I have an idea - now what?

[jon763]

I've had an idea for an image stock agency business. I have spent a bit of time doing as much market research as I can using Google (I realise this probably isn't the most effective or reliable method), and I reckon I'm on to a winner. In fact I was quite excited when I had the idea and spent a few hours developing it!

My situation is that I am not sure what the next step is. I don't want to risk other people stealing the idea, so I'm not sure how to talk to people in the industry about it. I am worried about even talking to potential contributors about the idea to gauge their interest, as I am mindful that they are a very enterprising bunch!

So I would really like some advice on where to go with this Thanks for your help

[meaghannf]

Find some way to connect with any professionals in the industry who you trust, sit down with them, and just talk through your idea. Chances are, someone who knows a lot about the industry personally is going to have a lot of feedback and suggestions and not only will you have a chance to learn about the feasibility of your project, but you might find out how tough your skin is. You're going to face a lot of setbacks no matter what kind of business you start and if you figure out in the first conversation that you just can't bear to hear any negative remarks, then that's good to know (and work on!). If you can deal with constructive criticism, then you'll have a great foundation for developing your project and you will have those suggestions from the professional with which you spoke.

[rogercbryan]

Launch your idea and see if it works. Worrying about other people stealing your idea is a waste of time. Unless you are an engineer of some sort I can guarantee someone else has thought of the same idea that you have. Instead of launching it they sat back and worried about 'what if someone steals it'. If it's that good of an idea then launch it... and see what happens.

[jon763]

Thank you both for your advice
Roger, I only wish that I could see it as being as simple as that! I have no contacts in the industry, other than a community of amateur photographers on a few forums, certainly no-one that I know well enough to quiz about the feasability of my idea, never mind the fact that they aren't "insiders".
I have a small amount of cash to invest, but I am keen to do this wisely, and with an informed mind (which is why I think I need to run my idea past a few people). Shuold I invest in a website? A course to clue me up more on how the industry operates in detail? I also have questions that I need answering with regards the specifics of how to set up this particular idea - where to start, how to grow, etc.
I guess they're pretty lame Qs to an experienced entrepreneur, but they're Qs that I don't know the answers to!

[capforge]

Is there something different between your idea and istockphoto.com or any of the many many imitators they have? It seems like worrying about this idea getting out is 7 or 8 years too late??

[rogercbryan]

Thank you both for your advice
Roger, I only wish that I could see it as being as simple as that! I have no contacts in the industry, other than a community of amateur photographers on a few forums, certainly no-one that I know well enough to quiz about the feasability of my idea, never mind the fact that they aren't "insiders".
I have a small amount of cash to invest, but I am keen to do this wisely, and with an informed mind (which is why I think I need to run my idea past a few people). Shuold I invest in a website? A course to clue me up more on how the industry operates in detail? I also have questions that I need answering with regards the specifics of how to set up this particular idea - where to start, how to grow, etc.
I guess they're pretty lame Qs to an experienced entrepreneur, but they're Qs that I don't know the answers to!

I'm sorry but all I here are excuses... if the idea is any good then it will have a chance... Do you even know what you are waiting for?

[jon763]

Is there something different between your idea and istockphoto.com or any of the many many imitators they have? It seems like worrying about this idea getting out is 7 or 8 years too late??

Yes it would be a fundamentally different approach, which I think will encourage contributors to join up quickly and contribute more regularly than they might otherwise, and at the same time reduce some of the up-front costs of setting up and running the operation.

[capforge]

Well then I suggest you just launch. The established competitors aren't going to move fast enough until it is too late to copy what you have done. Anyone else will be starting in the same position you are- square one. So, just start it and see what happens. Have the website built quick and dirty at rentacoder and then pretty it up if it takes off. This doesn't sound like an expensive proposition, so the cheapest way to test it is likely just to do it- don't worry about talking to experts or getting photographer feedback or whatnot. Just do it (to steal a phrase).

[zharlene]

jon763, if you think your idea is 100% unique, new and ground-breaking you might want to partner with someone or a group to realize your business, especially if you can't do it all yourself. But if you think your idea isn't quite 'out of the box' in terms of uniqueness, you should just tell the right people about it.

Remember to analyse demands, talk to people who might need your company.

[jon763]

Thanks all for your advice. I certainly intend talking with people, I just need to figure out who, and how best to approach them!

Thanks for the rentacoder tip too