

Ask HN: Is there a better way to find out if there are competitors than Googling for it? - liangzan

Hi,<p>Usually after you came out with an idea, how do you find out if there're already companies executing the same idea? Is there a better way than just Googling for it?
======
SwellJoe
If Google doesn't know about them, they are not a threat to you yet. Launch
fast, get customers, and move fast. You'll then be the one to beat. I'm not
saying you don't want to know about early stage competitors...but I've been
amused to note over the years that 90% of my "new competitors" have
disappeared within a year or two.

My first company actually had a company that _hired_ me to do some of their
development work (it was on Open Source software, so I would get the benefits,
as well...they were just paying me to do something I was going to do anyway).
They had several million in VC money. They also hired my current co-founder to
do UI work and some other stuff (he did contract work for me on a regular
basis back then). Clearly they'd read all about what I was doing, since I was
never too shy about how I was building my products and my company, and decided
to spend their way into the market in direct competition with me. I let them
(though I didn't let them use my name, or my company name, in any way to imply
endorsement or involvement in their products). They were out of my market in
less than a year, and completely dead within 24 months.

What I'm saying is that competition is rarely as scary as they seem, so don't
obsess over it too much. It can make you give up on a good idea and something
you're enthusiastic about before you really even know anything.

------
teej
If you can find at least one, spyfu.com can be pretty helpful in finishing out
your list.

------
pjharrin
Crunchbase.com very very helpful

~~~
gruseom
I just followed your suggestion and found a competitor I didn't know about
before, that hasn't launched yet. Thanks for the tip!

~~~
pjharrin
Yea I don't know what I would do without crunchbase

------
thesethings
Though for different purposes (usually just research or shopping tools), I use
these Google phrases almost every day:

"better than $thing"

"like $thing"

"same as $thing"

------
jwilliams
Well - I'd recommend that you use all the channels that you'd expect a
prospective customer to use.

If you'd expect Google to be a main channel - then any serious (established)
competitor should be represented there.

------
nreece
You can list 3-5 general terms (keywords) that best describe your concept, and
search for those keywords in Google to find anything close to your idea.

