The 'Aha!' Moments of Famous Inventors (Infographic)A look at the realizations that inspired the founders of Apple, Ikea, WhatsApp and other massively successful businesses.

ByCatherine Clifford

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

If you are searching for a brilliant business idea, start by looking at the simple problems right in front of you.

After all, finding solutions to the problems at their very own finger tips is what inspired Steve Jobs to launch Apple, Donald Fisher to launch Gap, Ingvar Kampard to launch Ikea and Ben Silbermann to launch Pinterest.

Related:If You Want to Be a Big Deal, Never Stop Learning

想想看:尼克樵夫是冲浪和创造性ed that he could not figure out how to simultaneously ride the waves and take pictures of himself. He solved the problem and createdGoPro, a line of durable cameras that come fitted with mounting gear allowing users to capture images and video of their most active moments. The company went public last month,Wall Street loved the stock, and now GoPro is a multibillion-dollar company. Not bad for finding a way to take a surfing selfie.

Take a look at the infographic below generated bySan Francisco-based startup organization Funders and Foundersfor more stories of how many of the most successful entrepreneurs got started by looking at their own problems and finding a solution.

Click to Enlarge+
The 'Aha!' Moments of Famous Inventors (Infographic)

Related:How Fair Trade Went From a Crazy Coffee Concept to a Global Sustainability Trend

Catherine Clifford

Senior Entrepreneurship Writer at CNBC

Catherine Clifford is senior entrepreneurship writer at CNBC. She was formerly a senior writer at Entrepreneur.com, the small business reporter at CNNMoney and an assistant in the New York bureau for CNN. Clifford attended Columbia University where she earned a bachelor's degree. She lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. You can follow her on Twitter at @CatClifford.

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