Massive Breakout Alert, page-140

Noone just putting it out there again......and somewhat relevant to our recent discussions....

If the startup world had a dollar for every time “It’s the Uber of x” got trotted out, well, it would probably not need any further equity raising.

Chris Noone, chief executive of Collaborate Corporation, knows a good deal about the sharing economy and its buzzwords and puts the proliferation of “the Uber of…” pitches down to fundamental problems with the business idea.

“It shows the proposition you’re trying to put forward either can’t be put forward quickly or at all,” he says.

“Everything about your business needs to reinforce your product’s positon, not just comparing that to other businesses.

“I think people don’t want to spend the effort in positioning their own business. It’s a very short-sighted strategy, a quick win.”

Noone says he also has a particular “passion for ridding the world of companies that claim to be the Airbnb of something”, especially those that put the word ‘air’ in front of their name.

“I think for Airbnb it made sense, for them it’s totally relevant,” he says. “But people think ‘air’ means a certain thing so we’ll put it in front of our business.”

Noone thinks the trend likely comes down to the way startups are trained to pitch their ideas in comparison to something else, but says “hijacking” another’s business name is not effective in the long run.

http://www.smartcompany.com.au/lead...you-should-avoid-using-in-small-business.html