4 ms·

Yup. In theory making good instant coffee is a pretty simple idea but I can tell you that if I knew what I know about the process I'm not sure I'd start this bu

by freese 10y ago

Yup. In theory making good instant coffee is a pretty simple idea but I can tell you that if I knew what I know about the process I'm not sure I'd start this business all over again.

jacquesm 10y ago
> I can tell you that if I knew what I know about the process I'm not sure I'd start this business all over again. And yet, those often make the best businesses. Businesses that do not require extensive domain knowledge are easy to copy, businesses that have no 'moat' (barrier to entry) tend to be overrun by competition initiating a very early race to the bottom in price where the only thing that matters is to hit the largest possible scale as soon as you can. Having a moat like this gives you breathing room, so cherish it. Hard is good in startups.
- freese 10y ago
  Now that you put it that way I definitely agree with you.
- BrailleHunting 10y ago
  Hard is good when something can be patented, kept secret, heavily regulated or otherwise defended. Mr. Wonderful and Mr. Coffee will knock this off in μseconds if there's any traction.
  - iamacynic 10y ago
    > Mr. Wonderful and Mr. Coffee will knock this off in μseconds if there's any traction. good. excellent. the more ripoffs the better. in what universe is the giants copying the small startup a bad thing? validation, validation, validation. validation, validation, validation. validation. val. i. da. tion. one more time. validation. i wish i could think like you, i really do. i would probably be much happier with everything in the world and in my life.
    - richthegeek 10y ago
      I know your username literally spells it out, but my god are you a dickhead.
      - dang 10y ago
        Please don't make the thread even worse by reacting uncivilly. If a comment is egregious, flag it and move on. (To flag a comment, click on its timestamp to go to its page, then click 'flag' at the top. There's a small karma threshold, currently 30, before flag links appear.)

by freese 10y ago

Yup. In theory making good instant coffee is a pretty simple idea but I can tell you that if I knew what I know about the process I'm not sure I'd start this business all over again.

jacquesm 10y ago

> I can tell you that if I knew what I know about the process I'm not sure I'd start this business all over again. And yet, those often make the best businesses. Businesses that do not require extensive domain knowledge are easy to copy, businesses that have no 'moat' (barrier to entry) tend to be overrun by competition initiating a very early race to the bottom in price where the only thing that matters is to hit the largest possible scale as soon as you can. Having a moat like this gives you breathing room, so cherish it. Hard is good in startups.

freese 10y ago
Now that you put it that way I definitely agree with you.
BrailleHunting 10y ago
Hard is good when something can be patented, kept secret, heavily regulated or otherwise defended. Mr. Wonderful and Mr. Coffee will knock this off in μseconds if there's any traction.
- iamacynic 10y ago
  > Mr. Wonderful and Mr. Coffee will knock this off in μseconds if there's any traction. good. excellent. the more ripoffs the better. in what universe is the giants copying the small startup a bad thing? validation, validation, validation. validation, validation, validation. validation. val. i. da. tion. one more time. validation. i wish i could think like you, i really do. i would probably be much happier with everything in the world and in my life.
  - richthegeek 10y ago
    I know your username literally spells it out, but my god are you a dickhead.
    - dang 10y ago
      Please don't make the thread even worse by reacting uncivilly. If a comment is egregious, flag it and move on. (To flag a comment, click on its timestamp to go to its page, then click 'flag' at the top. There's a small karma threshold, currently 30, before flag links appear.)