[healthyhippo]

I agree that competition validates a market, but as an entrepreneur I'm still hesitant to launch a competing product that I had an idea for. Here's why:

1. My competitors may be ahead of me. If something is just out there launched, that means that someone's been working on it for 3-6 months prior. I'm at month 0 and have catch-up to do.

2. Sometimes, competitors are just really good-- like their products are fully adequate for your specific needs, and probably pretty good for a bunch of other people as well. I have a hard time saying I should pursue something if I'm content using someone else's product.

The whole issue is that this leads to a conundrum. If my idea is fresh and new, then market validation becomes difficult because competing startups are in stealth mode. Only 6 months later do I say "Shit, that was actually an awesome idea". The only thing I can rely on are my own convictions and market tests that customer need exists.