I see this common fear and subsequent thread popping up every so often, so I just have a few thoughts that may help with developing an abundance/carefree mindset:
1. Your idea isn’t unique
There is nothing new under the sun. Your “one-of-a-kind” and “world changing” idea is anything but.
Many people have already thought of the same thing, years and even decades before you ever did. In fact, there’s probably hundreds of people thinking about it right now. For the most part, they just don’t do anything about it (as you haven’t).
This is why no one can protect an idea from being copied or stolen. Ideas are too abstract, universal and intangible to ever successfully claim ownership of them. It’s why there are no “idea lawyers” out there. Only when something is created and materialized into the world, can it be protected and defended from infringement. Until that has happened, the possibility of all ideas (including yours) will continue to run free in the minds of like-minded people, all around the world, all the time.
It belongs to anyone else as much as it belongs to you.
2. Your idea < your execution
When we sit on our ideas for a very long time, at some point we may see it in the open marketplace, with all the markers of success. We may even think to ourselves, “That was MY idea. I should have made it happen when I had the chance and I'd be a millionaire by now“.
But it’s not true.
The people who created the same product you once imagined, did so with distinct features, materials and specifications. They developed it with different processes, and promoted it to an entirely different audience. They had a different budget, and operated with an entirely different team.
There are too many variable factors at play, with the idea being just ONE of them, that made the company a success. You cannot conclude that you would have been equally (or more) successful if you launched the idea in their place. There is no certainty of that — in fact, chances are that your style would have led to failure, since there are more failures than successes in the market, and their approach led to success. Most other scenarios would not have had a similar outcome.
If the Winklevoss twins had created Facebook as they had originally intended, it may well have crashed and burned in the first year under the HarvardConnection banner, and MySpace would still be the juggernaut of the social media kingdom. We don’t really know what would have happened, but it’s almost certain that Facebook would not be the giant that it is today if the twins had their way with it. The idea alone is simply not enough.
There are no “million dollar ideas”. There are only “million dollar executions”.
3. Your idea isn’t worth the effort
There are few people in the world who, upon hearing of an idea, drop what they are currently doing and begin to pursue your idea instead. They would have to be equally convinced of the opportunity, be free from other distractions, have the time and money to build or outsource it, and the perseverance to endure through any struggles they face along the way. I don’t know anyone like that, and I doubt you would either.
Entrepreneurs are a rare breed, let alone entrepreneurs who steal ideas. Typically, hard-working entrepreneurs have myriad of ideas of their own and don't have the wherewithal to chase yours. They just aren’t wired in that way, nor are most people.
Most importantly, your idea hasn’t been proven to work. The concept is still risky, and the odds of failure are still relatively high. Add that layer of complexity onto an already exclusive shortlist of potentials, and you’ll begin to see why there is almost nobody left to even entertain the thought of stealing it.
4. You idea is (usually) serving you
Most ideas arise out of our own desire to solve a problem we face on a frequent basis. If an idea is to solve a certain problem that another person cannot relate to, why would they ever choose to invest in it in a meaningful way?
Your problems are unique to you, as is your perspective toward how you would solve them. For example, if you work in a warehouse for a specific company that ships a specific product, there would be few people who could experience its day-to-day challenges, along with its potential solutions. Only you would know what to develop and how to test it. Only you would know what to look for in a prototype and what materials would be most advantageous for that specific scenario. Whether it be certain software or a physical tool, not many would have any practical reason to pursue such an idea without in-depth knowledge of the problem.
In addition to your unique information and skillset, is the motivation to develop such ideas. There may be a few out there, but realistically, how many entrepreneurs would really be passionate and determined to create software or tools that they won’t even use themselves? This is why it’s best to focus on ideas that, at the very worst, will be a benefit to you, even if nothing else comes of it. If somebody wants to steal that type of idea, frankly, they are doing you a favor.
5. Let's address the core issue here
Being scared that someone is going to steal your amazing idea is embarrassing to you as a person. It is an indication that you are not confident of your ability to generate many more fantastic ideas. You are of the attitude that "THIS groundbreaking idea is the only one I have, and none greater will come after". You have limited yourself as an individual, and carry with you a mindset of scarcity and lack, as opposed to a mindset of abundance and overflow.
You will always have another great idea, if you are truly an entrepreneur who seeks to help people and solve problems. There are too many opportunities for one person to pursue in his lifetime. Plus, sharing yours will only improve the likelihood of developing a worthy one, as you are likely to receive critical user feedback from peers and constituents alike. We don’t realize how many ideas we really have, until we stop and think about them, which helps us understand how lofty and ambitious we would have to be to go after all of them.
Rant over.
Hope that helped.
1. Your idea isn’t unique
There is nothing new under the sun. Your “one-of-a-kind” and “world changing” idea is anything but.
Many people have already thought of the same thing, years and even decades before you ever did. In fact, there’s probably hundreds of people thinking about it right now. For the most part, they just don’t do anything about it (as you haven’t).
This is why no one can protect an idea from being copied or stolen. Ideas are too abstract, universal and intangible to ever successfully claim ownership of them. It’s why there are no “idea lawyers” out there. Only when something is created and materialized into the world, can it be protected and defended from infringement. Until that has happened, the possibility of all ideas (including yours) will continue to run free in the minds of like-minded people, all around the world, all the time.
It belongs to anyone else as much as it belongs to you.
2. Your idea < your execution
When we sit on our ideas for a very long time, at some point we may see it in the open marketplace, with all the markers of success. We may even think to ourselves, “That was MY idea. I should have made it happen when I had the chance and I'd be a millionaire by now“.
But it’s not true.
The people who created the same product you once imagined, did so with distinct features, materials and specifications. They developed it with different processes, and promoted it to an entirely different audience. They had a different budget, and operated with an entirely different team.
There are too many variable factors at play, with the idea being just ONE of them, that made the company a success. You cannot conclude that you would have been equally (or more) successful if you launched the idea in their place. There is no certainty of that — in fact, chances are that your style would have led to failure, since there are more failures than successes in the market, and their approach led to success. Most other scenarios would not have had a similar outcome.
If the Winklevoss twins had created Facebook as they had originally intended, it may well have crashed and burned in the first year under the HarvardConnection banner, and MySpace would still be the juggernaut of the social media kingdom. We don’t really know what would have happened, but it’s almost certain that Facebook would not be the giant that it is today if the twins had their way with it. The idea alone is simply not enough.
There are no “million dollar ideas”. There are only “million dollar executions”.
3. Your idea isn’t worth the effort
There are few people in the world who, upon hearing of an idea, drop what they are currently doing and begin to pursue your idea instead. They would have to be equally convinced of the opportunity, be free from other distractions, have the time and money to build or outsource it, and the perseverance to endure through any struggles they face along the way. I don’t know anyone like that, and I doubt you would either.
Entrepreneurs are a rare breed, let alone entrepreneurs who steal ideas. Typically, hard-working entrepreneurs have myriad of ideas of their own and don't have the wherewithal to chase yours. They just aren’t wired in that way, nor are most people.
Most importantly, your idea hasn’t been proven to work. The concept is still risky, and the odds of failure are still relatively high. Add that layer of complexity onto an already exclusive shortlist of potentials, and you’ll begin to see why there is almost nobody left to even entertain the thought of stealing it.
4. You idea is (usually) serving you
Most ideas arise out of our own desire to solve a problem we face on a frequent basis. If an idea is to solve a certain problem that another person cannot relate to, why would they ever choose to invest in it in a meaningful way?
Your problems are unique to you, as is your perspective toward how you would solve them. For example, if you work in a warehouse for a specific company that ships a specific product, there would be few people who could experience its day-to-day challenges, along with its potential solutions. Only you would know what to develop and how to test it. Only you would know what to look for in a prototype and what materials would be most advantageous for that specific scenario. Whether it be certain software or a physical tool, not many would have any practical reason to pursue such an idea without in-depth knowledge of the problem.
In addition to your unique information and skillset, is the motivation to develop such ideas. There may be a few out there, but realistically, how many entrepreneurs would really be passionate and determined to create software or tools that they won’t even use themselves? This is why it’s best to focus on ideas that, at the very worst, will be a benefit to you, even if nothing else comes of it. If somebody wants to steal that type of idea, frankly, they are doing you a favor.
5. Let's address the core issue here
Being scared that someone is going to steal your amazing idea is embarrassing to you as a person. It is an indication that you are not confident of your ability to generate many more fantastic ideas. You are of the attitude that "THIS groundbreaking idea is the only one I have, and none greater will come after". You have limited yourself as an individual, and carry with you a mindset of scarcity and lack, as opposed to a mindset of abundance and overflow.
You will always have another great idea, if you are truly an entrepreneur who seeks to help people and solve problems. There are too many opportunities for one person to pursue in his lifetime. Plus, sharing yours will only improve the likelihood of developing a worthy one, as you are likely to receive critical user feedback from peers and constituents alike. We don’t realize how many ideas we really have, until we stop and think about them, which helps us understand how lofty and ambitious we would have to be to go after all of them.
Rant over.
Hope that helped.
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