It's like the project-building equivalent of the 42 bus

November 29, 2023 4:00 PM

For a few years I've been mulling over a software project associated with my industry (photography). I've finally found the time to commit to working on the project, and I've started breaking ground. But now I've encountered some other people who have very similar ideas to mine who want to work with me and I'm not sure how to handle it.

We're both looking at projects which operate in the same space, and both of our ideas — arrived at independently — have similar core USPs. The two other people that I've met with this idea are business partners in a separate venture — building a community-led photography studio — and are keen to make their software platform a key offering of this studio.

However, I've looked at their list of ideas and I'm honestly a little underwhelmed. I feel like mine is much more fleshed out in terms of the features I want to build, including having a well-defined minimum viable product and good (though not perfect) specifications for each feature I want to build.

I get on with the business partners in question, and I don't really want to enter into a competition with them, but I don't know how to approach this. I don't want to give up creative control over what I've been planning and sketching and thinking out for the last several years. At the same time, they have bigger networks and contacts than I do (largely because I'm terrible at networking, whatever industry I'm working in).

I've got the software engineering experience to build this thing (I call myself a semi-pro photographer because not 100% of my work comes from photography, but that number varies). They were looking for someone to build their app for them. I don't want to build their app; I want to build mine.

How should I approach this? If I'd not done any market research I would never have found out that they were planning to build the same thing that I was planning to build. I recognise there's no such thing as a monopoly on an idea, but I also recognise that two very similar projects will just dilute the market for both.

posted by gmb to Human Relations (6 answers total)

Offer a modified version of your app. Both of you market your respective versions. Give them some time limited exclusive features and you keep some features.
posted by Sophont at 4:15 PM on November 29, 2023 [1 favorite]

I guess one approach is to tell them "sure!" and then just build your own app to your own specs. Another is to tell them "thanks but no thanks" (especially if they don't really have the programming expertise to build their own app).
posted by heatherlogan at 4:46 PM on November 29, 2023

There are a few ways you could go with this. The "right" way will depend on things like your appetite for risk.

- Give up on your dreams, build the thing they want as a work-for-hire, cash that sweet sweet paycheck.
- Build the thing they want as work-for-hire, but clarify in your contract that you're also working on your own thing that will compete. They probably won't dig this but who knows?
- Tell them you're going to build your own thing and offer to let them invest in it in exchange for some mix of usage rights and a cut of future revenues (depending on how much they invest relative to your sweat equity).
- Tell them you're going to build your own thing and offer to license it to them as a white-label product.
posted by adamrice at 5:03 PM on November 29, 2023

There's a fifth option along with the ones adamrice lists:
- build the thing they want as a work-for-hire with a future ongoing cut of sales income (gross not net), cash that sweet sweet paycheck (maybe less than if you didn't take a share of sales) with ongoing royalties later. Make sure you're paid additionally for any required maintenance.
Of course the downside of that is continuing entanglement.
posted by anadem at 5:45 PM on November 29, 2023

Best answer: My suggestion to tell them "sure!" and then build your own app to your own specs was made under the assumption that this would be a volunteer/non-compensated venture. Please disregard if contractual obligations would be involved.
posted by heatherlogan at 6:43 PM on November 29, 2023

Best answer: Working on a big, complex project with someone is a relationship-testing experience under the best of circumstances, especially when money is involved.

If you're not already feeling 100% excited about working with these people, that feeling will not get any better.
posted by mekily at 7:19 PM on November 29, 2023 [4 favorites]