
Ask HN: What do you do when a product already exists? - break_the_bank
How often has this happened to you?<p>You come up with an idea, you think about it. Come up with possible business models and implementations. Talk to your friends and get their views.<p>Eventually you&#x2F;friend start doing some Googling and you find a company that does what you wanted to do. Sometimes in addition to your idea, your business model &amp; implementation match as well.<p>What do you do?<p>1. Do you give up on the idea and look for another one?<p>2. Do you take this as validation and continue building it anyway?<p>3. Something else entirely<p>When do you go with 1 instead of 2? Or 2 over 1?<p>Maybe opinions and design set products apart and allow a lot of them to co-exist. There are probably more than 10 CIs on the Github market place and even more project management tools.
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polote
An idea has not any value. Someone doing something similar with what you think
doesn't mean you can't succeed. What is important is the execution.

Look at Uber, there is still companies lunching to be their competitor, some
are succeeding, some not.

If you want to work on this idea, forget about the competition. Meet with
customers, are they willing to buy your product ? if yes, then you can
succeed.

What is important is building something, meet with the market and iterate

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simonblack
I have invented several things 'in my head' but didn't think to patent them.

Imagine my chagrin several years later when 'my' inventions were reinvented,
patented and marketed by other people.

This was one, released in 1984. I had invented it (so to speak) in 1979 when I
built a house with a central indoor swimming pool. -
[https://vergola.com/](https://vergola.com/)

I suppose you could say I acknowledged that as validation that I had been
correct. Didn't make me any richer, though. <grin>

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satvikpendem
How many pen companies are there? And yet, people still make pens. It's the
same with competition. Don't worry about it as inevitably you'll be making
different choices throughout building and selling your product that won't be
replicated by others. Some customers will like your choices over other
companies', and that's why they'll stay your customers.

