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Ask HN: What do you do when someone else executes your idea?

13 points by designatedInit ↗ HN
A couple of weeks ago I had an idea for my next app. It was very exciting for me because I usually have trouble coming up with ideas. After a couple weeks, another company released an app that is strikingly similar to what my idea was. And they executed it quite well. That's not to say that I don't think I could do a better job, I do. And I think this could motivate me to make my app even better than it was going to be. But I feel that the worth of my idea has gone down now that somebody else has already make it. Should I still make my idea, or should I abandon it now that somebody else did it?

Thanks for reading,

13 comments

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rprasad
If nothing else, make the app as practice for taking your ideas from concept to reality.

Besides, you can always compete on metrics other than execution, i.e., price or features.

dmils4
Do it anyway.

1) Creating the app is half the battle - executing on distribution is the main thing you'll have to fight.

2) You don't know what their end game for the app is - they might be creating it with a totally different function in mind. So even though up front you may think they've created something identical to what you are, that might not be true.

3) The fact that there's another app out there that does what you are planning on doing further validates that you have a great idea.

4) Don't be concerned with competitors. Phil Libin from Evernote said it best - on the list of top threats to your app's ability to succeed, a competitor's success doesn't even register.

designatedInit
Thanks, this is great advice. You really changed the way I look at it and I now have even more enthusiasm towards making the app!
motyar
You are a creator. Think about next idea. I share a lot of new app ideas using #appIdea
sdotsen
I created an app which competes against a ton of others. I'm sort of late to the game but I did one thing better than MOST of them. I made it dead simple to use. My customers love using it and it feels great since I was able to turn a simple idea and made it very easy to use. I went from being on page 6 to being on page 1 (number 3 in Google results).
realschool
I had a very similar idea to, been working on it for a while. We pivoted a little. t

This seems to be a very popular genera right now, maybe it has to do with how easy it is to create a photo app?

kappaknight
I agree with many of the other encouragements said here but I also want to add, think of a new, original idea. The photo space really IS way over saturated. Build something that makes a difference and improve peoples' lives.
designatedInit
Thanks, and I agree with you. The photo space is over saturated. But my app isn't a photo app. My app will have an element of nostalgia to it. It will let people remember important events and moments in there lives. It will trigger one of the strongest human emotions. So I don't like to think of my app as a photo app, it provides a token, a window into someone's past. Do you see what I am saying? It will be a very tough app to make, and will only work if I do it right. But that is my goal, and hopefully I can achieve it.
Mankhool
I spent almost 2 years trying to find investors for what some others guys in Cali launched as Gigwalk last May. Major bummer. But nobody executes "your idea" EXACTLY as you envision it so do it anyway. I have had the luxury of watching Gigwalk for almost a year - and it is a lot easier to describe what I'm doing now that I can point to another app and say, "like this, only with features x, y and z that it doesn't have". Also it's a lot easier to know how much capital you might need based on what a competitor has raised. Good Luck!
designatedInit
Thanks for the advice, Good to hear from someone who has had something similar happen. Good luck with your project!