Startups Stack Exchange Archive

Should I consult a company to help me getting my business started?

• posted by: Do Re on 2016-08-01
• tagged: mobile-apps, consulting
• score: 2

I am currently considering to start a business with a great idea for an app (imo).

As I have no clue about the legislation, etc. I want to consider a consulting company.

No my question is:

They want to help me getting started, but how much should I tell them about my idea, before there is a patent or anything of value to make sure they don’t steal it?

Answer 9849

• posted by: Marcus D on 2016-08-03
• score: 3

Your question I think is broader than has been previously answered.

• I would start with a solid Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA), you can get some reasonable ones that are in the public domain and change it appropriately for your industry/locality etc. But, NDAs are only going to work if people respect them. And if they break the NDA, then what? Maybe you take them to court, but if you are in the EU and it is a Brazilian company that has stolen your idea and is doing the dev work, then your legal case will be almost impossible and also very expensive. The good thing about talking with a legal company about your idea, is that they will almost surely be respectful of your ip.
• If you have no idea about one or more aspects of running the business, then I would seek one or more of: - friends who have been in business before, external (paid) consultants, bring in non-exec (paid) board members or take on equity partners. The advantage of getting other people who have different skills is pretty key in setting up a business well.
• There are also many non-profit organisations that can offer advice on legal and financial aspects.

I would seriously consider getting help of aspects of your business that are not your core skills. Consider things like

• Sales/Marketing
• Finance / Accountancy
• Legal / Compliance
• IP protection
• Legal setup
• Partnership management
• Strategy
• App Development
• Project management

If things are part of your USP, then keep it internal as much as possible, but commodity things like accountancy (sorry accounts), really are best outsourced.

There should be articles in startups.SE on building a team of skilled individuals around you.

Answer 9846

• posted by: Parth Kapoor on 2016-08-03
• score: 1

I am a software consultant and I think a Non Disclosure Agreement is the document that I have signed with my clients to ensure secrecy of their idea. Both parties are signatory to this document.

Moreover, you can make use of job posting portals like upWOrk. Such job portals also provide an extra layer of ownership rights. You will be posting your app development requirements on upWork and hiring a candidate there itself. So the ownership of idea can be traced and enforced, if needed in case of a breach.

And this is my upWork profile.

I am an expert mobile app developer and I can assist you with Planing, Design, Web Scripting and Deployment of your apps.

Thanks

---

All content is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.