Growth February 21, 2020

HBR Article - A Survival Guide for Startups in the Era of Tech Giants

Simon Le Pine @Lakebed_io

This just came across my LinkedIn feed and I thought people here might appreciate it:

To me it certainly highlights that it's best to think about who your competitors are, or will be, and take intentional steps to hinder their progress. Running on luck when competing with larger players is a risky move, IMO.

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    I appreciate the article and, I might be out on a limb here, but I think worrying about competitors or potential competitors is a complete waste of energy and time. Copying them is as well.

    That energy and time can be better spent focused on your idea/MVP/solution and execution of it.

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      You're certainly welcome to your opinion, I disagree though.
      First, sound, well-run businesses are ones that have done a SWOT and have a clear competitive advantage. That advantage/strength needs to be communicated to customers as a value proposition.
      Second, the article creates bias as it only covers the startups that are still around today. Its difficult to find and cover the many startups who have fallen to their larger competition.

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        A sound, well-run business does not describe a startup. It describes an established and mature company, in which case, a SWOT is applicable. The primary focus of any startup should be a validated product/concept that adds value and is sustainable, imho.