Optimistic: If they already have the same product and paid customers, learn everything you possibly can tease out of why they do it the way they do it. They ar

Optimistic: If they already have the same product and paid customers, learn everything you possibly can tease out of why they do it the way they do it. They are almost guaranteed to not be dumb, or at least that's the attitude you should take. Why did they choose the niche and approach they did? Is there a differentiation that won't be a regression from what they offer for at least some subset of the customers? Assuming it makes it worse for some and better for others, are the numbers of "betters" a big enough market to focus on as a niche? As long as you're not searching for VC funding and okay with being a small fry, that seems low enough risk to try out at least... Personal: I hate companies that sell my data, it's almost always obvious immediately, and while I still make the tradeoff sometimes, it's rare. Purely from a personal preference standpoint... can you try just charging for something worth paying for? More enterprise, less bottom of the bucket deal seekers? Are your customers businesses are or individuals? Can you target businesses instead? I think they're way easier to come to a lucrative accommodation with with minimal sales effort. Maybe try a freemium model instead, or one with very low entry fees to try it out before normal monthly fees arrive? Sorry, this might be unrealistic and old school for Web 3.0 startups... I work in chemicals so obviously my perspective is skewed.