| Run faster. Work harder. Don't be lazy. Constant improvement. Remember, you aren't building a startup, you are building a company. If you're only building a startup, then just write a few lines of code and push it out. What do you really want? Do you always want to be a startup? Or do you want to be a business? Businesses aren't startups. Businesses are built to last decades. Are you looking for a quick exit? Is that what you are really asking? How do you prevent another startup from exiting in your place? Why are you even thinking about another startup? Envy? Greed? Do you want more users? Is it a competition? What do you really want? It is impossible to prevent your startup from being knocked off. No number of patents or trademarks or copyrights are going to prevent someone from knocking off your startup. Do you think Nike asks, "How do we prevent adidas from making tennis shoes?" You should be asking, "How does one make a successful company? How does one last through the startup phase?" Neither of those questions have anything to do with competition. |
What I mean by start-up, is its literal definition - a business starting out, with very limited resources, small market share, no brand recognition. Nike and Adidas are already established brands / companies. I am assuming though, that they had similar woes when they first started out - its natural to have competition and to differentiate yourself and your brand from it.
What I would like to see, is a discussion along the lines of "Nike used special stitching in their shoes, and Adidas didn't, because they didn't feel it was important. The stitching caused the shoes to gain popularity." Preferrably for internet-related start-ups, not shoes. :)