When you start a Startup lots of people have lots of questions. What if it doesn’t work? What if you don’t make any money from it? And lastly: What if some one steals your idea?
We have been asked all of the above questions, and more. But the last question we get asked more than most. It is the question which rings most alarm bells for a new Startup and strikes fear into the heart of the founder. What if someone does steal the idea? What if they are more successful than us? What if this all leads to nothing?
In the short time that that we have been a Startup I have come to the realisation that whilst an idea can be stolen, the essence of our concept, cannot. Mortgage Mates as a matching platform could definitely be replicated. Co-ownership as a concept is not unique and some one, some where, could definately make a similar website. But the thing that makes Mortgage Mates special, is the passion behind the website.
Mortgage Mates is about turning strangers, into friends. It is about creating opportunity for people who currently have no, or limited housing choices and which are unlikely to include home ownership.
Behind the scenes the co-founders of Mortgage Mates are looking to improve and ensure there is safe and affordable housing for every person regardless of circumstance. In the future we will be working towards a social arm of Mortgage Mates to support other forms of housing as individuals transition through their housing journey.
Because of the background of the Mortgage Mates co-founders we come with more than just the website. We come with the vision of community and the desire for social impact. We aren’t just looking to match two people, we are looking to connect two new Mates.
To answer the question ‘What If’, our response now is, what if we didn’t do Mortgage Mates? How many people would be impacted by us thinking, it might be too hard, we may not make it, some one else may do it first. This What If, is far more significant than the one about some one stealing our idea. Competition is healthy, and we believe however much competition exists, we will always have distinguishing feature, a stand alone capability that cannot be replicated. We will be the Uber of co-ownership, leading the way for future Olas, Lyfts and other related businesses to copy but not replicate, Mortgage Mates.