How to survive against big competitors

[View this email in your browser]( Should Big Competitors Scare Me? TL;DR: "We just read that MegaCorp is getting into our industry. Should we be freaked out that we're going to get squashed like a bug? How do we process this?” Think of big companies like the Death Star. On the outset, it's a planet killer. But its weakness, (other than a really questionably-architected ventilation system), is that it moves at a glacial pace. I spent 10 years running a digital agency working with these Fortune 500 giants like BMW, Best Buy and Eli Lilly. What we don't see on the outside is how impossible it is for these companies to move internally and how we can use that lack of mobility to our advantage versus worrying about our home planet of Alderaan getting blown up. Today’s Advice Sponsored by [Fundrise]( Big Companies Face Inward, Not Outward The first thing we need to know about big companies is that their culture is almost always faced entirely inward. That means their staff, unlike ours, spends more time coordinating (read: fighting) with other departments then actually focusing on shipping product and responding to customers. While MegaCorp is busy scheduling meetings about upcoming meetings, we're heads down shipping products. They’re going to spend 10x more time coordinating resources than actually getting the work done from those resources. That's our edge. Big Companies Respond Very Slowly If a new opportunity arose that we wanted to take advantage of, we can huddle in a room and shift the entire boat "hard left" immediately. It doesn't work that way in big companies — at all. If you've ever watched a big company CEO try to ram something through their own organization, even they can't get things done quickly in most cases. That doesn't mean they won't respond, it just means we can respond faster. If we use that judo move to constantly ship new and better features faster, to market more aggressively, and to constantly condition the market that we're ahead, it's a huge win. But When the Cannon Does Fire... All of this agility is wonderful, and we should use it to our advantage, recognizing that at some point we may be looking down the barrel of a giant cannon. Our goal is to move as fast as we can, and stay 3 steps ahead of MegaCorp so that the cannon never gets sighted on us. This isn't about being scared — it's about being fast. 2019 was a big year for real estate investing And [Fundrise]( our fav real estate investing platform, was extra busy. Last year, they… - Reached over $4.7B in total property value - Acquired 75+ new assets - Launched their new iOS mobile app [Fundrise]( loaded up the office trophy cabinet, too… They snagged a spot on Forbes’ Fintech 50 list for the 4th straight year, and were recognized by Deloitte Fast Tech 500 and Inc 5000 as one of the fastest growing companies in America. And they’re just getting started, folks. Kick 2020 off right by investing with Fundrise -- they offer a smart, simple, and award-winning way to [get into the real estate game](. [Let’s get to it →]( FINE-ISH PRINT: If legal terms and disclaimers are your jam, call [this Fundrise page]( jelly. In Case You Missed It [Vetting Your Competition Starts Inside Your Company.]( How can you contrast your organization with another if you have no idea what value you bring to the table or where you stand? It’s time for an internal audit. [How to Write a Competitive Analysis for Your Business Plan.]( A solid competitive analysis is your way of showing that you know exactly where you stand among your fiercest competitors — and that you have a way to out-maneuver them. [How to Beat Your Lower-Priced Competitors.]( Don't let predatory competitor pricing strategy destroy your business. Check out this advice from members of FounderSociety, an invitation-only organization comprised of ambitious startup founders and business owners. Thanks from the Startups Team, Wil Schroter Founder, CEO and Startup Sensei Ryan Rutan CMO and Man with the Golden Podcast Voice Ben Sheidlower Senior Copywriter [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Website](Startups.com) Copyright © 2020 Startups.com, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you joined Startups.com. Our mailing address is: Startups.com 1322 Manning PkwyPowell, OH 43065-1100 [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](.