I hear that all the time. In fact, that is the most common response I receive when I talk to people about Shrimp Tank. My quick and to the point response is, “the first one to share an idea with the world is the first one to prove it’s theirs.”
However, there is so much more to this.
Here are more questions you need to ask yourself:
“How am I going to get rich or change the world with my idea if I do not tell anyone?”
“How am I going to build my team of diverse talents if I do not tell anyone?”
“How am I going to raise money to develop my idea if I do not tell anyone?”
“How am I going to get feedback and validation for my idea if I do not tell anyone?”
“How am I going to find out if my good idea is a good idea if I do not tell anyone?”
Now let us go a little deeper…
If you share an idea and someone else wants to develop it, why do you think they won’t need you? And, why do you think you won’t need them. Chances are if that person is someone that will take your idea and run with it, that is exactly the person you need on your team. If you are the kind of player that recognizes such talent, then you are the kind of person they need as well.
It is more important to be a first mover than not to be copied. Who cares if your idea is stolen, copied, or whatever? If it is a good idea, it is going to be copied. That’s why in economics, profit is always 0 in the long run. It is a foregone conclusion that competition will enter any market where there is money up for grabs. Your only focus needs to be on putting money in your pocket today, not keeping it out of everyone else’s pockets tomorrow. Therefore, take action! Prove to the world that you own your idea right now. Start validating your idea right now. Start building a team right now. Show the world that you are the idea person that takes action. Show them that you are the person they need.