“We Don’t Have Competitors” — And Other Myths That Could Hurt Your Product
Okay, we get it — you’re doing something totally new.
You’re building something nobody else has built. It’s fresh. It’s unique. It’s possibly never been done before.
And we believe you.
But here’s the reality: that doesn’t mean you don’t have competition.
Competition Isn’t Just a List of Companies
Traditionally, when people think about competition, they think about other businesses offering similar products. It’s natural — we’re taught to look for direct competitors in our space and figure out how we’re different.
But the truth is, competition isn’t always another product or company.
Sometimes, your biggest competition is… doing nothing.
Seriously. For many users, the default behavior isn’t switching to a new tool — it’s sticking with what they’ve got, even if it’s not great. That “thing” you’re replacing might be a spreadsheet. Or a notebook. Or a shared Google Doc. Or nothing at all.
And yes, those things are still competition.
Cheap Alternatives Are Still Competitors
You might be building something high-tech, sleek, and feature-rich. But don’t underestimate the power of cheap. If your product costs $20 a month, and I can approximate the same result with $2 worth of paper and a pencil, you’re in a head-to-head battle — even if what you offer is objectively “better.”
Being better doesn’t guarantee adoption.
You still have to convince people to switch. You have to make the case that what you offer is not only better — it’s worth the time, effort, and money to change what they’re doing today.
Competitive Analysis Should Include Behavior
So, when you build your competitive analysis, don’t just list other companies in your space. Start thinking about behaviors:
What are people doing today to solve this problem?
What workarounds have they built
What options are “good enough” that they’re not seeking alternatives
What tools or habits are they already familiar with?
Then dig into those. Watch how people behave. Ask questions. Look for the friction and gaps. That’s where opportunity lives.
Your Product May Be Unique — But Your Challenge Isn’t
You might be the only one offering your exact solution. But that doesn’t mean people aren’t finding some way to solve their problem (or choosing to live with it). Your job is to help them see the value in switching.
Sometimes, getting someone off the couch — getting them to care, to act, to change — is your biggest hurdle.
So yes, you’re doing something different. Yes, it’s exciting. But don’t fall into the trap of thinking no competition means easy adoption. Look broadly. Think deeply. And be ready to show why your way is worth the switch.
What’s Next: From Raw Data to Actionable Insight
In the next few posts, we’ll walk through how to take this kind of competitive research — paired with UX research and customer interviews — and turn it into something useful:
✅ How to structure your research so you’re not just collecting noise
✅ How to combine competitive insight and real customer input
✅ How to identify patterns across complaints, praise, and behaviors
✅ How to turn those patterns into a clear list of:
Risks (what could block adoption)
Opportunities (what your product can uniquely solve)
Differentiators (what sets you apart in a way that matters)
- Must haves (what is table stakes for the product to be competitive)
To make this even easier, we’ve created a downloadable framework + spreadsheet to help you organize, synthesize, and make sense of everything.
🔽 Download the Competitive Landscape + Pain Point Synthesis
Competitive Analysis Spreadsheet
Pain Point Synthesis – You might already have this if you’ve done the Product Market Fit Course
It’s designed to help you move from scattered notes to a strategic foundation — one that’s grounded in real-world insight, not wishful thinking.
