You're bootstrapping your business. You've got a great idea.
Keep it Secret! Keep it Safe!
Hell no! Shout it from the rooftops!
The very best thing you can do for your business idea is share it with smart people who will challenge you to make it better. Every entrepreneur and investor I know gets annoyed by the statement "I've got a great idea, but I can't share it with you" Who cares! How stupid. If the only thing your business has going for it is the fact that nobody knows what you are doing then how are you going to sell it?
Patents are extremely expensive and difficult to enforce, let alone get issued. Most patents being filed these days are by big companies trying to cover their ass, not by innovative entrepreneurs that are interested in creating a business. Ask yourself what you expect to get out of a patent? Does some fairy show up and say. "Good idea! Good Patent! Here's a pile of money!" Doesn't happen that way.
On the other hand, a wise entrepreneur seeks advice and expertise all around them. The things that will prevent your success will be a complete surprise. Besides, hard work is a better defensible position than secrecy. Fact is, nobody else cares about your idea as much as you do. Very few people are going to put the effort in to taking that idea to profitability.
Next week, lets talk about spending money!
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