Re:Ask HN: Someone has already launched with the same idea. ...
by Jemaclus on Tuesday May 25, 2021 @01:44PM
(#27279888)
Like someone else said, this is validation that your idea has legs! You can proceed knowing that at least someone thinks there's money in this space.
Consider competitors like Stripe/Square, Uber/Lyft, Instacart/Shipt, NewRelic/Datadog/AppDynamics/Sentry, or even the sheer number of burger joints in your city. You are not automatically screwed because someone else had a similar idea!
Further consider that even if you had a totally unique idea, someone else could just copy it for the same reasons as above! "Did you see HNBurner123's new startup? It's a great idea. I bet we could do something similar even faster." Not to discourage you or anything with that thought, but it's a fact of life -- and you shouldn't let it stop you! Why would anyone create Facebook if Myspace is already a thing?? Or Reddit if Digg is a thing? Do you know how many "create a Trello-clone in 30 minutes" tutorials there are out there? But every day a new kanban board app launches, and people make money off of these things! There's a GAZILLION invoicing software apps that make money.
Look, ideas are a dime a dozen, and they are very rarely as unique as you think they are. Execution is the key to success, and getting to market fast is important too. So don't dilly-dally! Take your idea and SPRINT with it across the finish line! You're on the right track! We're rooting for you.
Consider competitors like Stripe/Square, Uber/Lyft, Instacart/Shipt, NewRelic/Datadog/AppDynamics/Sentry, or even the sheer number of burger joints in your city. You are not automatically screwed because someone else had a similar idea!
Further consider that even if you had a totally unique idea, someone else could just copy it for the same reasons as above! "Did you see HNBurner123's new startup? It's a great idea. I bet we could do something similar even faster." Not to discourage you or anything with that thought, but it's a fact of life -- and you shouldn't let it stop you! Why would anyone create Facebook if Myspace is already a thing?? Or Reddit if Digg is a thing? Do you know how many "create a Trello-clone in 30 minutes" tutorials there are out there? But every day a new kanban board app launches, and people make money off of these things! There's a GAZILLION invoicing software apps that make money.
Look, ideas are a dime a dozen, and they are very rarely as unique as you think they are. Execution is the key to success, and getting to market fast is important too. So don't dilly-dally! Take your idea and SPRINT with it across the finish line! You're on the right track! We're rooting for you.