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Ask HN: When your startup IDEA has already been built by someone else?

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Ask HN: When your startup IDEA has already been built by someone else?

#1
Lately, I have been thinking about few ideas for my future startup that I thought would be better if I built them. Some of those ideas were really great and as I was diving into them for some research, I came to found that their exists same sort of service already that is doing an excellent job. My recent incident just for an example, while I was reading http://www.thedeveloperscode.com/, I got an idea for making a social network that would enable people share what they are reading, host their books if they are writer and even enable them to sell them (or let peoples subscribe by paying money) depending on their preference. And I came to know that their already exists http://scribd.com that is doing great job for this. I know it sounds silly that I wasn't aware of it and neither was using Scribd already, because I am noob from a middle class family of a underdeveloped country Nepal (Asia) where Internet is just emerging and has barely touched peoples daily life, which surely has effected me too.

My point is, what would you guys do, if you found that somebody has already built a service that you were thinking seriously from last few months? Would you just swift change your ideas? Make improvements in your idea seeing what their demerits are and what services/features they lack? Or just dive into it without caring and start building your own? I understand that their already exist Yahoo search before Google came up, Friendster before Facebook came up, and as there was already Facebook, Google+ came up.

Re: Ask HN: When your startup IDEA has already been built by someone else?

#2
That depends on a lot of factors.

Do you really, honestly think you can make it better than what already exists? What is in it for your customers, can you make their lives better? Does your (financial) life depend on it or do you do it as a side project for the fun of it (1)? Can you refine your idea with real user feedback or are you on your own? etc...

(1) I develop a community climbing blog and a web framework as side projects, just for fun. The rules change when you do things just for fun - see also my blog post "Why re-invent the wheel" http://davidtanzer.net/node/81

Re: Ask HN: When your startup IDEA has already been built by someone else?

#3
If you do not want competition then find an idea where there is no products already, but this will be quite hard as there is so many companies already making products and lots of em.

If you want to compete which might be fun and drive you to make your service/product better and better everyday. Then do that and try to survive.

Re: Ask HN: When your startup IDEA has already been built by someone else?

#4
Well before you get serious with an idea, find out the current alternatives. If the existing one is doing a good job, let it go. If you still think your idea can solve a problem, find out what went wrong with those who tried to build something similar. Competition is good and Do Not be obsessed with an unverified idea. Confirm that its workable, then get into it.

Re: Ask HN: When your startup IDEA has already been built by someone else?

#5
I'm guessing you're still in Nepal. Focus on a market you know well and look for provable business models - it'll be easy to narrow down your ideas. Also, I wouldn't be ashamed of cloning something from somewhere else and bringing it to your community. There are going to be opportunities in a place like Nepal that aren't in the tech hubs.

Re: Ask HN: When your startup IDEA has already been built by someone else?

#6
Be niche specific. At this moment I do not think that a social network targeting all genres and geolocations can hardly become a hit unless you have resources and brand name, say Google.

I really like the idea that you targeted book readers and authors. As you found that Scribd works on almost similar lines of what your idea was, look at the points where you think Scribd has to improve. Features that you would like in such a service.

If I were you, I would look at possibilities of coming up with a service that people think is better than the existing one or that solves a problem which the current ones fail at.

"Necessity is the mother of Invention". Do a your target users really need an alternative to Scribd ? We do not need another facebook. Not another gmail. Instead, see how you can make use of the existing platforms to improve or bring traction to your product or idea.

Believe in your idea and set a goal. Target a specific group of people, pitch your product and if they like it, it spreads for itself. People might call it another Scribd. But, there are still millions who haven't heard about Scribd. They are your first customers.