Being the X of Y: Defining your place in the startup world
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Re: Being the X of Y: Defining your place in the startup world
#2This is something we struggled with. We eventually figured out that being the Airbnb of the market we're addressing didn't translate well and we moved to a different model.
Unfortunately, I still hear people describing us as "Airbnb for X". Comparisons like that stick, and if your business changes, it's hard to change a facile comparison like that.
Re: Being the X of Y: Defining your place in the startup world
#3Moral of the story? Know who you are and ride the X for Y thing if it helps open doors but don't build your brand around it. "Mint.com for the Cloud" worked for Cloudability initially but we tried to limit our use of it early on so it didn't define us. Sometimes it still does though >.<
Re: Being the X of Y: Defining your place in the startup world
#4[deleted]
Re: Being the X of Y: Defining your place in the startup world
#5This is something we struggled with. We eventually figured out that being the Airbnb of the market we're addressing didn't translate well and we moved to a different model. Unfortunately, I still hear people describing us as "Airbnb for X". Comparisons like that stick, and if your business changes, it's hard to change a facile comparison like that.
There could be worse companies to be compared to, but having that line attached to your name can get annoying. We've got friends who have the same sort of problem, and they're just hoping to outlast it by becoming the best in their field, rather than a copycat of someone else.
Re: Being the X of Y: Defining your place in the startup world
#6I've been saying this forever. Innovation is not just in the product; it's in the concept, and the way you describe it, as well. I'll choose not to describe my ventures in terms of everyone else's.
Re: Being the X of Y: Defining your place in the startup world
#7I've been saying this forever. Innovation is not just in the product; it's in the concept, and the way you describe it, as well. I'll choose not to describe my ventures in terms of everyone else's.
Well put. The X of Y approach has that big disadvantage that might not make up for the time it saves in describing the product in the first place.
Re: Being the X of Y: Defining your place in the startup world
#8My problem with this type of thinking is that is too easy for Y to swoop in and take over X for you. They have the team, reputation, and recent success. You, most likely, have nothing.
Examples: "We are facebook for bicycles!": that's just a facebook group. "We are Heroku for PHP/Clojure/Python":http://blog.heroku.com/archives/2011/8/3/polyglot_platform/
These are my best examples, but if X is just a feature that Y could implement or acquire, then making that comparison could be a major mistake. If they expand into your niche, then your X of Y idea backfires on you hardcore.
Edit: I saw that my variables were reversed at some places.
Re: Being the X of Y: Defining your place in the startup world
#9Craft your positioning around the context of your audience. Do your consumers really care that you are X for Y? Hell no. They want to know what benefit you are providing them and probably have never heard of the other company you are referencing. But in the context of investors who look at 20 or more pitches a day? That's a different story. You are focusing on memorable positioning and also letting them know your business model is proven and scalable.
Re: Being the X of Y: Defining your place in the startup world
#10My problem with this type of thinking is that is too easy for Y to swoop in and take over X for you. They have the team, reputation, and recent success. You, most likely, have nothing. Examples: "We are facebook for bicycles!": that's just a facebook group. "We are Heroku for PHP/Clojure/Python": http://blog.heroku.com/archives/2011/8/3/polyglot_platform/ These are my best examples, but if X is just a feature that Y…
> but if X is just a feature that Y could implement or acquire
Unless, of course, the feature that Y could acquire is yours and you crush it...then your position is pretty damn awesome (assuming you don't mind working for Y).