
Developing new startup ideas - epi0Bauqu
http://cdixon.org/2010/03/14/developing-new-startup-ideas/
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jcs
Well if he isn't going to share his spreadsheet, we can start our own.

Feel free to add your idea to
[http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=tOGIddn3rPdqKbHWsqaWb...](http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=tOGIddn3rPdqKbHWsqaWbiw&hl=en_GB)
and we'll see where it goes.

~~~
DaniFong
This is very cool. People are starting to vandalize though. I may have to make
my own and close it to editing.

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shafqat
I think he is spot on.

BUT, the fact that he won't share his idea spreadsheet is very disappointing.
My comment on his blog:

"While I agree completely with your thesis, this response makes the whole
thing a wash in my opinion. Do you really think someone reading your blog is
going to steal your idea, build a product, execute and deliver? I'd say the
chances are almost non-existent.

Love the fact that you're telling people to share ideas and get feedback and
be open, but loathe the fact that you won't eat your own dogfood. Saying it
only applies when you show ideas to individuals is weak. But that's just my
opinion."

~~~
ErrantX
> BUT, the fact that he won't share his idea spreadsheet is very disappointing

I think you've fallen for the fallacy associated with "Ideas are worthless".

A lot of people assume that means "share it with everyone" - which is
definitely not what this article is suggesting.

Share it with people you know, people you respect, people who you think will
give input - but share it _personally_

If you are going to attempt to execute an idea throwing it onto HN (for
example) _does_ potentially devalue you it for _you_. The amount of extra
input is potentially useful (though I doubt by much) but the chance of it
being implemented by another shoots right up too :)

(of course; if you dont plan to execute now, or dont see yourself executing
then sharing publicly is a good idea)

~~~
shafqat
Fair point, but I dont think ideas are worthless at all. Given that he is not
building startups to execute on these ideas (and alludes he probably won't be
in the future), I thought it would make his case much more compelling if he
did share. Maybe a few ideas... or just the headline idea without the detail.

I got into a bit of back-and-forth with him on the blog, but I did agree with
his general thesis. FWIW, I think throwing out an idea on HN is not a terrible
idea. The feedback and useful suggestions probably outweigh the risk,
especially if you are already working on building the business (i.e. past the
'idea' stage).

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ErrantX
_FWIW, I think throwing out an idea on HN is not a terrible idea. The feedback
and useful suggestions probably outweigh the risk, especially if you are
already working on building the business (i.e. past the 'idea' stage)._

I suspect it's a case of "each one on it's own merits". Some ideas would see
benefit in being aired publicly. Others less so.

If you dont have people you chat to one-to-one (or in small groups) about your
ideas then I can definitely see the benefit, yes.

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jasonlbaptiste
That's how I went about it and it was absolutely awesome. Look at it this way:

What are the odds that someone steals the exact idea you choose out of the
many you have, sticks with it long enough to matter, AND executes past the
first iteration? You're more likely to get struck by lightning. Let's say the
roles were reversed with Facebook and those two twins _supposedly_ took the
idea from Zuck. Do you really believe they would have had the vision to
iterate beyond a social network for college kids?

On the other hand, you can tell as many people as much as possible. You'll get
a ton of feedback, find flaws, meet new people, and have opportunities present
themselves you would have never had happen otherwise. The odds of that? Very
very likely.

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ryanhuff
While getting as much feedback as possible from a diverse group is great, you
need to be fair with peoples time. Engaging people (VC's, etc) to help vet
your laundry list of ideas seems beyond realistic, unless these people are
already your friends.

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adityakothadiya
This sounds reasonable, but wouldn't I look like another "idea guy" if I keep
bouncing off a list of different ideas to other entrepreneurs or VCs?

Wouldn't they would like to see me being passionate about one market, one
idea, have detailed research about it, being committed about it?

It's very easy to bounce of bunch off ideas with VCs or entrepreneurs - if
they are your friends. But it doesn't seem to be very logical approach for
first time entrepreneurs.

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shykes
I think it's a widely accepted fact that, as a guy with an idea and a laptop
you are worth zero without proper execution. So you have everything to gain by
sharing your idea.

Things get trickier as you build value. There's still plenty of information
you'll benefit from sharing, but it starts mixing with stuff you definitely
don't want to share.

I see a common trait in a lot of successful companies: they found a healthy
balance between too open and too closed.

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matwood
“Don't worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good,
you'll have to ram them down people's throats.” -Howard Aiken

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ethanhuynh
ok, consider this quote "An idea is nothing more nor less than a new
combination of the old inputs" (don't remember exactly who said it), so, when
you share your idea to others and receive feedback, meaning you'll gather more
inputs, and therefore you'll can have more ideas by combining them and you can
also develop your initial idea into a better one (again, by combining your
initial idea with the new inputs)

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DaniFong
What should you do if you _want_ competitors to run off and start with your
idea? I already have my main thing.

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dangoldin
Show that it's profitable!

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DaniFong
God damn it. It's going on the spreadsheet.

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Tichy
Where is his spreadsheet?

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fnid2
I absolutely would NOT put my ideas in a Google spreadsheet. That's a sure way
to share it with everyone you don't want to have it -- like google.

Why on earth would you recommend putting your ideas in a system owned and
controlled by someone else. Put it in a spreadsheet on your own computer or in
a text file.

NOT google spreadsheets.

~~~
coryl
Paranoia much? Do you really think some evil genius at Google is reading your
idea list, waiting for the right one to pop up so he can steal it?

~~~
fnid2
Yeah, I think that. In fact, I'm almost positive of it, because to show me
"relevant" ads, they have to read my spreadsheet.

I don't trust google _at all_. They've shown repeatedly that they are _not_
not evil. Regardless, their stuff isn't very secure. I read about all kinds of
backdoors people find into their apps. Putting your ideas into a google
spreadsheet _is_ sharing it with the world and you'll never be able to delete
it from their lightning machines.

~~~
coryl
_In fact, I'm almost positive of it, because to show me "relevant" ads, they
have to read my spreadsheet._

Its an algorithm that scans through the text to pick up keywords in order to
target advertising. There isn't a person literally reading over your content.

Aside from your paranoia, why do you think your ideas are worth stealing
anyway? I could care less if someone came across a document of my unpursued
ideas. If they can execute them or germinate them better than I can, they
deserve to have them.

~~~
fnid2
They are worth a lot. I implement many of them. And thanks for explaining to
me how the google ads work. I thought they had an army of people looking at
all the web pages and clicking check boxes by the ads that should show there.
It's amazing that they can automate something like that! I have new respect
for google now. That's awesome!

