Dark times guys. The Potential investor I  had talked to back in March ended up copying my business, specifically product that we talked about at a meeting on March 25th. If you go through the amzsecrets blog back in March, you can see specifically when I was meeting with this investor and what happened. This is, unfortunately a true story.

It all started on March 25th. A local investor wanted to acquire my business.

My march 25th post went exactly like this.

We went to a very…very fancy restaurant. Everything was over $25 (for lunch). We were the only ones there. Beautiful restaurant, yet empty lol. “Order anything!” he says. Exactly how you would think these things go down…

So we talk alot about the business. His businesses, mine… etc. He’s a very interesting, very savvy, business guy. Exactly how you’d think he would be like.

Then things get down to business. He’s very interested and sees the potential for expansion.

His request is 66% of the business. 33% for him. 33% for his business partner. And 33% for myself.

In return, I give him a “x” valuation of both perceived combined with actual costs. This “$x” value is not yet finite, and I have not yet thought of number. By paying $x he gets the 66%.

In addition to “$x” he is also guaranteed to fuel the company, providing 2M minimum to fuel growth and accelerate it to brick and motor both in the U.S and overseas.

At which point, he aims to super launch the company to acquisition in 36 months, for an acquisition of 200-300M.

All would be done with teams of lawyers, everything in writing, and paperwork//contracts.

I have yet to determine my valuation of the company, but this is definitely getting interesting. Do I want to sell? No. Would I consider a partner who is extremely savvy in business overseas, well connected with major business players… definitely.

The dinner went well. Then emails preceded. He wanted to essentially steal the business, and bring in new cash. I wanted my multiplier.

Nevertheless, Fast forward 3 weeks ago, 8-9 months after that investor meeting I was browsing Facebook the other day, and I saw picture of a similar product posted by a facebook friend. This girl had liked it, since it was a competing product of mine, I wanted to see what was so likable about that product. I clicked on the photo, nothing big, went to the instragram account of that photo, and I saw a photo of her, one of my other friends, around a table, with the product siting in front of them.

They were having a business meeting about that product. So, this girl, is actually the daughter of the investor, who’s also my friend. I had met the investor through her, we had done previous buisnses together once upon a time. I had built a technology company for him

Two of their products, that was discussed march, was siting on that table in that photo. Their were 4 people photo. I sat down, I looked at it, and I titled it… be better than the competition. It sits on my desktop as an image. I would actually make it my desktop background, but that would probably piss me off too much.

Now, I feel like this is something you only hear in movies. Like Mark Zuckerberg copying Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss on their social network concept except they didn’t have a business launched it was just at idea phase.

When I had met with this investor, I had told him multiple business secrets, products, revenue numbers, inside business secrets that we all have in regards to our own businesses and even inventions I was working on. Theres secrets to selling on Amazon. But theres also business secrets that each one of us have, specific to our business. Some of those were revealed. . I didn’t tell him everything, but I know for fact,