Via @JasonFried’s blog post:

Q: How do you still win in a packed category? I feel like it’s a lot harder to win now than it was 10 years ago.

J: Winning what? Winning who? Winning it all? Taking everything? That’s an insurmountable mountain of intimidation right there. Don’t do that to yourself.

How about just making something that can sustain itself? Why do you need to win it all? Why would you ever want to make it that hard on yourself?

Build something good, keep your costs low, keep your growth in check, hold back your expectations, find some customers, charge them money for your good/services, make more than you spend, and you’ll buy yourself another day, or week, or month, or year in business. Just aim to stay open, don’t aim to win anything from anyone. Staying afloat is a win for yourself.

Just start there. The odds are still against you, but they’re a whole lot better than trying to win it all.