David start-up vs industry Goliath

1 points by kemo 14 years ago | 1 comment

I'm sure many of you here used to work for some larger company before going on your own. I used to work for a 'larger' company myself too before they screwed me over; I was "just a hacker" at the time so none of them took me really seriously.

Now it's payback time: I've been working (and still am, ofc) on a start-up that will compete directly with them. The product itself is light years ahead so I have no doubt it'll get a great percentage of the Goliaths' sales. The questions I can come up with would be:

1. how to use Goliaths' strengths and weaknesses as my own advantages? I've read on this topic lately but still really want to hear fellow hackers' opinions.

2. how to "push" my start-up with practically no funding in a 2nd world country? I'm not looking for funding, going the 37signals way on this one. Except for the idea being super awesome and packaged in the simplest interface possible, I pretty much rely on word of mouth and SEO. Ok, and social media (which I have no experience with). Is there a "pushing your start-up for dummies" book or blog?

stephenyoung 14 years ago |

"I have no doubt it'll get a great percentage of the Goliaths' sales"

Been learning again and again, you are going to need to map out your marketing plan and probably bring on a co-founder with a strong business background. Having the greatest product in the world will not save you from a poor approach to acquiring clientele.

Get some community validation that your product is as great as you claim, and change your plan from payback to your ex-employer and towards how you can enter their market as a strong competitor and carve out your own place. You're destined to fail if all you're going after is revenge.