Listen to this business model: an 11-year-old girl heard the repetitive news about passwords being stolen and compromised, and started a business creating passwords for people.

Screen Shot 2015-11-11 at 2.02.36 PMWhile others were worrying and complaining, Mira not only found a solution to their headaches, but found a way to profit from that solution as well.

This is no new phenomena. Many of history’s most successful innovators have built their empires on a keen ear and a problem-solving mind. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door.”

The question is, what are your problems? Here’s a challenge for you, Biz Kid: keep a pad of paper in with you everywhere you go this week. Anytime you experience something unpleasant or challenging, write it down. At the end of the week, look at your list of “problems” and brainstorm some solutions. Then choose one or two to follow through on.

You never know: you just may discover that “better mousetrap” that the world is waiting for.