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Concept Stage:
Competitive Analysis: Never ever gloss over the competition.

By David Mackie
Managing Partner, seedstage.com

A competitive analysis explains specifically and in detail

1) the players in your market, including their names,
2) how they're positioned, and
3) how you're going to compete with them. This is a critical component of your business plan.

Why It's Important
Any investor will either personally investigate the competition or arrange to have it done by someone else. If there are any competitors that you haven't mentioned, you will trigger concern as to why you didn't name them and/or if you really understand the market you're going after. Count on this: It will come up. The investors will investigate. So do the competitive analysis up front.

How It Works
Here's the basic premise for your competitive analysis. If you're projecting in your business plan that people are going to spend money on your product, then

1) either they're already spending money on this type of product, and you have a better answer
2) or your product is something that doesn't exist at the moment, and no one is spending money on it.


DO:  
  • Understand any existing products and why they cannot compete with yours.
  • Understand why people would stop spending money on whatever they've been spending money on, and why they would spend money on a new and different product instead.
  • Understand how your competition could respond to your product and what will stop this response from being competitive. If you can't explain this, you're not going to succeed.
  • Interview prospective customers about your proposed positioning against the competition.
DON'T:  
  • Underestimate the critical requirement for a competitive analysis in your business plan.
  • Gloss over the competition. Ever.
   

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