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A comment on Is your startup idea already taken? .

Re:Is your startup idea already taken? by sheff on Tuesday February 21, 2012 @03:44PM (#3618009)
I like the point the author makes that "If prospective users are still available, the idea is still available."

Take online time tracking applications for example. I was looking through Mixergy earlier and there was an interview with an entrepreneur who runs a time tracking app ( http://mixergy.com/tom-rossi-molehill-interview/ ) which reminded me of an interview I'd read a while ago with another entrepreneur who also runs a time tracking app ( Clockspot , http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2010/12/11/engineering-... )

And of course HN user, Amy Hoy, also blogs about her profitable time tracking SAAS app Freckle ( letsfreckle.com ).

I bet they weren't the first to come up with the idea of online time tracking applications, and more people will come up with similar businesses in the future but as long as they have some differentiation and find users (or rather, customers) its irrelevant how shiny and new the "idea" is.

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Re:Is your startup idea already taken? by hello_moto on Tuesday February 21, 2012 @04:27PM (#3618160)
Collaboration, Project Management, Dashboard, Time Tracking, Invoicing, Accounting, CRM, ERP (simple ones), Inventory Management Systems, Contact List, Todo List, Customer Support/Ticketing Management Systems, Knowledge Based, Forum.

Re-do everything above and add the word "social" next to them (e.g.: Social CRM)

It can be done.

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Re:Is your startup idea already taken? by ahoyhere on Tuesday February 21, 2012 @05:57PM (#3618405)
Unnecessary. Our apps aren't "social." :)
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Re:Is your startup idea already taken? by hello_moto on Tuesday February 21, 2012 @06:05PM (#3618426)
That is not my intention.

What I'm trying to say is that there are traditional tools, the baseline, the fundamentals, such as the list I mentioned above.

Then there's another genre which add the 'social aspect' to the traditional tools.

Did I mention freckle to be a social time tracking? Nope :)

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Re:Is your startup idea already taken? by ahoyhere on Tuesday February 21, 2012 @06:35PM (#3618487)
No, but your comment implied that "it" is hard to do but if you slap on some social, "it can be done." You don't need to do anything so serious as "add social" to do "it."
[ Parent | on HN ]