Lately, I found myself scrolling through startup forums and noticed a common theme. People are notoriously protective of their ideas.
- “My current concern is protecting my idea.”
- “I have a really unique product idea, but I’m worried the big players will steal the product.”
- “Should I copyright my idea before I approach investors?”
- “Can I get people to sign an NDA before I start talking about my ideas?”
I get it. I am, too.
If you’ve read any of my previous blog posts, you’ll find something suspiciously missing in my journey through problem discovery. I don’t mention the product ideas I’m currently pursuing. Why? Fear.
- Fear or rejection: what if someone thinks my idea is terrible and shoots it down?
- Fear of failure: what if my idea doesn’t work out and I look like an idiot?
- Fear of judgment: what if someone tears my idea apart and thinks less of my skills and expertise?
Despite the lizard brain and my defense kicking in, I know sharing ideas early and frequently is incredibly beneficial. By talking to other people, you can gain valuable insights and feedback that can help shape your idea into something more tangible.
As for idea thefts? Sure, you may be sitting on a revolutionarily unique idea (personally, this isn’t the case for me). But clever ideas still end up maturing in different forms. Ideas are a dime a dozen. Execution is everything.
So as a means of talking the talk and walking the walk, I’ll lead by example and share my own hypotheses and problem discovery work from the past month as a case study.