Focus on creating and articulating a value proposition. The value proposition is a brief explanation for how your target business will benefit from your proposals and how you can make money from your solution. The reason companies are willing to purchase B2B solutions is because they would like to focus on the core elements of their business. A wine company wants to concentrate its energies on making and producing wine. If you can solve some business nuance outside a company's core competencies, then you can be sure you've come up with an excellent idea.
The quickest and easiest way to locate B2B opportunities is to check the news and search for new government mandates. Regardless of the industry, government administrations are always imposing new mandates, and companies are often eager to outsource the implementation. These mandates frequently require expertise far exceeding the capabilities of the people in the firm. For example, the Securities and Exchange Commission has mandated that public filing be compiled in a new business focused computer language for 2011, and many companies are looking to outsource compliance to their accounting firms.
Talk to someone who owns a business. You may not have much experience in the business world, but you may know someone who does. Interview that person and be sure to talk about what areas are challenging for his business. Also, discuss what hinders him from solving the problem with solutions already available. B2B entrepreneurs draw on the experiences of their prospective customers as much as consumer-focused entrepreneurs, so don't be afraid to approach a hypothetical client.
Pick an industry and become knowledgeable with how businesses in those industries work. This is a more challenging approach, but you can alleviate some of the difficulty if you choose an industry with a straight-forward business model or an industry that you have prior knowledge. Analyze specific functions within that industry. For example, Paychex became a B2B behemoth by providing human resource solutions, thus allowing companies to outsource large portions of their human resource departments.