In his July 2nd blog, “Startup Advice from George Constanza: Do The Opposite,” Dharmesh Shah at OnStartups.com makes the case that “doing the opposite” (zigging when others are zagging) can actually work for startups, citing a few examples in his blog from VC funding negotiation, to recruiting early employees and early customer conversations.

I couldn’t agree more. As an consultant who conducts due diligence on startups for early-stage investors, I am often struck at how many entrepreneurs approach investors with me-too ideas for startups with basically the same business model, market entry approach, etc.

If the business you are copying is wildly successful (hence the reason for copying it), what makes you think your startup can unseat it as the market leader? If the business you are copying is languishing, then why in the world would you have the same exact business model and marketing strategy?

As you are honing the business plan for your startup idea, take care not to fall into the trap of looking just at the obvious. Think outside the box and think what it could be if you do the opposite!

© Eye on Startups & The Startup Guidebook