Step 4 of 11 — Alternative Landscape
What your customers use today (the real competition)
Your real competition isn't the fancy startup with the same name. It's the messy mix of WhatsApp groups, spreadsheets, friends, and duct tape your customer already uses to cope. Understanding that is how you win.
Why this matters
Customers don't live with a blank space waiting for your product — they're already solving the problem somehow, even if the solution is bad. If you don't know what they use today, you can't know why they'd switch. "Nothing" is never the answer. There's always Instagram, there's always a cousin who knows someone, there's always a free Google Sheet template that almost works.
What you'll do in this step
- List every way your customer solves this problem today — apps, websites, people, hacks, spreadsheets.
- Tag each one by type: Direct (same category as you), Indirect (different approach, same job), or Workaround (hack that barely works).
- Note what each does well and where it falls short — that gap is your opening.
A real example
For Priya trying to find her first internship, what does her "how I deal today" stack actually look like?
Direct — Internshala
What it does well: Central place to browse listings, widely known among students. Where it falls short: Generic applications, no coaching, no feedback on why her applications are ignored.
Direct — LinkedIn
What it does well: Recruiters actually live here. Where it falls short: Priya is intimidated by it, doesn't know how to stand out among students from IIT/IIM.
Indirect — Instagram pages like @internshala_unofficial
What it does well: Free, highly shareable, feels informal and college-friendly. Where it falls short: Random quality, no interaction, often outdated listings.
Workaround — asking seniors on WhatsApp
What it does well: Trusted, gets honest answers. Where it falls short: Depends on who she knows — most Tier-2 students don't know anyone who's interned at a good company.
Workaround — her college placement cell
What it does well: Free and official. Where it falls short: Updated maybe twice a semester, only 3–4 companies visit the campus, none for marketing roles.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Listing only other startups as competitors — the Google Sheet and WhatsApp group are often the real threat.
- Saying "nothing, that's why I'm building this" — if customers have the problem and no solution, either you're wrong about the problem, or they've rigged something together that you haven't found yet.
- Being dismissive — "that's a bad solution" doesn't matter if customers are using it and not switching.
How Margawise helps
- AI suggests likely alternatives from your idea and problems, including free tools and workarounds you might miss.
- The "Enrich" action auto-fills what each alternative does well and where it falls short based on public info.
- Tagging by Direct / Indirect / Workaround helps you see the real competitive landscape at a glance.
Ready to try this in your own project?
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