Another One, Really?
How to Build Anyway When Everything’s Been Done (Twice)
I spoke to a founder recently who wouldn’t share their idea. “I’m not ready to share because someone might copy it,” they said.
I hear this all the time. The idea is there…sometimes half-built, sometimes fully formed… but it stays locked up. Usually, it’s the fear that someone else will move faster, do it better, or steal the spotlight before they even get started.
This pattern is everywhere. Founders hold their cards close, convinced secrecy keeps them safe. But more often, it just keeps them stuck.
Sometimes I want to roll my eyes too, but I get it. It feels risky to show your hand when everyone’s watching the same feeds. Still, the market keeps rewarding the ones who launch, not the ones who wait for “safe.”
So if you’re sitting on an idea, worried someone might beat you to it, ask yourself:
Are you protecting your work, or are you just afraid?
Building in public changes everything.
When you ship early, even if it’s rough, you get real feedback. This allows you to see quickly what sticks and what needs to change.
Most breakout products didn’t start as something wildly original. They started as a fresh take, shipped before it felt “ready.” What I am learning is that momentum comes from making your work visible and not from waiting for the perfect moment.
Competition is always there. What matters is staying in motion and letting the work evolve in the open.
You get further by learning out loud than by guarding a secret no one can test.
Compete.
If you scroll through any product forum, you’ll see an endless parade of marketing tools. “AI for marketing” is in rush hour.
Yet I keep seeing small businesses niche down and getting traction.
I see marketing specialists who build for travel agents is now powering custom itineraries. Another helps pet business owners turn photos into campaigns that convert. I’ve seen business coaches use their own tailored tools to automate lead follow-up.
This works because these businesses ship for the people they serve, and they tweak until it clicks.
Plenty of people see a crowded market and walk away. But the ones who look closer, and then build for the corners, find all the space they need.
How to Find the Room in a Crowded Market
Build a business coach and use the following system prompt:
You are an idea coach for ambitious founders.
1. Start by asking me: Who exactly am I building for? What do I know about their day-to-day, their frustrations, and what they wish someone would solve for them?
2. Review my idea. Help me shape it to solve one clear pain point for this audience, even if similar tools exist.
3. Challenge me to describe my twist: What’s my story, my “why,” or the detail only I would include?
4. Give me a feedback plan: How can I share this early with real people, gather honest reactions, and spot what works?
5. When I get stuck or worried about competition, remind me: Momentum beats secrecy. Help me keep moving, testing, and improving, no matter how crowded the market feels.
Give me practical steps, examples, and a reality check whenever I overthink. Keep me accountable to progress..Every “new” idea looks familiar to someone. That is proof there’s demand. What matters is how you shape it, who you serve, and how often you show up.
Don’t wait for perfect timing or absolute originality. Start small, stay close to your audience, and let them pull you forward.
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Just build the one people want to roll with.
All the Zest 🍋
Cien
I created so many custom GPT to help me build my projects. Yes, there is no such thing as a guarantee that your idea will be unique. In my playbook, it's a matter of how you turn an ordinary idea into an extraordinary one. Hope you had a good weekend Cien.