Why No One Will Steal Your Startup Idea

Jul 1, 2014 1 min readOpen
Photo of Courtney Seiter
Courtney Seiter

Former Director of People @ Buffer

When you’ve got a great idea, share it.

It might seem like counterintuitive advice, but that’s the philosophy that’s building Buffer: An emphasis on transparency and openness around almost everything we do.

So it’s no surprise that Buffer founders Joel and Leo focus on openness even when it comes to new and untested startup ideas.

Instead of the (quite natural) thought process of keeping a startup idea to yourself out of fear someone will nab it, they say the sooner you shout your idea from the rooftops, the more successful you’re likely to be.

It may feel uncomfortable, but often that’s a sign you’re on the right track. After all, how else are you going to figure out if your idea is what people want?

In this Founder Chat video, Joel and Leo explain the reasons why sharing early in the process was the right move for Buffer. Could it work for your idea?

What do you think? We’d love to hear your take on this topic in the comments.

P.S. If you liked this post, you might enjoy our Buffer: Open Blog newsletter. Receive each new lifehacking, productivity and business leadership post delivered right to your inbox! Sign up here.

Brought to you by

Try Buffer for free

140,000+ small businesses like yours use Buffer to build their brand on social media every month

Get started now

Related Articles

35 Side Projects From the Buffer Team

We’ve always had teammates who have side projects in addition to working at Buffer. Working on new projects, building, experimenting, and self-improvement are built into our DNA as a company. So it's quite common to be speaking with someone only to find out they own a small business outside of Buffer that started as a side project. We also have several published authors and many apps built by Buffer teammates. We believe this entrepreneurial spirit and creative drive not only enhances our indiv

OpenFeb 28, 2025
We Added a $250 AI Tools Stipend for the Buffer Team: Here’s Why

Here's why we're introducing a $250 stipend for AI tools and how we expect it to impact our work.

OpenFeb 7, 2025
Returning to Profitability: Buffer's 2024 Profit Share & Formula

After two years of losses, Buffer achieved profitability in 2024 with a net profit of $202,459. Learn about our journey back to profitability, our profit-sharing philosophy, and how we distributed 15% of profits among our 73 team members.

140,000+ people like you use Buffer to build their brand on social media every month