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Startups need to have an un-fair advantage and a way to think about it.I wrote what I thought were some pretty good tweets & the page refreshed. Composing the said Tweets in an offline mode would be an un-fair advantage, imagine a chrome extension that just does that.Focus is key
The best signal that your un-fair advantage will work is typically in a crowded market place. Crowded markets are some of my fav places.They tell us is that are 2 many operators & 2 little winners. Seek out competition.If you want to avoid competition you want a job not a startup
You must also protect your un-fair advantage, if you take money from an investor you may likely get boxed in to their way of thinking/contacts/ideas/process etc. You may loose the very unfair advantage that brought them to you. So choose wisely. Money is great, handcuffs arent.
Walled gardens are great places to explore not by throwing in stones,but by partnering with folks who can take you in.Use your unfair advantage of being a nobody because nobody cares if you show up to the party with some one else.Spread your wings once inside. Be some ones plus 1
All problems dont need big solutions.Small is great, I am a huge fan for small data,breaking things into small parts or solving for small incremental changes/ideas and building calculated mousetraps vs trying to launch a space craft. Define what your unfair advantage in your mind
Once you have arrived at that definition, its ok to not live other peoples ideas of scale. Your unfair advantage can be to build some thing to be bought our, merge, acquired. If thats the trajectory you want, choose it and stick to it. If you have a better sprocket for shopify...
Its completely ok to just work on the sprocket and let them buy you out.Let your focus be your un fair advantage vs the lack of focus which wont help any one. Every thing doesn't need to be shiny or sexy for it to give you the momentum you need.Laser focus gets you farther faster
SV startups have their legacy networks behind them. Chinese startups have gov support & exclusive access to the Chinese market. If you have neither, let that be your unfair advantage. Its not a bad thing to start from a zero starting position because you are not constrained.
Its how you think about these things, it can either be you poison pill or your gateway drug. Work on identifying your unfair advantage, be it a unique view on a local issue, access to a market that is geo graphically distant for your competitors or context on reoccurring problems
Take risks.But dont be stupid.Stop copying ideas. Instead, Ideate. Give your self credit that you can come up with a better mouse trap for things you are passionate about vs trying to emulates some one else's unfair advantage.If that was the case all fried chicken would be KFC.
Their unfair advantage is their 11 herbs and spices. Its not yours. Find your own recipe but make sure it also finds traction, without traction you are just guy trying to make it in the world with an un differentiated fried chicken. Unfair advantage is not about secret formulas
That may work in the case of Hamdard only because their un fair advantage was Hakeem Saeed. Discover your wizardry, every one has an unfair advantage. Some things to think about, invention vs innovation, hardware vs software, less is more , old is new and new is old.
Think inside the box vs outside, it's overrated. Positive unit economics over Unicorn dreams. Growth before PR, Real Achievement before Tedx, Cashflow is king, you are only winning if you start. Unfair advantage over no advantage. Local vs Regional vs Global. Slow is fast.
Build for the now solve for the future, plan for the worst, execute for the best and charge like you are the Four Seasons. But make sure your house is in order before you do. @rebootdude @jehan_ara @raza_matin @Ash_Kalim @ZMoosaPK @TalhaIzhar @TheNestiO @id92_pk @Plan9incubator
