Maybe one of the best things about my chosen home Silicon Valley is that people generally openly share their ideas to receive and give feedback. Compare this to other markets where entrepreneurs still mostly think that sharing your idea will expose you to the risk of stealing; and therefore keep their ideas close to their chest.
Sharing your idea early and often is important for two reasons:
One — it allows you to get feedback early on; I often found that this early feedback is invaluable in shaping and strengthening the idea (and ultimately project). We’ll talk about the details of this in our next post…
And two — it makes the thing you’re building more real. I find this paramount to get you over the hump; to make you more comfortable with the risks associated with starting something and to give you that little bit of extra confidence to do the thing you’re meant to do.
I have been practicing this behavior for pretty much ever. Every time I think about starting something new, I start telling people. First only a few people and with the disclaimer that I might not do it after all. But then, as I collect validation from the market and refine my idea, I start spreading the word as far and wide as I can.
The beautiful thing which happens when you tell the world your idea is that you not only receive tons of good feedback but also all kinds of people start rallying behind you to support you and your idea.
So… What are you working on/building next/thinking about?