Travel Technology - How should I move forward if I have an idea for an e-commerce website?

I have developed an idea for an e-commerce website which (after bouncing off a couple very close friends) is a good idea.

How would one proceed with an idea? Would you get the idea patented? The only problem I have is that I would need TREMENDOUS help with site development, hosting, maintenace, etc. What is a good start?

I am surprised no one bit on this before me...

How would one proceed with an idea? I would put together a short document that outlines the concept, value to the target market, how it would make money, and exit strategy. This could then be shared with trusted friends and potential investors.

You can buy technical expertise to build the site. I would suggest creating a specification and then trying to build (or have built) a prototype that can be played with to determine what works and what doesn't.

Based on the specification and business plan you could research and find a hosting provider and they could potentially recommend technical talent to build and manage the site for you.

That's just some quick thoughts from my experience with several start-ups and my consulting.

I have developed an idea for an e-commerce website which (after bouncing off a couple very close friends) is a good idea.

How would one proceed with an idea? Would you get the idea patented? The only problem I have is that I would need TREMENDOUS help with site development, hosting, maintenace, etc. What is a good start?

As a preface, I've setup a lot of sites, but never for the purpose of e-commerce, so take this with a grain of salt.

I've been using Registerfly.com for a while. They have pretty affordable hosting plans, although the customer service can leave a little to be desired. I've noticed that every time I purchase a domain name they want to sell me an e-commerice package for $49.99/year. They supposedly provide everything you need to securely take credit card orders, etc... I assume thats just the front end though, probably doesnt include any kind of inventory automation, etc.

Anyway, you might want to check out www.registerfly.com and poke around...see what exactly they offer.

I'd agree with UAV's suggestion, find some trusted friends or professionals who can tell you exactly what is involved.

I would get the marketing plan book from Hiebing (the author) its great, and will walk you through some tough questions. Definitely get an outside counsel that helps you out, and willing to advise you on protecting your IP. You can do a patent / trademark search yourself, but if you want piece of mind get an attorney. Also, you may not necessarily want to patent your IP you may want it to be a trade secret...

Building a business plan requires other people be involved as well if you are going for financing. Start thinking about who will be sitting in the chairs you need. Building a prototype is a good idea, but becareful on that one. You can IM me if you wish...I am partner in a firm that develops software.

Well, since a couple of hours ago you have PM on the subject. I have been running a couple of e-comerce sites for a while now.

PM me back whenever you have time.

/E

Assume you have taken in all suggestions thus far.
At some point, when you have passed the conceptual stage, you might want to take this business idea to a VC (for funding and business networking purposes).
To see the VC, you probably need:
- A synnopsis of a business plan (simply story with market numbers; and how much funding required to launch business)
- Summarize above in a 10-minute PowerPoint presentation
- Gather your team with their brief Bio written

Good luck!

I'm not sure about patenting, and I have NO idea about VC companies, and IANAL, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

But once you get your idea together, I'm assuming you'd want some sort of Proprietary Information Agreement before showing it to investors. I just know in the corporate world, we never show sensitive data without that. VC might have implied rules, though, I don't know how that works.

But I assume any book on building business plans and securing funding would have that sort of advice and sample forms, if it was needed. Just seems more likely than patenting, in my non-lawyer guess.

Yes NDA's are good, but at the end of the day you need to trust the other party as well. Some of the NDA's we get from companies make it difficult if not impossible to really accomplish much of anything.

IN my opinion a lot of the lawyering up has created bottlenecks rather than protecting your interest. Obviously, decide your level of comfort, but I'd add a healthy dose of pragmatism to the legalise. We have NDA's and use them always, but make a workable document not one which implies what you bring to the table we'll own if things go south..