The short answer is yes, you can get paid for your ideas. The long answer is that some ideas are worth more than others, and there are several ways to capitalize on them. Here are some examples: You can sell your idea as a product or service directly to a company that wants it. This might be in the form of an invention or artwork you created, software code written by yourself or a team at work/school/university, etc., or even just working as an employee for someone else who needs help with their business plan (or something else). If the idea isn't exactly ready yet but seems like it has potential, then maybe try pitching it first before actually creating anything—this way, the person would pay less but still benefits from having access to whatever knowledge they need before investing any money into development costs, etc.