How do you validate your idea without it being stolen?
I've a pretty good idea for an app and I've identified my future users as well. However I feel afraid that if I talk to them, someone might 'steal' my idea and if they do so, they'd probably build the app faster than me as I'm pretty new to coding.
Could someone tell me how they validated their idea?
Ideas are cheap & easy. Execution is everything. Stop worrying someone would steal the idea, even if they did they wouldn't be as passionate about it as you are.
Talk to users. Get them to pay. Payment is validation.
This comment was deleted 5 years ago
A few ideas:
Pre order on gumroad.
Sell a Lifetime Deal thats refundable if you dont deliver with 2 months.
Set up a kickstarter.
Sell with escrow.com
Sell a result and get that result any way possible. Lead gen, info products, advice are all sold before they exist.
Since others have explained why protecting what we think is an 'idea', is useless; Let me show a possible way to validate your idea.
I have a problem validation platform - needgap. Posts are created by the consumers(incl. entrepreneurs) who have a problem, want to find a solution for their problem, check if others share the same problem, how ever small the problem might be. Builders can post their products in the comments if it solves that particular problem or else discuss with others to create a product to solve that problem(There are couple of products built/being built for problems from needgap).
You can see if there's a problem/need gap which your idea solves and discuss with those who need it on whether it solves it. If not, you will at least gain confidence to validate your idea from seeing other people validating their problems and ideas openly.
I already knew about this platform! (from a reddit comment, I believe)
Thanks for your advice :)
Even after you launch, people can copy your idea, you will be lucky if Facebook copies it.
The value is not in the idea, It is in why you are doing whatever you are doing it, and where you will take it in the future.
I used to feel like this, but you won't move forward with this mentality. It wills stop you from achieving anything due to "fear". Build the product and get paying customers.