Intellectual Property: Don’t Let Someone Steal Your Business Idea!

Everyday that you avoid talking about your dreams is just another day that something incredible could have happened to help.

It’s amazing how some people avoid talking about what they do. Worse yet, sometimes when they have an idea for a business, or are in the process of starting something, they still feel like they need to keep quiet; sometimes they’re nervous, embarrassed, or just think their timing is premature. But isn’t this when you need help more than ever?

Here are a couple of the most common excuses about keeping quiet, and some advice on how to do just the opposite.

Someone will steal my idea!
Ideas are cheap – any entrepreneur will tell you that. Fortunately, most people are not entrepreneurs, and will never do anything with even the greatest of ideas they may hear. If you really think there is a serious threat, particularly regarding patents and inventions, talk to a lawyer and learn what you should and should not say, which will help to put your mind at ease.

I’m not ready to do anything with it yet
There are a million reasons why we procrastinate when making major life decisions, but when it comes to putting a really big idea into action, sometimes you just have to take a chance. If there is an idea that has been nagging at you for years, it might never leave you alone until you do something about it. Just take some baby steps and start talking to people. Things sometimes happen when you least expect them to.

I haven’t done enough research yet
Few people are ever totally prepared for launching a business or big idea – and that’s okay. The unspoken rule, particularly among entrepreneurs, is that you figure out most things along the way. So dive in and take every challenge as it comes – the unknown will soon be just another adventure to you.

What if people think it’s silly?
If confidence is your big stopping block, start working on it now. Without believing that you can make this thing fly, you’re going to have a hard time convincing anyone else of it. Now is the time to be bold and prove to the world that you are the next great thinker and doer – you’ll find that your enthusiasm can be really contagious.

I don’t want to risk losing my job
This is a very real, understandable fear. The first bit of advice in situations like this is not to quit your day job until you have a way to support yourself with your big idea or business. Projects like these always take more time to generate money than we expect. Second, don’t let your new business interfere with your responsibilities at work; at some point it will become a problem to balance both, and that’s when you leave. Third, in some cases, employers can actually be supportive of people trying to start their own companies, especially if they will not be direct competitors, and if the employees are not what you’d call “essential” to the operation of their businesses. Since this is not too common, however, be sure you know your employer’s attitudes about life after the company pretty well before spilling the news.

So, now that we’ve covered the big reasons you may have for hiding your dreams, just think about what you could gain from squawking. Give it a try – start telling everyone about your plans or thoughts and see what happens.