Business Opportunities Weblog

The Myth Of Stolen Ideas

By on November 23, 2010 in Featured

According to PSFK.com, the Social Network‘ movie has provided us with a wide platform (and plenty of ammunition) to argue the notion of whether ideas are ever truly stolen – or whether he/she that executes it, owns it.

We stumbled onto an interesting anecdote to the debate on Pek Pongpaet’s blog – Pongpaet is the VP of Technology and Product at SpotOn Inc. Pongpaet admits that he’s learned to place little weight on ideas – not necessarily because he thinks little of others’ opinions in comparison to his own, but because nearly everyone has one. What makes an idea valuable is when there’s an execution plan attached to it. A vision and action plan for what to do in order to create or produce that idea is imperative to ‘owning’ it.

For this reason, Pongpaet encourage people with ideas to talk about that idea with everyone and anyone they’re inspired to share it with – and to worry less about the risk of their ’stealing’ it. Those conversations are what may help them arrive at an action plan for bringing that idea to market/life – by tossing thoughts around and ‘borrowing’ from the various perspectives and expertise of others.

Mint.com’s founder Aaron Patzer illustrated this point: I went around and talked to as many people as I could about this idea. A lot of people, when they come up with a business idea, they keep it inside. They don’t want anybody to ’steal’ their idea. I think that’s a horrible idea. I think you should tell everyone and anyone your idea, without fear that they’re going to steal it. It’s all in the execution. A good idea is really a dime a dozen.

Photo by artM.

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Rich Whittle has added 6,226 posts to Business Opportunities Weblog.

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  • http://n.a. Cindy Hawkins

    Makes me chuckle. When I was a foodie back in the 1980′s every bar had its resident guy who’d sit there and from the barstool, give you an earful about his ‘great idea’. But, unlike the folks who are proactive, he never got past the chat. Then a year, maybe two down the road, same dude’s yelling ‘Hey whaddaya know? Remember my idea for… blah blah? Well, I just saw on tv – some guy out in New Mexico stole it!!…!” To which, I would just roll my eyes. I agree, it is important to try something out and see if it ‘listens well’. But moving it to the next level is critical, if it is ever to become MORE than merely a great notion!

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