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Competitor
Anyone the customer might choose instead of you. The toughest one is often 'do nothing'.
Example
You build a study app for revising vocabulary. Your obvious competitor is another app. Your real competitor is the student deciding to scroll TikTok instead. Beating the other app is technical work. Beating TikTok is harder.
How it fits in
Most early founders define competitors too narrowly (only direct lookalikes) and ignore the most common alternative: the customer keeps doing what they already do. Beating 'no change' is harder than beating other companies, because change has its own cost and the status quo is already paid for. Naming all three groups (direct, indirect, and 'no change') gives a clearer view of what to win against.
Where this is taught
Related terms
Someone who builds a product or service to solve a real problem and tries to make it pay for itself and grow.
A short, honest sentence that names who you help, what problem you solve, and why your way is better.
The smallest version of an idea that is real enough for someone to actually use it and tell you the truth about it.