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Identifying Competitors: Challenges for Start-Up Firms

This study addresses the problem of start-up firms identifying their competitors. It explores how entrepreneurs in creative industries become conscious of the existence of competitors and how they change their mode of operation when affected by their competition. The main research questions are: 1) What phases comprise the process of identifying competitors by entrepreneurs in creative industries? 2) What are the characteristics of marketing myopia in creative industries? 3) Will creative entrepreneurs be able to build competitive advantage? The authors answer these questions on the basis of research conducted among young start-up entrepreneurs taking part in the Entrepreneurship in Creative Industries project in Warsaw, Poland during 2012. The analysis is based on three sources of data: 1)application forms submitted by entrepreneurs during the selection of the project participants; 2) evaluation forms filled in during the course of the project by the selected entrepreneurs; and 3) in-depth interviews with the project participants. The qualitative analysis is conducted with the use of Atlas.ti software.This study provides clear implications on how to avoid underdevelopment of competitor orientation for start-up managers. Being complementary to the authors’ research on understanding customers in creative industries, it delineates conclusions on the determinants of market orientation implementation in these sectors.