Brutally Effective Brainstorming Prompts

Brutally Effective Brainstorming Prompts

Get Unstuck. Think Bigger. Execute Smarter.

Brutally Effective Brainstorming Prompts

Let’s be honest: most brainstorming sessions suck. Whiteboards stay empty. Sticky notes are filled with recycled nonsense. People say “no bad ideas,” but then avoid any idea that doesn’t feel immediately safe or shippable.

You’re not here for another fluffy ideation framework. You want questions that punch your thinking in the face—and shake loose something fresh. Something that might just turn into a bold product decision, a new strategy, or an unfair advantage.

These prompts aren’t about playing nice. They’re meant to break your thinking. In the best way possible.

1. What if we charged 10x more?

If you had to justify a 10x price hike, what would need to change?

• Would the product have to feel like luxury?

• What type of buyer would pay that much—and would they brag about it?

• Could you add services or support that only cost you 2x more but give 10x margin?

Stop pricing like you’re scared. Price like you’re solving real pain for high-stakes players.

2. What if we had zero customers tomorrow?

No legacy, no expectations. How would you launch today?

• What would your homepage say if no one knew you?

• What features would you kill?

• What positioning would finally make sense?

Too many companies are stuck serving yesterday’s customers. Design for the ones you actually want.

3. What if we banned tech support?

No email. No chat. No “please hold.” Now what?

• How would you fix onboarding?

• What would have to become stupidly simple?

• Where would you give users control so they don’t need to ask?

If your product needs handholding, it’s broken. Kill the crutches. Build the damn clarity.

4. What would be the most fun thing to build?

Fun isn’t fluff. Fun is fuel.

• What feature would energize the team?

• What tech do you want to play with that users would love?

• What’s a selfishly enjoyable project that also moves the needle?

Happy teams ship better stuff. Every. Single. Time.

5. What if our top competitor copied us, feature for feature?

Now what?

• Is your design or UX better?

• Do people trust your brand more?

• Can you build faster than they can mimic?

Features get copied. Identity doesn’t. Build something they can’t replicate.

6. What if we had two weeks to launch a real feature?

No fluff. Just MVP—or better yet, an SLC (Simple, Lovable, Complete).

• What’s the core?

• What can be manual behind the scenes?

• What would deliver real value even if messy?

Hackathons prove we can move fast. Scope like it matters. Because it does.

7. What if our business model had to flip?

• Usage-based? Try flat-rate.

• Tiered monthly? Try metered daily.

Would you serve different users? Change your positioning? Need different features?

Your pricing model defines your roadmap more than you think. Challenge it before someone else does.

8. What if we weren’t allowed to have a website?

No .com. No landing pages. No blog.

• Could your users sell it for you?

• Would people still discover you through word-of-mouth or product-led virality?

• Is the product itself the funnel?

If your growth depends entirely on a homepage, you’ve already lost.

Meeting with a team optional?

9. What if we banned meetings?

Total async. No standups. No brainstorms. No check-ins.

• How would new hires get up to speed?

• How would you make high-stakes decisions?

• How would culture and camaraderie survive?

Most meetings are cover for poor systems. Build better systems.

10. What if we never talked to a customer again?

Can you measure behavior so well that you don’t need feedback forms or interviews?

• Would you launch fake buttons to test demand?

• Would you monitor feature usage more aggressively?

• Could you scrape competitor reviews for signal?

Data doesn’t lie. People often do (even when they mean well).

11. What if cost didn’t matter?

You could spend 100x more—even if it’s unprofitable.

• What service or experience would you build?

• Could you give everyone a concierge?

• Would it unlock a new pricing tier?

Sometimes you need to act like money is no object… to discover what actually moves the needle.

12. What if the CEO was a sociopath?

No politics. No empathy. Just brutal clarity.

• Would you kill entire product lines?

• Re-org teams overnight?

• Pivot the company like your job depends on it?

Sometimes bold decisions are the only way forward. Explore them—even if you don’t pull the trigger.

13. What could kill us?

• A competitor with a better price and product.

• A tech failure or breach.

• A market crash or shift.

List every existential threat. Most are noise. But a few? You should act on those—yesterday.

14. What if our only goal was to help people?

Forget MRR. Forget CAC. What would you build to change your customers’ lives?

• Help small biz grow?

• Help creators shine?

• Help people feel more human?

Purpose is a growth lever. Especially with Gen Z. Good vibes can drive good revenue.

15. What if we could only launch ONE thing this year?

• What’s your one shot?

• What would generate the most revenue, impact, loyalty?

Force yourself to focus. Your whole trajectory probably hinges on a few key moves anyway. Make the right one.

This isn’t theoretical. It’s how companies like Airbnb, Amazon, Netflix, and Robinhood pulled off industry-shifting plays.

Apply one of these Brutally Effective Brainstorming Prompts per week in a working session. Force your team to answer. Then act.

You don’t need a thousand ideas. You need one that changes everything.