Hey again @INSPIRED.insp.social community, I’d love your thoughts on something 💭🧠
I recently discovered another eco-friendly straw manufacturer in Asia. They’re much bigger than us, with a wider product line, validated tests, and global expansion underway.
I reached out hoping to explore collaboration. I imagined possibilities like co-manufacturing or offering complementary products alongside our straws.
Their reply was essentially, how would we work together when we’re competitors?
I understood the instinct, but I shared my view that we’re both pushing Asian sustainable products onto the global stage. Instead of seeing each other as threats, we could build bridges and strengthen the movement.
For now, I’ve been ghosted.
What do you think? Are we genuinely competitors? And how do we navigate conversations where similar products might actually unlock something bigger together?