Approached by competitor

"There are tons of competitors, and one of the larger ones just sent me an email saying they'd like to talk and see if there is a way to work together. I think what that means is I'm stealing sales and ranked #1 for the keyword they probably want. A VC firm that invested heavily in them also called a few months back and wants to talk (I said no thanks)."<p>Paranoid much ?<p>Really if every approach is rebuffed like that how will you respond to the one that would have lead to either some great deal or an exit ?<p>The success of your business depends in a large degree on your communication skills, if you behave like a hermit towards the groups that are the most likely sources of 'big deals' then you have to really consider the value of what you've just lost. Especially if you describe yourself as the smallest fish in the pond. They're approaching you, that means you hold the cards, theirs are on the table. Go there and <i>listen</i>.<p>Nobody ever died communicating with a competitor or one of their VCs, if your main worry is some silly keyword ranking (as if that's the only way to build a business) then simply don't give away anything related to that.

Jesus, what's the big deal? Just go and talk to them. Don't give away any sensitive information, of course, but you can learn as much, if not more, in an informal chat, as they can. People really shouldn't be so afraid of talking to competitors.<p>Competitors are just other entrepreneurs who are trying to solve the same problem as you. You should be on good terms, not paranoid.

Most businesses are not zero-games. You're missing out, if you think it is.

You can never be too thin, too rich, or too knowledgeable about your market. An excellent data collection opportunity you don't normally have has fallen into your lap. Why wouldn't you take advantage of it?