columns well filled, take a moment to analyze what overlaps.

These areas of intersection between your passions, your skills, the needs of the market and what pays off reveal golden opportunities.

For example:

You like to write, you're good at explaining complicated things, the world has a real need for financial education and online courses in this field are selling very well.

This could give you a business idea: create a training platform on budget management.

Push your thinking a little further by connecting elements that, at first, seem far apart.

It's often in these original combinations that the most innovative concepts are born, adapted to a constantly evolving market.

Once you have promising ideas, focus on specific niches.

A niche is a specific segment of a larger market, with well-defined needs.

Why target a niche?

Because it gives you a huge advantage.

You can differentiate yourself from others and really meet the needs of a specific group.

Basically, you show that you understand their problems better than anyone else.

For example:

In the health sector, you can start from a general market like fitness, then specialize in a niche like coaching for pregnant women or weight training programs for vegans.

By meeting these specific needs, you'll be able to position yourself as an expert and attract loyal customers.

By following these three steps, you'll go from a simple idea to a concrete business project.

Remember, the secret is to balance what you love and what you're good at with a real market need.

When these elements align, you're equipped to turn your dreams into a profitable business.

Today, entrepreneurship isn't just about selling a product or service.

It's about building something that reflects your values, your passions, and has a positive impact on the world.

And that's what your customers sense and look for.

The entrepreneurial landscape is changing at breakneck speed:

Value-driven businesses are more likely to succeed.

New technologies are shaking up the way we work.

Consumers want to support brands that have a real social or environmental purpose.

In this context, the ikigai guides you.

It enables you to keep a clear course and build a project that doesn't just meet a demand: it also contributes to a better world.

One example is Patagonia:

Or Too Good To Go :

And Tom's too :

These brands combine positive impact and financial success while inspiring their communities.

Why do they work?

Because they are built on strong values aligned with those of their founders.

The great pitfall of being an entrepreneur is getting caught up in the race for profit while forgetting your values. It may seem attractive at first, but without alignment, you risk feeling empty or burnt out in the long run.

With ikigai, you ask yourself the right questions:

The circular economy is a good example.

Entrepreneurs who adopt this model succeed because they meet a real demand (for sustainable solutions), while remaining connected to their deepest convictions.

When your personal values and market expectations come together, you create a powerful energy that boosts your results and commitment.

When you build a project around your ikigai, you're doing more than just a job: you're creating a meaningful life.

You know why you get up in the morning, and that changes everything.

Here's what it does for you in concrete terms:

In today's fast-paced world, where everyone wants to give meaning to what they do, ikigai is an invaluable tool.

It enables you to combine ambition and humanity, while building a solid project that makes a real difference.

It protects you from the incessant search for meaning, for balance between your values and your needs.

If you want to be a modern entrepreneur, ikigai will help you to flourish and succeed.

Today, entrepreneurship is no longer just about creating a profitable business.

Entrepreneurs want projects aligned with their values, companies that are like them.

This quest for meaning is becoming essential in a world where everything is changing rapidly: environmental crises, social upheavals, technological developments.

And it's not just a fad.

Customers themselves are increasingly attracted to brands with strong values.

If your project is rooted in your ikigai, you naturally attract loyal customers who identify with your message and support you over the long term.

That's a real winning strategy.

Ikigai encourages you not to choose between what motivates you and what is required of you. It shows you that you can align what you're passionate about with concrete needs.

For example, if you're passionate about ecology, you could launch a start-up in the fast-growing field of zero-waste solutions.

This balance is essential to avoid two major pitfalls:

Sacrificing your values to chase regular income.

The result? You risk feeling useless and unmotivated, and you'll have trouble attracting customers you really want to work with.

Launching a project you like but can't find a customer.

Here too, frustration quickly sets in, because you love what you do, but if there's no need in the world, you're left with no income.

By following your ikigai, you build a solid plan that allows you to move forward while remaining true to yourself.

Working in your ikigai isn't just “fun”.

It's what keeps you going.

When you love what you do, when you're good at what you do, and when you see the impact of your work, you find a motivation that never wavers.

Every day becomes an opportunity to progress and feel useful.

But ikigai is also a strength when you're going through a difficult period (and we've ALL been there).

If your project is based on your values, you feel like fighting for it, you find more courage and determination to get through it.

It's not just a matter of making money or pulling off marketing stunts.

It's an adventure aligned with who you are and what you want to offer the world.

Finally, companies aligned with their ikigai are often perceived as authentic.

Customers, partners and even employees are attracted by this sincerity.

And that, in a world where transparency is paramount, is an enormous asset for survival.

In a society in search of meaning and authenticity, ikigai is much more than a cool concept.

It's a concrete concept for aligning your ambition with your values, while creating a business that makes a real difference.

Ikigai isn't just a beautiful Japanese theory, it's a practical and accessible method that can really help you transform your aspirations into an aligned and profitable business.

Throughout this article, you've discovered the four fundamental pillars: what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and what you can get paid for.

Thanks to these pillars, you can:

Summary of how to get started

To get started, all you need is a little method and introspection:

Based on these steps, you're well on your way to laying the foundations for an entrepreneurial project that's not only viable, but also deeply satisfying.

Ikigai: a compass for life and business

What makes ikigai so powerful is its evolving nature.

What motivates you today may change tomorrow, and that's normal. The key is to regularly ask yourself these questions:

By taking the time to adjust your ikigai at every stage of your journey, you'll always stay connected to what really matters to you.

And that's the strength of this method: it allows you to build a project that evolves with you.

👉 Don't wait.

Grab a sheet of paper, draw up your columns, connect the dots and explore your ideas.

Even a small action today can bring you closer to your ideal business.

Your ikigai is your compass.

It guides you not only towards a profitable project, but above all towards a life aligned, rich in meaning and full of accomplishment.

The ikigai gives you the keys to creating a business that makes sense and reflects who you are.

Now it's up to you!

Tell me in the comments if you've succeeded in making your ikigai?