make an idea into money, even if it's only a bit

September 4, 2006 11:04 PM

i have a business idea but not much time to start the business. i think it's a good enough idea that it's plausible enough to sell to similar companies; how would i do that?

without giving up details, i've concieved a pretty viable value add to a service that exists in startup form in several places around the country. it's far outside the scope of my nornal interests and i'm in the middle of school, so i don't really want to try to make it into a business at all right now, but someone's gonna think of it sooner or later. how can i take advantage of the opportunity?

posted by andifsohow to work & money (8 comments total)

Take an entrepreneurship course and make it your project.
posted by acoutu at 11:09 PM on September 4, 2006

Honestly, ideas are a dime a dozen and it's very very unlikely that you have an idea that is so revolutionary that someone hasn't thought of it and probably tried it out before. Success in business usually is solely a result of the execution.

That being said, if you have something that truly is novel, you should try getting a patent on it. Typically, that's the way you'd protect your new idea.

If that doesn't fit with your area of business, then your only other real way of capitalizing on this idea is to either get a business partner who is willing to pay you something for this idea, or to go into business yourself.
posted by bshort at 11:26 PM on September 4, 2006

Ideas are a dime a dozen. As are questions about developing business ideas:

If you thought you had a great business idea, ... how would you go about getting venture capital funding
July 16, 2004 9:02 PM

Starting a business...
August 6, 2005 1:03 PM

Is my new business idea good and unique?
November 21, 2005 3:50 AM

I have gaps.
January 23, 2006 11:23 AM

Where can I find a partner for my business?
February 26, 2006 5:35 PM

how do I protect my idea when presenting it to a potential partner?
May 7, 2006 10:50 PM

posted by Chuckles at 11:29 PM on September 4, 2006

Not repeats of the same question - sorry if I implied that - just trying to be clever..
posted by Chuckles at 11:30 PM on September 4, 2006

Ideas are not worth money.

That said. Check out what Ze Frank has to say about Brain Crack.
posted by mmdei at 11:36 PM on September 4, 2006

Excellent, excellent article on the value (or lack thereof) of an idea by Derek Sivers of CD Baby.
posted by JakeWalker at 6:44 AM on September 5, 2006

From the oft-linked Paul Graham: Actually, startup ideas are not million dollar ideas, and here's an experiment you can try to prove it: just try to sell one. Nothing evolves faster than markets. The fact that there's no market for startup ideas suggests there's no demand. Which means, in the narrow sense of the word, that startup ideas are worthless.
posted by MetaMonkey at 9:10 AM on September 5, 2006

Just remembered - if it's software, how about Cambrian House? It's fairly new, but looks intriguing.
posted by MetaMonkey at 9:13 AM on September 5, 2006