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My Big Idea – Taking Baby Steps!

As mentioned yesterday in my post about my Idea so Big, I cannot handle it Myself, it’s time for me to take a few small baby steps before I can even start talking about it.

Registering the Domain(s)

This sounds like such a simple thing… but you would be surprised how many people miss this step in big business. For me, registering the domain name(s) was actually the first thing I did on July 15th! Not only did I register the .com, but I also grabbed the .net and .org at the same time.

Since I think this idea is SO BIG, I also registered all three versions for 10 years each through GoDaddy, and I was able to find a discount Code of: BTPS7, which gave me 20% off any order over $25.

Trademarks and Copyrights

The next step I am working on right now is checking on Copyright and Trademark issues I may run into with My Big Idea. So far, broad searches have come up empty! That’s Good! A quick search through an engine brought me to So you Wanna Register a Trademark. After reading the entire article from end to end and becoming totally confused, I ran over to the US Patent and Trademark Office website (USPTO) and started searching… and kept searching… and repeated everything over and over again, trying to smokeout a phrase even close to the my big idea!

 Guess what… there aren’t any! :-)

I even went as far as search the major engines for “My Big Idea” surrounded by quotes to see who else may have done something similar. The ONLY reference is an forum discussion between two co-workers, talking about something completely different that just so happened to have the words in a sentence.

The fact that internet searches were just not there and the domain was available, I have quite a bit of confidence my big idea has not been used by anyone!

Time to Call a Professional – Uh – Attorney!

Here is where it all becomes kinda sketchy and I am going to need the services of a pro. You see, my idea is based on a 2 word phrase and once you know it… you will be like: Damn – I am SHOCKED nobody has done this! It is NOT based on a product, but there are literally HUNDREDS of products that will support it! Its not based on a service… but again, there are thousands of services that support it!

Tonight, I will spend the time and who-knows-how-much-money that it takes to get the trademark process started… BEFORE I talk to an Attorney! We all know they too have a reputation, or am I just being paranoid?

What Will the Near Future Bring?

Over the next few days – I have to develop a business plan for my idea. Sure, I should have done that already… but now that I am pretty sure there are no trademark issues… I am all over it!

Over the next few days… I will post bits and pieces that I have to consider in the business plan. Goals, Methods, Site plans, Advertising, Traffic projections, revenues etc. I will share this with all of you, here.

Have you written a business plan for a website before? If so… what did you do different for the web?

If you want to follow along on the success of My Big Idea, make sure you subscribe by email or RSS reader in the upper right side of this site. I have also added a new blog category named: My Big Idea, which will contain only these posts

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About the Author, Mark Hansen

has written 573 article(s) at the Niche Store Builder site.

I have been doing my part to "Build the Internet" since 1994, when I built my first website! Since then, I have built hundreds of niche websites for myself and many others, focused on design, applications, ecommerce, search optimization and internet marketing. 

Latest Readers Who Commented on This Article

7 Comments »

  • Alice said:

    Wow, I can’t wait for the revelation of this great idea of yours!! Are you going to torture us with hints for the next month? LOL!

    If its as big as you think it is, you definitely, absolutely, without-a-doubt must consult an intellectual property attorney. This whole area of law is so specialized that there are entire big law firms that do nothing else.

    Your Google searches are nice, but it’s only the tip of the iceberg. When I was in the corporate world, we had an entire in-house law firm, plus we hired specialist law firms like IP experts on retainer because we developed a lot of analytical tools and techniques. You’d think it would be easy to spot where you might have trouble, but you’ll never see it coming. It’s worth the bucks to avoid lawsuits or worse, being told to shut down because someone beat you to your Big Idea.

    Usually (at least in my experience) the problems came from non-internet businesses, many of them not even in the same field! It’s crazy. Normal people are incapable of understanding the vagaries of the IP world… :-)

    Can’t wait to hear the details!

    Alice

    Reply – Quote
    # 29 July 2008 at 10:51 pm
  • Mark (author) said:

    @ Alice -

    Thanks for the words of advice on the IP World.

    I applied for the Trademark tonight and all went through without a hitch at this point. Of course, it ‘s 2-4 months before the USPTO actually makes it a legal Trademark, but once the application is filed… you are covered!

    There is one LARGE (WorldWide) non-profit that has been in a similar vertical for more than 30 years… Not only do they not hold any copyrights, trademarks or patents on “My Big Idea”, but they have never tried to do what I plan on doing! Once they know of the idea, they will likely be the first in line behind me… supporting it 100% along the way!

    Thanks again,

    Mark

    Reply – Quote
    # 29 July 2008 at 11:10 pm
  • Anthony said:

    Wow – certainly have my attention. You’ve built it up now, so i’ll be expecting something BIG. Don’t let me down now!

    I’ll be watching this space ;)

    A.

    Reply – Quote
    # 30 July 2008 at 2:57 am
  • Manuel Merz said:

    Awesome news here Mark. That trully sounds like a good idea you have :) Keep us updated and if you need any assistance let us now ;)

    Reply – Quote
    # 30 July 2008 at 4:24 am
  • Bill said:

    Business plans arnt easy. And if your looking for money its even harder.

    My business plan is work your damn ass off and it will come to you. Worked for my last business.
    Plan your work and work your plan
    Keep it small and keep it all

    FYI:
    The SBA has all kinds of grants now for the stimulus package for anyone who needs small business capital. Better hurry though its going fast.

    Reply – Quote
    # 30 July 2008 at 9:37 pm
  • Adrienne said:

    Best of luck with your “Big Idea”! It will be interesting to learn what it is, but even more interesting is the process of planning it. How many of us even do a basic sketchy plan when we decide to put up a income-generating (hopefully) web site? I know I’m guilty of that…starting up in a rush and then wondering “now what?”

    Hope you find a good attorney…a really good one is worth their weight in gold!

    Reply – Quote
    # 1 August 2008 at 10:02 am
  • Rick Blackmon said:

    What is the latest on un grande idea?

    Reply – Quote
    # 22 November 2008 at 4:29 pm