I recently had an idea I was super excited about. I’ve been considering how to help more entrepreneurs accelerate their success, and I’d only come up with a few ideas that were essentially tweaks of something others have done. When I decided to look at the problem from a different angle, this new idea occurred to me. I was excited about it, but I knew there was a lot I hadn’t thought about. My instinct was to flesh it out more before talking about it. But I soon remembered that I’d taken that approach before, and it was wrong.

I decided to share the idea with a few credible people, and I’m glad I did. These were conceptual conversations, since I hadn’t done a ton of research. Some of the feedback was very positive. Others felt there was value in doing what I was talking about. I already felt good about the idea, and this feedback boosted my confidence. It energized me and made me want to continue to share it. Next, I received feedback from someone intimately knowledgeable about the space. It was more along the lines of “This is an interesting idea. Have you considered X, though?” This person zeroed in on something that might have taken me months to realize and was kind enough to share his wisdom. I appreciate his feedback.

The idea is still just that. An idea. But I’m glad I didn’t hold it close to my chest. These conversations helped me adjust my thinking, made me aware of my blind spots, and boosted my confidence about the idea. I’m not sure where this will end up, but one thing is certain: I’ll continue to share the idea as it evolves.