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Selling a new idea on the internet?
JimJimBinks
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I know this is kinda out there for this forum, but I didn't know where else to put it.
This afternoon, when browsing some stores online I had an idea for something regarding online retailers that I'd never seen anywhere else. Obviously I'm hesitant to go into great detail when it comes to what the idea is. But like I said, I haven't seen it anywhere else and the more I think about it the more I'm convinced it could be big. Anyway, onto my question...
If someone wants to market a new idea to a bunch of retail websites out there, or even start a new business revolved around an idea, where the heck do you start? Does what I'm asking even make sense?
This afternoon, when browsing some stores online I had an idea for something regarding online retailers that I'd never seen anywhere else. Obviously I'm hesitant to go into great detail when it comes to what the idea is. But like I said, I haven't seen it anywhere else and the more I think about it the more I'm convinced it could be big. Anyway, onto my question...
If someone wants to market a new idea to a bunch of retail websites out there, or even start a new business revolved around an idea, where the heck do you start? Does what I'm asking even make sense?
JimJimBinks on
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I run a small internet business myself and have seen hundreds of 'fads' in retail junk. To get an idea out I would recommend being your own boss, but thats just what has worked for me. Networking with friends in the same area of interest is always a safe bet as well.
You will need a patent lawyer to help craft a water-tight application.
Can I be brutally honest? Yes? Thanks. The odds that you have an idea that is 1) novel, 2) feasible, 3) would actually result in profit and 4) so Earth-shattering that merely posting it on the Internet would cause it to be stolen and implemented by Nefarious Parties are somewhere between slim and none, and slim is on his way out of town.
You need an idea to start a business, but you cannot start a business based solely on an idea. You can start a business based on a plan, which usually involves 1) an idea, 2) a team of people, 3) a strategy for implementing that idea, and 4) very, very good evidence that if you actually do implement that idea, it will be profitable. Note that (1) is the tremendously easy part here.
If your idea is really that Earth-shattering, as Lewisham said, you can get a patent. Disclaimer: IANAL but I have participated in patent litigation as a technical consultant. Getting a patent is no small feat; you get an attorney and about $10,000-$20,000 together. Yes, it costs this much. It takes between six months and two years if you're successful. Yes, it takes this long. In the United States, you are not allowed to patent "ideas" per se. You have to patent inventions, and the invention has to have a fully described preferred embodiment, theoretically such that someone "of ordinary skill in the art" could read your patent and produce that invention based on the information therein. Patented inventions must be novel, and if it is discovered during the patent process or afterward that someone else came up with the invention first (or a substantial equivalent) your invention cannot be patented. If you successfully acquire a patent, then no-one will be able to make, use, or sell your invention (or substantial equivalents) for 17-20 years.
An alternative is to attempt to acquire enough capital to begin a business. The first part of this process is to put together a business plan, which details topics 1-4, above. Then, you start shopping that around to investors. Many businesses get started by finding "angel" investors, who are individuals with access to substantial amounts of money who provide initial funding to get things started up. This can be anywhere from several thousand to a million dollars. Angel investors get a piece of the action, of course. Many people with Big Ideas use this to get a proof-of-concept of their idea together, and then begin seeking out the holy grail: venture capital. I personally know people who have done this and gotten funded to the tune of $5-10M in the first round. It's perhaps one of the most difficult and frustrating experiences in the business world and only a tiny, tiny fraction of business plans actually get substantial VC funding. It's much easier to get VC if you've already started and sold a $20M company, by the way.
By the way, these people with the great ideas? The ideas themselves usually aren't that secret, although many of the details are. Part of figuring out whether you have a good idea or not usually means shopping it around to knowledgeable people to get feedback. If it gets to the point where you have enough of the plan worked out to actually go ahead and implement, you can go into stealth mode and get people to sign nondisclosure agreements.
For instance, I invented Digg when I was in High School until someone showed me Digg and I was like "fuck".
we also talk about other random shit and clown upon each other
Amen to that. Theres roughly (and conservatively) a billion percent chance that somebody has already done your idea.
When I was 9 (and in hindsight i must have been a moron), i wrote a program in VB that added, subtracted, multiplied, and divided numbers. I thought to myself, wow this would be nice to have in school! Then I realized some clever chap had invented the calculator already.
Make Goddamn sure this doesn't happen to you with your time and money.
Then I saw it in sharper image. God damn it.
What you are asking does not make any sense because we actually don't know what you are asking for. Starting an internet business can involve millions of dollars of investment (youtube was bleeding a mill a month or so on bandwidth alone pretty much from the start) or just 2 guys who know how to build a website and a loan from pop and mom.
Basically, my idea is for a feature on an online store that allows for some kind of money pool that people can contribute to.
I have never seen a way in any online shop for people to pool money together in order to buy something. For instance, if someone has a Macbook on their Amazon wishlist, not one person is going to buy that for him/her. But if a bunch of the persons friends and family had an option to contribute any amount of money they wanted to go towards that macbook on the persons wishlist, it could be done.
Another example... If a group of people wanted to buy Rock Band from an online store, currently the only way for them to do it would be for everyone in the group to give one person in the group all the money and then that person would buy the item. With a system like this, everyone in the group could contribute money towards the purchase and once they've agreed on the address it would be shipped to the purchase would be done.
I was thinking it would be great around birthdays and Christmas.
Movie Collection
Foody Things
Holy shit! Sony's new techno toy!
Wii Friend code: 1445 3205 3057 5295
"7. A system for sending electronic gifts from multiple users comprising: having a sender select a plurality of invitees; having the system notify the invitees of the electronic gift; having said invitees add contributions towards the electronic gift; having said sender apply the contributions towards the purchase of said electronic gift; and forwarding said electronic gift to a receiver."
Or you could use ChipIn.
These two make an interesting point, but don't be discouraged. You could still write an open source version of the software as an example. Look at Gmail. There must have been thousands of other webbased email clients out before and they still ran with it. Maybe you'll do something different.
Here's my classic "I totally have the best idea ever"
DeI2anGeD: I totally have the best idea ever
Fiancee: What is it?
DeI2anGeD: Well, you know how I like books? Well, I was thinking about this when I wanted to get the Essential Harlan Ellison collection, I couldn't afford a $140 hardback! If I only had a friend that I could borrow it from, it'd be perfect. Except, they'd probably want something, to make sure I didn't steal it. Like, trade them something for its rental, or pay them a little cash per month I have it. I could set up a site, like Netflix... just for books! and people could keep books out as long as they want, or sell me their old books so that I could rent them to others. It's brilliant!
Fiancee: Doesn't the library do that for free?
Hopes. Dashed.
-PSN&360&steam: dei2anged
I can't remember which company offered it off the top of my head, it wouldn't be hard to find though I'm sure.