On sharing trade secrets

by phil on Saturday Apr 12, 2003 2:00 PM
business tips

My dad always tells me the story of a toymaker he knew who liked to keep secrets. Everytime he had an idea for a project, the toymaker would never share it with my dad. My dad never had a malicious intent and he wasn't even involved in the same industry. All he had was justa curiosity for the toymaker's work. As my dad continued to ping for some hint of what the toymaker was up to, all he received was the cold tongue, as if the toymaker were hoarding something special.

Perhaps the toymaker was onto something patently important Maybe it was important for the ideas to be kept secret, lest someone take it profit from his hard work. Unfortunately, though, he never took off with his ideas. While my dad could have maybe helped him, maybe introduced him to investors, the toymaker's fear that someone else would take his idea and run off with it paralyzed his ability to generate helpful partners.

I ponder on this issue in a vaguer sense, especially when it comes to blogging. If I have a really good idea, or an idea that I think is really good, especially when it pertains to business, something inside of me wants to keep my special insight to myself. There's a fear that if I let my ideas run away too quickly, then my peers will take them and do bigger and better things with them.

Then, this is where my Tautrix thinking comes in handy. I understand that, in the end, we're all here to create persistent information--such is the nature of our sex-drive which creates DNA experiments to house more information-processors. So, I think, more information, more information, more information. My decision-making then has a natural bias in favor of information-sharing. Experimentation, spreading ideas, enjoying varied company, and opening my chests as open as possible has become a presiding characteristic of my life.

After experimenting a little bit with sharing, the rewards become immediately apparent. The more information you share, the more likely others are willing to share with you. The more you open up, the better access you tend to get to other people. Ideas and concepts almost undergo a catalytic reaction upon public reception. Angles and perspectives you never would have thought of spontaneously peak into your mind as soon as the words come out of your mouth. And since transformations are some of the best things that can happen to your information, one should always render their ideas naked and vulnerable.

And so, I blog.