Secrecy or Transparency

I watched the movie Duplicity the other week and thought about it then, but I didn't realize until now that I am playing my own games in the same way, only it is much more destructive. The movie is about 2 double-agents in the corporate world of war. Between two main companies are millions of dollars at stake for minor percentages of market cap.

I am not at that level. At all.

But why am I fearing that someone will steal my ideas? Why do I keep a tight rein on the thoughts and ideas that I have when I start things in my business? I have this idea that my ideas are my money. And if I let out my ideas, I won't make money. This isn't true. What I have deduced is that ideas are free and easy. Everyone has them, and a lot of people have great ones [Seth Godin on ideas]. But it is the ability for the businessman, specifically the entrepreneur, to be able to capitalize on them.

That is why all the multi-level marketing schemes work (which I almost got into, but didn't). They work because they promise the world, and show the people that are doing amazing things with their package. And the package is available to anyone, but it takes a certain person to be able to really capitalize on it. And those people are few and far between. That is why this entrepreneurial wave will not last. But I think the next generation of kids who watched their parents will be successful. Why? Because they were able to watch subjectively and understand the problems and will fix them.

But back to my point, if you want people to trust you, you cannot keep things from them. If you want people to buy from you, you must have them trust you and trust what you are selling. So from here on out, I am going to be completely forthright with my business. Down to everything. Because I know that I can make money from it. I know how, and I have seen it done. My ideas might spark other entrepreneurs to crowd my market, but isn't that what I am doing now?

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This is a guest post from my other blog AllCityStartup.blogspot.com