Will "building in public" give Ideas to competitors?

I used to be one of those paranoid people worried about launching something and it being replicated. Now I have the total opposite approach.

All the items I now work on are from exact pain points I have had, so I am the target market, so if I don't see it marketed to me the product/service doesn't exist or their marketing is bad, as I don't see ads.

Then during building/launch I think you just need to have the mentality that you are more invested that a potential competitor, will make a superior product and will market it better.

Also remember there is enough to go around for everyone and the chances of someone making the exact product with the exact ICP are minimal. Plus, if Honda, Mazda, Toyota etc didn't think there would be room for diversity , it would be Ford central on the roads.

Don't even think aboiut it and drive on!!

Ideas are everywhere - people that act on them are not. If you build something and it gets copied then you still built something and its out in the world. Big software steals ideas off each other constantly! SAP, Microsoft, Amazon, IBM constantly pinch concepts from each other and they all still make a load of money.

Yes. It can attract competitors. If you think you can't move fast enough, there are chances someone can copy and try this much quicker. But if you are just starting, don't overthink on this. For starters, BuildInPublic is a great channel if you have no traffic sources.

go for it man, never stop!

I would 100% not worry about them copying you because you’re building in public. In fact, given they’re a monopoly, it’s probably one of your key differentiators. Go for it!

There is a saying: "You can buy many different shampoos in the shop."

Don't worry about it, just go! Do it!

I understand your question and concern, but deep down it's unfounded.

The important thing is to make things happen. Create a plan with activities and measure the results of the tasks.
Even if a competitor sees what you're doing, they may not think the execution makes sense. Or they may see high value and reproduce it. It's worth what it's worth. Banning information only limits you and the market is in charge. Creating a business is operating in the market and if you hide, the market doesn't know you and you lose business.

Focus on your product and your customers and grow from there. Study the competition, the channels they use and the sales pitch to see what you can apply.

While "building in public" fosters transparency and community engagement, the risk of providing ideas to competitors exists. However, the benefits, like feedback and a loyal audience, often outweigh this concern. Strategic sharing is key, emphasizing your unique approach without divulging proprietary details, ensuring a delicate balance between openness and safeguarding your innovative edge.

Building in public may be a awesome method to generate early hobby and feedback. I feel you should share enough with your audience to create curiosity but also keeping in mind to avoid revealing critical data.

If they copy your, I believe you're on the right track. That being said, set yourself up to have an advantage: post on a delay to stay ahead.

For me, its the only way I know how to market. Plus I get excited when I build a new feature and want to post it right away.

But to be completely honest, it feels like I'm posting into a void most of the time.

"An idea for a startup, however, is only a beginning. A lot of would-be startup founders think the key to the whole process is the initial idea, and from that point all you have to do is execute. Venture capitalists know better. If you go to VC firms with a brilliant idea that you'll tell them about if they sign a nondisclosure agreement, most will tell you to get lost. That shows how much a mere idea is worth. The market price is less than the inconvenience of signing an NDA."

Quote from Paul Graham, co-founder of Y Combinator, taken from the page on his personal blog called "How to Start a Startup"

(Sorry, I am not allowed to post links yet so I can't link it, or else I would. It has a lot of great advice and a whole section on what ideas are worth.)

I also have such a fear that other companies may copy my product and they probably have more money for it. But now I'm thinking that... as soon as my product became available, I must shout about it wherever possible, because competitors could already notice it and start developing it, so I can't waste time

I totally get where you're coming from. The way I see it is that it can attract competitors, but also fend them off (because you're doing something that they're not willing to do). Not launching ultimately just kicks the can down the road, because nowadays any experienced dev can copy just about any SaaS in a short amount of time. That being said, you can build in public without sharing a lot of the behind the scenes work that really makes the business hum, whether that be SEO strategy or customer connections. If you look at the product as just a piece of the overall business, then building in public can easily have a positive ROI to the business as a whole.

You might miss on insights and other pieces from the prospective buyers, your iteration may go long and you will certainly need more time, effort and money to market your product. Discussing in public will increase your reach. It's easy to copy but you are not gonna discuss everything in the open forum.

I doubt you’ll attract competitors without even an MVP let alone traction. That said, I believe sharing revenue/growth metrics can attract competition once you’re successful.

Building in public makes sense and don't worry about the competition. When you become successful, they'd copy you anyway, as I see it daily following Founders, who pop up, receive lots of success, and then you see tens of copy-cats, which mostly fail.

They can copy your design and features, but not the moat, innovative mindset, and attitude to work hard to succeed.