Mine or yours

Or, more specifically, should I work on my startup idea or yours?

There are a lot of people who have a startup idea or two in their backpockets. They take them out frequently, give them a rattle and whirl and see if they settle into something they should go after. Maybe the answer is not always clear. So these folks take the scenic route - see what other people are doing by way of startups. On the surface, the plan seems reasonable. After all, if they come across something compelling, they can put their own ideas on ice and go work on this startup that already has something going for it - i.e, someone's made a commitment and it is no longer languishing in the idea zone.

As an entrepreneur in hiring mode, I do run across these people every so often. In fact, many of them trot out their having an idea as proof of their entrepreneurial bent and startup interests. (A very few open, confident souls share their ideas with me - and in return get helped with advice and useful contacts. Those who don't make me briefly wonder if they're competing in some way, but I don't waste cycles on that.) Color me skeptical, but I'm just not convinced that this is a great way to go about validating an idea. My own ideas took time to develop, and I went about doing that by directly approaching people who I thought could give me useful feedback on the idea, on startups, markets, whatever, but I would never waste my time (or anyone else's) interviewing for a job when I had my own idea was itching for attention.

I've tried to understand this approach as obviously quite a few people use it. And realized it may go back to the passion thing. When you're not consumed by your idea, you're open to shopping around. You want to check out the field because you're not ready for commitment. It is possible the browsing helps a few people figure out that their idea is worth something after all. But there is a better, and more direct way. If you have your own idea, just work on figuring out if it's worth pursuing - many entrepreneurs will be happy to help. Don't kid yourself that you're really open to a job at another startup and you can do an interview - you're going to think that 'mine' trumps 'theirs' anyway. Human nature and all that.