Is it possible to become BIG like Tripadvisor.com?

[Just4Kix]

Is it really possible. I am a simple guy with 3 years experience in internet marketing and I know what it takes. I have few sites and they are doing well.

Still how can I beat them? I don't have the budget and manpower like them. I can only afford $100 a month as of now but is it really possible to even dream of being like them?

How can I be unique and not just like them? I try to think somethign out of the box but everytime i fail..

[Just4Kix]

Thanks for not replying

[JohnMcCabe]

You waited a whole hour and ten minutes before deciding you were being ignored, and bumping your post with a snarky remark?

Okay, now you have a reply...

TripAdvisor didn't start out as big as they are. It took several years, some smarts, some luck and some patience.

Until you learn that, just keep dreaming...

[HenryABranch]

Well EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE dude !

You should be asking HOW can I do it !

[raylee1]

to be fair i never believe any reviews on trip advisor,just a bunch of cranks who whinge about nothing. i went to lanzarote last november, and had a look on there a week before we went and there was some bad reviews for the hotel from people who had not long been back, we had a great week was red hot and was an excellent hotel and great food. i think some people just go out to look for problems and have a whinge.

[mrelk159]

It is possible but it will be VERY HARD, and if you are going into the travel or tourism niche, tripadvisor has become your direct competition.

[fcebri24]

The most important thing is to take action!! Start!! Then along the way, you can figure out how can you be as big as them. Many brilliant ideas have faded just because of doubtful brilliant people...

[Lukas]

There are many smaller ones than TripAdvisor that are competing and they've been around doing just fine. Hotels or PriceLine could also up their anty a bit and include reviews.

[E. Brian Rose]

Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe

TripAdvisor didn't start out as big as they are. It took several years, some smarts, some luck and some patience.

You forgot to add about ten million dollars in investor money for branding.

[JohnMcCabe]

Originally Posted by E. Brian Rose

You forgot to add about ten million dollars in investor money for branding.

That didn't come overnight, either.

[mikeyman120]

Of course it is possible. If you become a giant who knows maybe another big shot company will buy you out for a billion. That's my billion dollar plan to create a site that is very useful and that people will love, grow it and then sell out to the big boys. Other wise I only know how to become a millionaire.

[londonwarrior]

You will never become as big as Trip Advisor by spending $100 a month working on your own. It's just not possible. As far as I know they have 100s of employees.

What you're asking is like someone opening a market stall only have $100 a month to spend on stock and asking if it's possible for them to be as big as Walmart. In your dreams maybe, but in reality no.

You'd be better off setting some realistic goals.

[lovboa]

Most of those companies are venture backed start-ups.
They raise millions of dollars and have a lot of money to put into their business.

It's a lot harder when you purchase your domain for 8 bucks, set up hosting, and begin typing articles on your keyboard.

[inyourzip]

Wow everyone in this thread is negative. You can do it, don't listen to the negative people here.

[londonwarrior]

Originally Posted by inyourzip

Wow everyone in this thread is negative. You can do it, don't listen to the negative people here.

People are being realistic not negative. There is no point pretending or hoping you can achieve something that is obviously an impossibility. If you think he can do it, then please let us know how. Remember it's $100 per month and one person vs. a large corporation with 100s of staff and millions of dollars. So come on, enlighten us as to how he can do it. Or better still why don't you do it and then post a thread of how you did it?

[E. Brian Rose]

Originally Posted by inyourzip

Wow everyone in this thread is negative. You can do it, don't listen to the negative people here.

You really don't know whether or not he can do it.

It would be silly for everybody to say, "Yes, anybody can make a hundred million dollar site!" It would be silly, because it's just not true. Not everybody can do that. You need to start with a great idea, build a solid business plan, and get the backing you need to build your brand. I would venture to say that 99.999% of folks reading this thread have no idea how to complete a deal with multimillion dollar backers.

If everybody acted like cheerleaders, instead of throwing out the roadblocks, then this community would be pretty worthless. I don't think being honest is negative, especially in business.

[theemperor]

Originally Posted by Just4Kix

How can I be unique and not just like them? I try to think somethign out of the box but everytime i fail..

Why not go into a travel subniche and create a site on that? E.g. vegitarian travellers, gay travellers, adventure travellers with children, religous travellers. Then find a way to get those people to write reviews on your site.

Some other ideas:

1. I don't think tripadvisor is very 'social' - maybe your site would encourage people to chat or even find people to meet up and travel with.
2. Mobile experience - how to make your site a killer for people on mobile phones with fat fingers. Think about that.

[4webmaster]

The answer is NO. I've been in travel industy in the past and focussing on a niche travel or location is YES you can beat them but if it's general TRAVEL NO! The only way to beat them on general travel will be $$$$$$

[londonwarrior]

Originally Posted by inyourzip

Of course you say no just because you can't do it.

No-one can do it with a budget of $100/month. It's impossible.

[Dan Curtis]

Originally Posted by Just4Kix

Is it really possible. I am a simple guy with 3 years experience in internet marketing and I know what it takes. I have few sites and they are doing well.

Still how can I beat them?

Can you beat tripadvisor?

It is possible to start a website and over time develop that site into a major corporation. It has happened a number of times. That is how Google and Amazon started.

The odds of doing this are about 10,000,000 to 1, but it is possible.

But it is not possible for you to beat tripadvisor. History has shown that it is almost impossible to directly compete with market leaders in any field. This holds true even for large corporations with huge advertising budgets.

Honeywell tried it against IBM and got nowhere.

Major manufacturers introduce new laundry detergents and spend millions and then give up and pull the products from the market. Why? Because people use the products they use and they don't often change. People that use Tide or Cheer are very unlikely to change.

When was the last new chocolate bar introduced? When was the last successful new cola?

So you can't go against a major company head on.

But you can start a new company, with a new idea and a new position. And if that idea is brilliant and catches the attention of your public and your business is fantastically well managed, it is possible to succeed.

[Curtis2011]

Originally Posted by Just4Kix

Thanks for not replying

With an attitude like that, why the hell would anyone want to help you?

[Just4Kix]

Thanks for the replies and sorry for being a Jerk at first. I was kinda frustrated with myself.

Yeah I think you are right. I should think realistic as thats a million dollar company and to become BIG like them I need lots of money to invest. Maybe i should scrap this idea and start something small..

[manicmethods]

Agreed with the realistic comment. I think you need to get real with it.

Don't expect to become like TripAdvisor in 1 year, 2 years, 3, 4 or 5. It took them AGESSSSSSSSSS to get as far as they are now.

Perhaps consider setting up something a little more niche such as a site that focusses on a particular country or a particular type of hotel for example. SOmething like Boutique Hotels in Europe. Or even Boutique Hotels in Italy.

[Dazzling Content]

Originally Posted by inyourzip

Wow everyone in this thread is negative. You can do it, don't listen to the negative people here.

There's a difference between being realistic and being foolhardy. People here may be negative but they are realistic enough to tell you that it takes gargantuan sums of money and effort to transform a website into something as big as Tripadvisor. There are millions of travel websites all over the Internet but only a handful few are in the same league as Tripadvisor. Good luck competing with the million dollar promotional budgets of Tripadvisor or Agoda. You can still make handsome amount of money with your travel site by living off the crumbs left by these mega-sites, though, but to make it as big as Tripadvisor? Nah... just make sure that you are as lucky or as savvy as Jeff Bezos or Mark Zuckerberg.

[JohnMcCabe]

Originally Posted by inyourzip

Wow everyone in this thread is negative. You can do it, don't listen to the negative people here.

Okay, you win...

You can do it montage. - YouTube

[ryanmilligan]

I believe that anything is possible; that being said, not everybody has what it takes to make their dreams come true.

People are to interested in parties; sports; clothes; seeing the latest films. Lots of things interest people.

But sometimes, people have to give up on everything/take a massive risk to make a dream come true. Centering their entire life around succeding.

Some are willing to do it, some aren't.

And there are never any guarantees when taking risks, you could easily lose everything. I'm pretty far away from where I want to be in business, but I'm still proud of myself for coming this far and let me tell you one thing - It wasn't easy. It was never easy. I took a risk myself and with a combination of extremly hard work and luck - it paid off.

I believe you can do it, but you better get a solid business plan, a unique business strategy and an unshatterable mind-set.

P.S Do not ask people to create a business plan for you - no one is going to do it. If they thought of something that is going to be profitable, they will be doing it themselves.

You can get to where you want to be, but you have a long road ahead of you.

[fluffythewondercat]

Let's say your rich uncle dies and leaves you $100,000.

Not a huge amount, but enough to get you started on your TripAdvisor-killer plan.

Let's say you are smart about spending the money and attract others to share your dream by giving away small bits of the company.

Let's say that in five years you get to where TripAdvisor is now.

The problem is the travel-buying public will also have evolved in five years, away from what your company offers.

Moral:

Don't copy the current big thing. Figure out the next big thing.

fLufF
--

[ceesiren]

Originally Posted by Just4Kix

Thanks for the replies and sorry for being a Jerk at first. I was kinda frustrated with myself.

Yeah I think you are right. I should think realistic as thats a million dollar company and to become BIG like them I need lots of money to invest. Maybe i should scrap this idea and start something small..

You know, JFK, what you need to do FIRST is find a niche and work from there. Do you have a specialty (special knowledge) that you could exploit in this realm? Are you a scuba diver? A history buff? Do you like to travel backroads? Or specialize is B&Bs (there's a niche that really needs some help!) Once you get established in that tiny niche expand out from there.

That would be my plan of attack. Do one thing really well and you might have a chance of it going viral.

Good Luck.

[ceesiren]

Originally Posted by inyourzip

Of course you say no just because you can't do it.

Or because he's realistic.

[Dimachaerus]

Keep trying you never know what might happen.

[Jennifer82]

Everything is possiable, just don't give up ......

[4webmaster]

Originally Posted by inyourzip

Of course you say no just because you can't do it.

No seriously do you know Tripadvisor? it's same as you compare Walmart to the brick and motar. I can't do it ant this is true but did get over $200,000,00 monthly in orders in the past with a real travel agency and wasnt the leading in my location, I can't imagine a website like tripadvisor how much they make monthly in gross order transaction. So if you beat them

[sammib01]

You have to be original and do something and offer something onone else is. Most of these success stories are from those who think outside of the box or build a better mouse trap. Do not try to beat a big company by doing what they do better than they do. Noone will listen or care. Be different and original.

These guys did not start at the top it took years but they did not give up and found the hole that their peg fit in. It is all about finding out what you can do different and better and offering it for a better price or different conditions. Maybe you niche is something else analyse the whole thing and ask yourself if it is worth it and if you really can beat them. If you think you can do not give up who knows many have come before you and some have succeeded.

I wish you the best of luck.

[hmartin90]

Originally Posted by theemperor

Why not go into a travel subniche and create a site on that? E.g. vegitarian travellers, gay travellers, adventure travellers with children, religous travellers. Then find a way to get those people to write reviews on your site.

Some other ideas:

1. I don't think tripadvisor is very 'social' - maybe your site would encourage people to chat or even find people to meet up and travel with.
2. Mobile experience - how to make your site a killer for people on mobile phones with fat fingers. Think about that.

I think this is a very interesting strategy. You will not compete head to head with a site like Tripadvisor, but you can go through the backdoors and "steal" there traffic.
There are plenty of deep down sub niches in travel that are not as competitive.
Social media is also a integral part of any plan to take on the big niches. If you don't have a social media plan, you are making things harder for yourself. How many times have you tried something new or checked out a site just from a facebook like or share?
Don't give up, just get focused. Focused on a super specific niche in multiple areas with multiple sites. I think that is the key.

[eljeffe77]

Originally Posted by inyourzip

Wow everyone in this thread is negative. You can do it, don't listen to the negative people here.

#1. He was being a douche
#2. People are being realistic - not negative.

"Yeah you can do anything you set your mind to!" would not be an appropriate response here.

To compete with a HUGE well branded site like TA would require substantial financial backing. TA has been around for quite some time (since 1999 or so I believe) and got in early enough to own the large part of the market that they do.

It would take a rather large budget, and I would imagine quite a decent amount of time, to get to where you can compete with them. It's not negativity, it's simply the truth.

If he's got millions to invest, then yeah sure - he's got a shot. But chances are he doesn't, being that he's posting here asking how to go about doing this.

My $0.02

[PPC-Coach]

One thing I've noticed over the years as on online entrepreneur is that some people are afraid to dream big. They come up with every reason that something will not work. They never just give something a real shot because in their head, they've already lost.

I used to be that guy too. But not anymore.

I used to think big sites would be impossible to compete with. They have huge budgets, they've got tons of manpower and they've got history. But then I thought, what if their product or service is sub par or could be vastly improved upon. Then I thought, naw, I still can't compete with them, they're too big, I'd be wasting my time.

Then I started reading all these biographies of big time entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates and even the Google boys. They ALL started out small. They all took different paths to billions but they got there. One thing I noticed in reading about these guys is they never said the word impossible. Anything and everything WAS possible to them. The google boys wanted to put the internet on one hard drive back in the day and they DID. Steve Jobs wanted to keep full control over products, software and the color of the toilet seats in his headquarters, he DID. Bill Gates wanted to license his operating system to anyone who would take it and he DID.

SO I got to thinking. I can be a guy who says "that's impossible" all the time, never take a stab at it and never become a billionaire OR I can be the guy who says "anything is possible" and follow through with my initial idea and make it work.

I personally feel big companies and big websites are rarely directly competed with for one reason. DOUBT. People doubt they can do it. This alone keeps competition at bay. But then someone comes along and doesn't doubt it anymore. That person ends up competing with them and could possibly knock them out. That person will get bought out or buy them out down the road. That person thinks on levels that 99% of the population does not. $100 is not big to them, $100,000,000 isn't big to them.

It truely is all about mindset. If you think can or can't you're always going to be right.



Btw, getting back to the OP, I say go for it my friend. You miss 100% of the shots you do not take. There will always be people who doubt, that's natural, it's almost engrained into us. But don't listen. Go for it.

[pmg2712]

Do not fall for the trap like everything is possible.. It is a huge competition. So you have to think on your own ground. the investments, the contacts, the sales team, the product.. everything needs to be in perfect place... and that's the difference.. Business is about connecting dots at perfect time and perfect place.

[fluffythewondercat]

Then I started reading all these biographies of big time entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates and even the Google boys. They ALL started out small. They all took different paths to billions but they got there. One thing I noticed in reading about these guys is they never said the word impossible. Anything and everything WAS possible to them.

It was possible because it had never been thought of before.

That's what you're missing.

Bill Gates was the first person to perceive personal computers would need operating systems and to devise a way to make money on every PC sold.

Steve Jobs took a little-known GUI (that would have languished at Xerox PARC forever, like so many things do) and used it to make small computers useful.

The "Google boys", as you called them, had one good idea: contextual advertising. And they had VCs willing to back them.

fLufF
--

[jackobsIM]

I suppose if you offer quality unbiased info like they do - then yes, why not? Althouhg it may take many years to develop that kind of trust and authority, and engage the community to freely contribute. That's not easy but not impossible.

[mosthost]

You have the same chance a snowball has in Hell.

[Dazzling Content]

So is it possible for me to compete with Facebook? Or Google? Or Amazon? LOL

[mosthost]

Originally Posted by Dazzling Content

So is it possible for me to compete with Facebook? Or Google? Or Amazon? LOL

As long as you dream big, you'll have no problem