“Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt”. -Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Lesson for great ambitions and would-be world conquerors: If you have a great idea, don’t tell everyone. Just do it!

INTERNET - The Fine Brothers were exceedingly arrogant and careless to “announce” their (otherwise very excellent!!!) business strategy to the entire internet: It’s the first lesson in business: Don’t tell, just do!

Do it. Don’t tell everyone about your great idea. Just do it.

Keep your ideas secret and close to your vest! Don’t warn the people of the world that you wanna control and monopolize all ‘Search’ (Google). Just do it. Don’t tell the people of the world that you wanna copyright all colors, sounds, and genes (TPP). Just do it! Don’t tell the people of the world that you want to trademark ‘react’ and cash on their reactions (Fine Brothers). If you have the perfect business idea, don’t tell everyone. You do it first!

Here’s one of hundreds of reaction videos to the Fine Brothers’ disastrous announcement that they were planning on getting a trademark on… well… reaction videos:

The original Fine Brothers video (React to the World) has since been removed by the owners. (Try this re-upload.) The video triggered outrage, ridicule, and satire, partly because of the Brother’s intense shamelessness, their self-centeredness, and their blatant scheming.

The Brothers reacted promptly by announcing that they were no longer trying to get a trademark on generic reaction videos. Or, at least, next time they won’t be telling everyone about it…