I've rarely read something that so completely
matched my experience at a startup.
I'd add one more thing: by keeping your idea
secret, you delay finding out the reaction of
your potential customers to your product. And
you may need to make some significant changes to
your product to build a successful business.
One thing to be careful of is that if you are going to file a patent, especially in Europe, you shouldn't disclose the *details* of your invention until the patent has been filed. Of course, IANAL, and this is not legal advice.
By the time anyone's paying attention to what you're doing, you've had time to patent any really interesting idea you have.
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I've rarely read something that so completely matched my experience at a startup. I'd add one more thing: by keeping your idea secret, you delay finding out the reaction of your potential customers to your product. And you may need to make some significant changes to your product to build a successful business. One thing to be careful of is that if you are going to file a patent, especially in Europe, you shouldn't disclose the *details* of your invention until the patent has been filed. Of course, IANAL, and this is not legal advice. By the time anyone's paying attention to what you're doing, you've had time to patent any really interesting idea you have.