A non-disclosure agreement is a legal contract which sets out how information is shared. Its aim is to allow people to share information and ideas in confidence, without risking the information or idea being taken without consent.
The best way to keep something confidential is not to disclose it in the first place. However, this is not always possible especially in the development of certain business models, as an important part of the process resides in testing the model with other people.
If you do need to share information though, it is recommended that you use a non-disclosure agreement. This could also happen when you speak to potential partners like, investors, manufacturers or stockists.
You may have to tell people about your idea or your business to get advice. This could be from, banks or financial advisors.
It is important not to assume that conversations with advisors are automatically confidential.