Ask HN: My startup idea just launched in a different country, should I proceed?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4551576

by zensavona • 14 years ago

6 8 14 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

Let me prefix this post with this: I am Australian, and the other company is American.

I've been working on an idea on the side for the last month or so, and just saw that another company obviously had the same cool idea and implemented it in a very similar way to what I had planned (in the states). There is nothing like it offered in Australia, though.

Should I continue with it and throw it out there knowing that if the American version really takes off, I will possibly be labelled as "X for Australians"? Or should I find a (possibly less good) way of implementing this _just to be different_?

Anyone done this before?

Zhopa• 14 years ago

URL?

factoryron• 14 years ago

Consider it validation of your idea and forge ahead. Companies win on execution, not being first.

moocow01• 14 years ago

Most businesses have a 100+ competitors in their own country. I think you have your answer.

nathanhoad• 14 years ago

I guess it depends what the idea actually is but I'd suggest forging ahead anyway - there is always going to be someone out there with the same idea.

trevelyan• 14 years ago

If your company is going to make money, what is holding you back? And if your company isn't going to make money... why are you doing it in the first place?

Don't be intimidated by competition and aim for the global market when you launch. If you work hard and listen to your customers it is entirely possible that you'll win in the marketplace. Both you and them are going to run into the same problem: finding customers. And it isn't like their existence makes that much more difficult for you. Maybe even easier since a trend is sometimes a story and articles about them might even mention you.

001sky2• 14 years ago

The one consideration is this: Aus has 22.6m people. The usa has 311m. At some starge your valuation potential will be constrained by adressable market. If there is an obvious niche that is too small locally, for example, you may want to consider it. But could still easily proof/concept and test product/market fit etc. And then compete on the terms of your initial success. And there are all kinds of examples (rocket internet etc) for geography being sustainable barrier to entry. Or of fast follow building a better product (FB vs myspace, etc. iphone vs palm). The variables are the potential for variation in the design/execution, the size of the market, and your own vision/skills, etc. Provided you have access to capital, talent, and a toe-hold demographic (oz is pretty good in ABC1s), why not start.

001sky2• 14 years ago

relevant: http://www.arcticstartup.com/2012/09/21/how-are-finnish-star...

aleprok• 14 years ago

Do not be scared of competition. Many businesses have more than one competitor. Think about fast food places who compete locally for customers. I live in a small city where lives about 80,000 people. I know we have at least 4 burger places, 6 pizzerias if not more and other restaurants. All of these compete for the customers, the good ones live and the bad ones die.

If your idea works globally and you are certain there exists just one competitor you could quite easily execute your business without thinking about the competitor, because there surely exists customers for you too, but if you want to get their customers you need to be better than them.

Ask HN: My startup idea just launched in a different country, should I proceed?

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