As a technical entrepreneur, it's never too early to start selling yourself and your idea. I hear lots of excuses from startup founders, like I'm too busy, concern over intellectual property security, can't afford an agency, and it's too early. The result is they get no feedback, no credibility, no visibility, and no investors until months later than they expect.

I'm definitely not lobbying here for promising things you can't deliver, or hiring a publicist before your first programmer. I'm talking about doing some real networking to test your elevator pitch, and get to know some potential investors before you ask them for money. How about talking to some real customers to see if they are as excited about your idea as you are?

You don't need an agency and you don't want a third party to be involved at this point. You need to do it yourself. Here is a list of ways that you can use public relations to benefit your startup, even before it is started: