Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
The good news: You've created a nifty new way to solve aproblem in your business, and you're sure countless otherbusinesses could benefit from knowing your solution. But here'sthe problem: You've spent sleepless nights coming up with thatidea and are ready for some compensation.
In most cases, the majority of benefits derived from suchcreations are lost by the creator. In a few cases, though, manymillions have been made by inventors-for example, Priceline.comfounder Jay Walker, whose idea for a "demand collection"system that matched bargain hunters with surplus inventory gavebirth to a multibillion-dollar business (and a large fortune).
That's a rare exception, sure-but numerous Web-basedintellectual property exchanges could change that at any time. Havean idea and these exchanges will give you a way to test the watersfor buyers without sacrificing control over the idea.
The rest of this article is locked.
Join Entrepreneur+ today for access.
Already have an account? Sign In