That's a really good point. If you're moving back and forth between startups and consulting, be sure you know where all o the IP landmines are. I know I have a three-page IP disclosure sheet I include with all of my consulting projects, plus I make sure that my continuing work on my startup is noted. Even then, it can get tricky. I couldn't take a consulting gig in the same industry that the startup was in unless we had a lot of legal input. And that gets expensive.

The problem is that if you're writing Web 2.0 apps then really _anything_ could be considered close to anything else. Writing a 3-D chat program for E-Bayers? Any business with a web site might could use a chat program, and if you have access to their site and their plans, who's to say what parts of your ideas you're getting from them and what parts you're coming up with yourself?