Your Idea Doesn't Matter
If you're remotely interested in entrepreneurship, then please read the following sentence ten times: "My idea isn't important."
Repeat the sentence one thousand more times if you've been conversing in the following manners:
"I'm working on this idea... I don't want to tell anyone right now though... but I trust you, so I'll tell you a little about it... just a little."
"Okay, I'll tell you about what I'm doing, but you gotta promise you don't tell anyone, okay?"
"Sign this NDA."
If you talk like that in Silicon Valley, people are going to laugh at you.
Here's why:
1. Your idea is not unique.
Just Google it. 9 times out of 10, you'll find that your idea has been tried and tested in one form or another. Don't be discouraged; this is the norm. Learn from other people's products. Can you improve upon them?
2. Nobody is going to steal your idea.
As much as you like to think you have a brilliant idea, nobody else does. Share your "brilliant" idea with an acquaintance and monitor their reactions. Here's the possible spectrum from worst to best:
a) "I have no clue what you're talking about."
b) "Your idea is horrible."
c) "I suppose that's not a bad idea...[ but frankly, I don't care... ]"
d) "Cool. I think I might use it."
e) "Great. I'll use it."
f) "OMG. That's like... UNBELIEVABLE! I'm gonna steal your idea right now and make a billion dollars!"
Chances are, you'll get a C. If you've an optimistic and encouraging friend, you'll get a D. As for E? That's what entrepreneurs try to reach after they launch their products. They talk to journalists / bloggers, buy ads, make youtube videos... and still 40% of the time they fail completely. F is reserved for the truly accomplished - the companies that have proven their ideas with actual results - results like billion of dollars or millions of users.
Does your idea have a balance sheet, yet? A registration form, maybe?
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(by Hugh Macleod)
3. It's the execution, stupid.
Fine, I bite. You got me. Your idea is the next Christianity and everyone will want to steal your idea once they know about it. So let's keep it a secret until you launch, at which point you're going to be formidable! Just look at forerunners like Friendster, AltaVista, and PhotoBucket! Oh wait...
In the long run, all that matters is your execution and ability to compete. Indeed, keeping your ideas stealth might buy you a little time (naively assuming nobody in the entire world simultaneously comes up with the same idea), but that time is worth nothing if your future competitors execute better than you.
In fact, if you don't share your idea with anybody, your idea will remain what it is: an idea. You competitors, on the other hand, will disclose their ideas and foster discussions. They know people don't steal ideas; they know people give feedback. Taking the feedback in stride, they will focus, execute, and turn ideas into products.
Now, where would that leave you? No idea.
