The ideation process for entrepreneurial endeavors is often times the most glorified process of the start-up process. In movies it is seen as the 'ah-ha!' moment that magically comes said individual. But this is rarely the case, and if it is, the idea is usually lackluster at best.

A truly good ideation process is hard.

There are some hard questions to keep in the forefront of ones mind when tackling a new endeavor. Here are some of my favorites:

Are we streamlining a process or inventing a better one?

This may be a personal preference for business opportunities, but I would argue that nearly all businesses fall into one of these two categories. The current standing model would have you believe start-ups are all about solving a pain or need. Not so. Streamlining a process is often-times the best business model out there. Do it right, remove steps from a process and you'll have your user group.

Is there an automation opportunity here?

Getting any business operational and profitable is hard. Don't make it harder. This applies to not only the tech world but most industries. How can we get more with less capital, effort, and most importantly, time.

How can we induce addictive behavior?

This one is far too often overlooked, perhaps for the fact that it is extremely challenging. What high level behaviors can be discovered that an audience will want to repeat over and over? It's one thing to get them there, another to get them to return a second time.

• Check out the Stanford d.school for some awesome ideation experiences.