How do you shop around for your software?

[Karenwhe]

However, at this stage we don't have any competition

That is a very worrying statement. Because it either means you are building market, which takes mega millions or there is no market. If you are in any type of business process, ERP, accounting software no mater what features and functions you have you have competition and it is not at functionality level but mind-share.

If there is really no competition, then you have to build the concept in the minds of the consumers/clients, in other words you are building a market where one is none existent. That also takes multi mega bucks and you need an "enabler" without an "enabler" you either won't cross to mass market or someone else will use all your marketing efforts when they have the "enabler" and will do it in your place.

[This has happened more than once before in the software industry with startups that were "early to market" and didn't realize it early enough, by the time they realized it...... the so call none existent competition took a ride on their marketing and took the market in 1 year and the startup disappeared. And they didn't even do this with a better product.]

Competition is not about features and functions but about mind-share.

In other words, what is the first company you think of when you think sports shoes.......XYZ.

What is the first company you think of when you say: "web analytics" some say GoAn some say AWS.

So, what is the first thing that comes to mind when you say XYZ (whatever you software is e.g. accounting, ERP etc). If the answer is nothing, you are building market. If the answer is XYZ, you have competition.

All the above of course is null and void if one wants to stay small niche boutique software house.

Also a side note. Mind share in B2C is even more important than in B2B.

Hope this helps.