Every customer meeting or product demo, we are reminded who all we are competing. I mostly listen patiently.
As a founder, it is easy to get lost in the competition. It results in creating a tunnel vision and copying their features. In the end no differentiation.
Working for others for over a decade has altered my view of running a company or chasing competitors. I also remember Raja, our advisor giving me a copy of “When Coffee and Kale Compete” in the very early days of our existence.
In short, focusing on customers, pain, and delighting them is what matters. Not everyone will pay for your product and not everyone has desired to progress. This keeps us going.