I’m beginning to learn that perhaps one of the biggest struggles for a new entrepreneur is whether and when to disclose your ideas. As I am making preparations to leave my full-time gig (my last day is this Thursday), my co-workers have asked again and again, where are you off to? The truth being nowhere really, I answer with “I have decided to start my own business.” Thus begins the barrage of questioning, and I immediately go into code-red. What type of business are you going to start? What exactly is your idea? Do you have a business plan? The fact of the matter is that I would like to tell them all of my ideas. It is exciting; I am excited; and I think I have a good idea and a valid business model. I would love to hear what they think about it. Then why the cloak of secrecy?

There are two sides to the coin, both with proponents and arguments. On one hand, there is traditional wisdom (my father being a General in this camp) that one should keep his ideas to himself. The arguments are valid and many:

1. There are many competitors out there with more capital and more manpower than you’ve got. You are a beta (excuse the pun) in a sea of sharks and whales. If they catch on to your idea, they can implement it faster than you can.

2. Industrial espionage is not a myth. Companies big and small are always looking for the next big idea to capitalize on. They prey on innovation and new ideas and are not afraid to steal them. Why else does Steve Jobs guard his secrets so tightly?

3. Stealing a quote from my father, “Transparency has its place, but depending on what, when, and what for.” Applied at the appropriate time and it can be a very important strategy for success; at the wrong time, and you’ll lose out.

4. Donald Trump (and I’m sorry for quoting him): “Be paranoid. Be circumspect. Be on guard, even with your friends.” Be wary of potential partners, they may have ulterior motives.

At the other pulpit, Mark Fletcher, CEO of Bloglines, rants “stealth start-ups suck.” Here are some of his arguments:

1. Creating a web service is not rocket science and does not take a lot of money. First mover advantage is important and it should take no more than 3 months to go from conception to launch.

2. There is no such thing as a unique idea. Someone has already thought of your wonderful web service, and is probably way ahead of you.

3. The success of a web startup is inversely proportional to the secrecy that surrounded its development. The best thing about a web service is its users. They are the best source of new feature ideas and the best QA testers. The earlier they know about your idea and the earlier they are on board with your idea, the more they start to have a sense of ownership over the service, and the more successful you will be.

What do I think? What conclusions do I draw? Let the truth be told, I am starting this site not to give away the heart of my ideas. I may be a small fish who wants to build a beta, but it doesn’t mean that I have to give away all of my ideas before I have what Mark Fletcher calls “first mover advantage.” I do intend to get users in as quickly as I can. I do intend to rapidly prototype and iterate the product. And I do intend to market aggressively and be “transparent” when the time comes. As for now, the purpose of this site is to do what I just did, reflect on the issues of starting something new.