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What do you guys think of this idea? Does anyone want to implement it with me?

news.ycombinator.com

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What do you guys think of this idea? Does anyone want to implement it with me?

#1

Post by myoung8 »

So the market for race registrations (i.e. road races, triathlons, etc.), camp registrations, and other active event registrations is dominated by Active.com. They offer a set of solutions, but from having used it...well...the bottom line is that someone could do a lot better.

They charge $3 per registration they process (so their gross margin is on the order of $1.5 - $2 per registration, which ends up being quite a lot of money when you take into account that many marathons have 10-20K runners.

I'm thinking about creating a dead-easy, on-demand registration system and pairing it with either/or a) other event management tools, b) some sort of network for racers (e.g. create groups, share photos, review products, see stats, etc.).

Revenues would come from the registrations, as well as ads in the vertical (which I'm guessing have a relatively high CPC/M because of the fact that this demographic buys gear quite often).

Thoughts on the idea? Anyone interested in building this with me?

Re: What do you guys think of this idea? Does anyone want to implement it with me?

#5

Post by dfranke »

I think you've got something here. $3 per registration really does sound like an arrogant dinosaur whose day has come. Don't go overboard on the social networking bit though. Just take some off-the-shelf forum software and add the ability to have your competition history appear in your profile and to search for other users by competition.

Re: What do you guys think of this idea? Does anyone want to implement it with me?

#6

Post by ajkates »

From what you describe, it looks like there may be room for a competitor. Before putting in the time though, do some research (if you haven't already). Can it really be that profitable? What percentage of the market do you plan to capture?

I'm often wary of startups that differentiate themselves on a cost basis when the cost is minimal ($3 in this case). Even if the margins are substantial, the difference between $3 to get things done right, and any other lower price offered by a competitor, just may be an insignificant point of differentiation.

Re: What do you guys think of this idea? Does anyone want to implement it with me?

#8

Post by hwork »

I think the trick here is not the technology or the pricing: appealing interfaces and lower prices are doable. I think what's challenging about this is the barrier to entry to becoming a player in this space. That is, how do you get races and camps to get on board, and to ensure others will follow? It seems like this david-vs-goliath effort is how to build relationships with customers and really drive them to your site. Lower prices are definitely a start. But it might take a lot to build up the brand.

But seriously, man, all the props to ya. This idea clearly comes from frustration with the current competitors and a 'damn the man' attitude. Good luck!!

Re: What do you guys think of this idea? Does anyone want to implement it with me?

#10

Post by myoung8 »

samwise wrote: post #4

I'm sorry, but i don't see what you bring to the table. What are you doing that nobody else is or that can easy be replicated. How do you plan to get users? not putting you down, just asking.

Usability, cost advantages to reduce price, value-added services, etc.
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