How to win with an old idea
This template helps you show why making an existing product better works better than starting from scratch.
The hook
Share your big growth stats first, then use a funny quote or story to make a common industry belief look silly.
Structure
Show big results -> Share funny quote -> Expose the myth -> Reframe the problem -> Show your fix -> List simple steps -> End with a push
The Big Wins
Start with real numbers that show your growth or success. Keep the lines short to build energy fast.
The Silly Industry Story
Share a short quote or analogy that shows how people outside your industry laugh at your industry's bad logic.
Expose the Myth
State the bad rule everyone follows. Explain why having rivals is actually a good sign that people want to buy.
Show Your Fix
Explain how you took a popular tool, found what users hated, and made it much easier to use.
Simple Steps to Take
Give 3 to 5 easy steps for readers to do the same thing in their own work.
Encouraging Finish
End with one short line telling the reader that nothing is stopping them from starting.
Tone
Bold, practical, simple, and encouraging.
Best for
Founders and builders who want to challenge standard advice and share their growth story.
The original post
Chatbase was a one-person show until ~$60k MRR. Today: 15 people. 10,000+ customers. $8M ARR And I just read the most brilliant thing: “I’m thinking about opening a bakery.” “What will you sell?” “Croissants.” “Croissants? lol that already exists. dumb.” Just kidding. No one outside of tech talks like that." Exactly. In tech, we’ve somehow normalized the idea that if something exists… you shouldn’t build it. If we had that mindset at Chatbase, we’d never ship anything. Competitors didn’t stop us. They helped us. Because competitors are proof that: demand exists budgets exist users are already frustrated with something And that’s where we won. We didn’t try to “invent customer support.” We took what already existed, listened obsessively to what customers hated and missed… and built the product we wished they had. That’s why I genuinely believe Chatbase is one of the best AI products for customer support today: not because it’s “new,” but because it’s shaped by real customer pain, every single week. You don’t need to invent a new category. You need to make customers happier than the “existing” option does. A simple builder playbook: - Find an exciting product - Pick one messy part of it - Simplify it - Talk to customers until it hurts (then keep going) Nothing is stopping you from building.