I heartily agree with the statement that competitors provide proof that demand exists, but I disagree that you should have a product "10 times better than any c

I heartily agree with the statement that competitors provide proof that demand exists, but I disagree that you should have a product "10 times better than any competitor" to have a hope of succeeding. If there are competitors, then you know that 1) there is a market for a service that does exactly what they do, 2) that not all customers even know those competitors exist, 3) that there are some customers that are unhappy with those competitors/not well served by them, and 4) that there are probably related similar markets that are not being fully tapped by those competitors. Certainly if you can make a product 10x better, go for it, but I wouldn't delay in order to super-optimize it. You are already running behind, so why delay more? Look for other ways to differentiate yourself, such as different marketing, different customers, or serving a narrower or wider niche.