You run the numbers and the gut-punch lands: 80% of your target market already has a solution. Most founders do one of two things here, they panic, or they quit. There's a third option, and it's the only one that builds a company.

What if the competitors who dominate your market handed you the exact blueprint to beat them, through their own frustrated customers?

In Episode 16 of Starting Up, host Jay Sensi gets tactical on competition. He breaks down the three major players who owned 80% of his serviceable market, what studying them actually taught him, and the specific differentiation strategies that let a one-feature product beat platforms with decades of relationships and brand recognition.

The biggest mistake when you discover strong competitors is pretending they don't exist. The second biggest is trying to beat them at the ...