[problematic]

You need opinions about a new product/idea/business but you keep ideas to yourself because if you put them on a forum someone will rip off the idea. Do you…

A. Talk to friends only.
B. Do hypothetical situations and then discuss it.
C. Ask questions about parts of an idea.
D. Don’t say anything


What DO you do with a good idea but need “second opinion” or some brainstorming?

[Karen]

I ask the people I know and trust, people I know that would give honest feedback and wouldn't steal my idea.

I don't think sharing this type of thing on a public message board is a good idea.

Once you have networked long enough and have developed a circle of people, you have many more people you can talk to without these worries.

In the mean time, ask your close friends or family. Oh course, most of us have friends and family that spend all their time telling us everything that can go wrong in every situation.

If you need someone to bounce your ideas off, send me a PM and I will discuss it with you.

Karen

[mpnetwork]

I'll discuss a concept with anyone I trust who can give a unique perspective and opinion. This could be friends, family, clients, and business contacts.

[ericesquire]

How about all of the above? I have found myself doing all of those, it just depends on the idea.

[GSchubert751]

discuss your idea with friends and interested VC's and Angels

[malachi69]

I talk about ideas to anyone. I was born in the US, so it is natural that there will be competitors anyway. Competition is what business is all about. Even if the person listens to my idea and then runs with it, I don't mind because I believe my problem solving skills provide me with an innovative way to always stay ahead of the competition.

Take a look at MIcrosoft Windows verse Linux. Linux is a better operating system, much more reliable. However, Microsoft has come up with innovative way to keep people using Windows anyway.

If I create an invention or some type of work I will not share that with others. I will copyright/patent it before having a conversation. However when it comes to just general business ideas I'll talk to anyone, because I know that I will have competition anyway.

[GSchubert751]

malachi69, that is true but you must also take into consideration that somebody make take your idea and jump on it. I think the one thing that an entrepreneur posses that he / she is born with that cannot be learned (you can pay 250k in business classes at the finest business schools in the world). but every entrepreneur has the gift of being able to see a Niche or something in the business world that hasnt been done and a needed service or product that they can provide to somebody that noboy else has thought of.

[problematic]

Hey George, you are absolutely right. The web site I recently developed was based on that premise. No one else had thought of it, noncompetitive models making a ton of money. It still scares me to talk about it.

[malachi69]

What I am trying to get accross is that no matter what your niche is, your niche will not be a niche for long because business is based on competition.

For example, Dell thought they had a niche by making computers with specifications that are unique to the users. Now all companies are trying to convert over to that system. Therefore their niche is no longer a niche.

Microsoft Windows had a niche in the industry because their operating system was easy to use. However now all the other operating systems are are trying to follow that trend also.

That is why I don't really think it matters who you talk to about an idea. Even if you created a whole new business that was never done before another person is sure to copy. You can never get away from the inevitable fact that competition will come eventually.

[problematic]

One time I talked to Phillips Dupont in the Netherlands about a product idea I had and in six months they patented it and had it on the market.

[malachi69]

Originally posted by problematic
One time I talked to Phillips Dupont in the Netherlands about a product idea I had and in six months they patented it and had it on the market.

I've had the same experience before. However, I always believed I should have done my idea rather than just telling people about it while taking no action. By taking no action I was just begging for soemthing like that to happen.