I was hesitant to write another in a long string of “_ Number of ideas for your startup” posts, but then I decided that I am always hungry for more. Hopefully there are some new insights that will be useful for you if you can anticipate them.
1. How to handle and (more importantly) work with your competitors.
Depending on your business (especially if it’s service-based), your relationship with competitors will be much more nuanced than a simple to-the-death competition. Learning from them is a source of free advice, since they are already established players in the field. Also, differentiating yourself from their offerings is a great way to hone your ESP. Many service firms are also open to sharing projects, outsourcing portions of them, profit sharing, knowledge sharing, etc. Don’t count out these rare opportunities for business.
Read the full article at: http://www.stratessence.com/blog/6-unexpected-startup-lessons/
Stratessence : Startup advisory and products 
Posted on October 19, 2010