Startup Idea Secret Keeping
Yesterday I wrote how the Instagram and Snapchat stories are largely about hitting the lucky idea jackpot. The emphasis on the idea as the supreme valuable component of the startup causes many to believe that startup ideas should be kept secret.
The big problem with startup idea secret keeping is that ideas typically do not flourish in isolation. The odds that your startup idea is a jackpot are so minuscule that it is not worth consideration.
In fact, your startup idea probably stinks. And you don’t know that until you share it with others and get it torn to shreds.
When your startup idea is torn to shreds, the real test comes with how you react. Even great ideas have their naysayers. We had plenty of prominent naysayers in our story. I’ve written before about taking advice from others and about startup ideas of mine that were ripped to shreds which I abandoned (here and here).
On the topic of Instagram and Snapchat, here is an interesting post where the author freely puts up 3 more interesting photo-related startup ideas. Maybe you could grab one of those and hit the lucky photo jackpot!
When we started our company, “stealth mode” startups were cool. Now they are viewed skeptically for the reasons above.
What are your thoughts on startup idea secrets?