Whether you’re looking for an idea to start a business or ideas to grow your existing business, inspiration can often be found in what other businesses are doing.

Here are seven great websites for doing just that:

Springwise.com & Trendwatching.com

Springwise and it’s sister site Trendwatching utilise a network of thousands of individual spotters from around the world who all send in innovative new business ideas that they see or hear about.

Spingwise and Trendwatching give them context and show how they relate to bigger ideas.

Trendhunter.com

Trendhunter calls itself ‘the world’s most updated, largest collection of cutting edge ideas’. Everything from fashion trends to business ideas are represented and there are fresh ideas pouring in from across the globe 24 hours a day. It all seems a little daunting at first but if you spend a few minutes getting used to the site you’ll find plenty to keep your mind buzzing with ideas for days.

NicheGeek.com

Perfect inspirational fodder for small business - especially online business - ideas. Did you know that people make money suggesting domain names or that smashing plates in San Diego is a great new business idea.

KillerStartups.com

They review 15 online startups every day. What more do you need to know?

Innovation.alltop.com

If you haven’t come across AllTop before, it’s a categorised collection of the world’s top blogs. The Innovation category may be a little techie for some people but there are dozens of interesting sites to check out and keep up-to-date with the latest thinking and innovations.

StumbleUpon.com

Install the Stumble toolbar, tell Stumble what you like and then let it bounce you around dozens of websites in your niche. 90% of what you find might just be a diversion but even if 10% of what you find gets you thinking, it could be well worth 20 minutes of your time.

Oh, and don’t forget to give us a little Stumble too.