Invertedpassion

Hey there varlock! It's a good thing you're asking this question here.

Now the answer to your question[s] will really depend on what it is you're trying to build (and more importantly, sell).

Take for instance a website like Stackoverflow, it will be quite hard for anyone to develop and get people to use an alternative for the same because the entire value the website delivers is derived from its user base.

However, if your idea is something like Mailchimp, it will be a lot easier for you to build and sell the same because the value delivered by the product depends mostly on whether it works for prospective users and your ability to convince them about the same.

> What would you do to differentiate the product? What steps would you follow?

I would pick a niche (subset) from the market the incumbent player is catering to and build something superior catered only towards them and then grow horizontal from there.

> Or would you drop the ball altogether (hopefully not!)?

Hello no!

Depends of whether networks effects are an important aspect of the incumbent's success and the resources that are at my disposal. So if I don't already have a bunch of money or risk appetite (even in terms of time), I wouldn't really invest myself in doing a marketplace sort of thing (where network effects matter i.e. product value is derived from user base).[1]

If network effects don't matter and I can build and sell this thing on my own or if I at least have access to the sort of people that…

Your post https://invertedpassion.com/your-30-second-pitch-shouldnt-be-about-you/ applies not just to business but to life in general. Talking about someone else and focusing on what they want is how to make friends (and other benefits).

I really like your site. It’s kind of the inverse of pg: not really essays, but still focused and numerous, even if short. It manages to be general without being shallow: there are so many interesting topics that it’s hard not to get pulled in, which for me was reminiscent of stumbling on pg’s essays in 2007.

Thanks!

There are a few podcasts and interviews about the initial days of VWO. You may find the following resources helpful:

[1] My very first interview in 2012: https://mixergy.com/interviews/chopra-visual-website-optimizer-interview/

[2] A relatively recent one: https://inc42.com/startups/wingify-paras-chopra-saas-startup/

[3] I've been blogging about many lessons I've learned on my blog https://invertedpassion.com