Clone Wars

Foreword

In August of last year, I launched my first startup, EverHoch.ru , announced it on Habré, received a bunch of comments regarding the damp version, but most importantly I was reproached for cloning the wishlist.ru service. My main idea at that moment was - wishlist does not develop (they still have the latest update on a blog a year ago), I will make them assertive, new features, brilliant solutions, everything will be cool.
A little more than half a year has passed, I have a parallel project. I did not receive the expected attendance surge, the planned business models without a serious number of users can not yet come into action. In some strange way, the wishlist.ru began to grow, and very quickly and volumetrically, I believe that due to RSS and other services :)

The most interesting thing is that now such services are being made with minor differences or even complete clones, with a difference in domain and design. I will not advertise competitors, but they are there, and I know about a dozen of runet (except dozens of dot-com) vibrist services besides mine.

The essence of the problem

The case with the wishlist is certainly not unique. There are scary quantity of such thematic startups, the closest example that I see again and again project management systems, I can call 7 immediately, if you can easily find 20, and new ones continue to be created, given that there are already strong players, conquered the market and are unlikely to sink into oblivion just like that.
')
Of course, each of them before the loss of pulse will beat themselves in the chest with shouts “We are still better” and only 1-2 will succeed - they will conquer the market, form unique trade offers that competitors do not have.

Huge financial and time resources are being lost.

Possible solutions

What can you do and what is the purpose of this article?

1. Considering the problem from my bell tower (novice startups), I can assume that one of the options would be to combine efforts . On what terms? Good question. Well, for example (ideas go further), if during negotiations there is an understanding that you are close in spirit, you can organize a common company, dividing shares equally in it, register both domains for this company, combine user bases, share developments and another interesting point “to compete inside the company "in the promotion of different target segments.
Or another option, for someone who is weaker to sell to a stronger one on mutually beneficial terms, such as MTS and regional operators (like "GSM Region")
Cons of this idea:
- difficult to negotiate, especially with strangers
- there is still a lot of search engines, mail services, video hosting sites that have a significant market share, there is no monopoly

2. Soberly evaluate your strengths and continue, or continue with great zeal, defining your unique trading advantages, develop the marketing component strongly, not focusing on a slightly more beautiful design and doubtfully better usability, but moving away from, for example, another target audience .
Pros:
+ Realizing that you are far behind the competitor, and the competitive struggle takes too much time, you can calmly part with the project (which is always very difficult) and others to do a more promising undertaking
+ clearly identifying competitive advantages, you can see the further path of development, therefore, it is necessary to deal with this issue
Minuses:
~ There are no cons here, if you see, share

3. Do nothing. The competition was, is and will be. Survives the strongest, and the weak is forgotten in a week. But a start-up is a person who strives to change the usual course of things, leave a mark on history, do something outstanding, and today we can come up with a new business model, web 3.0. or a way in which everyone is good and everyone wins (I’m talking about a win win situation). Therefore, point 4:

4. Your option / vision solution
Not for nothing, I wrote these thoughts on the habr. I am sure that the community has its own thoughts on this matter and please feel free to express them, try not to forget about karma for a long time and say what you think, perhaps this question is one of the most basic and solving it will help to significantly improve the understanding of runet startups by startups themselves.