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Unthinkable

Market Research for a New Business Without Paid Reports

By , Founder

Market research for a new business has one job: to tell you whether enough people have the problem, whether you can reach them, and whether they will pay enough to make the effort worthwhile. You do not need a paid industry report for that. Public data, competitor pages and free keyword tools get you most of the way, provided you do the arithmetic honestly.

Start by sizing the market from the bottom up, with numbers you can defend. Then study the competitors, including what their customers dislike and what they refuse to switch away from. Check whether the category is saturated or simply large. Then look at where buyers search, on Google and in the App Store, because that decides how you will reach them.

Read in this order

  1. How To Size A Market Using Public Data And Basic MathLearn how to calculate market size from the bottom up using public data, competitor reviews, and basic math. Stop relying on expensive top-down reports.
  2. TAM SAM SOM for Founders: Defensible Market SizingUnlock the power of TAM, SAM, and SOM to effectively size your market and impress investors with your pitch deck strategies.
  3. How to research competitors before starting a businessLearn how to extract pricing models, review volumes, and demand signals from competitors to validate your business idea before writing any code.
  4. Signs a Business Idea is Already SaturatedA high competitor count does not mean a market is saturated. Learn the five mathematical tests to distinguish a crowded market from a dead one.
  5. How to find free keyword search volumeLearn where free keyword search volume numbers come from, the error margins on each tool, and which data sources can safely carry business decisions.
  6. App Store keyword research for new developersLearn how to do App Store keyword research by analyzing Apple autocomplete data, translating category ranks, and avoiding unwinnable search terms.
  7. Choose Between an App or Website Based on DistributionStop choosing between an app and a website based on coding preference. Learn how to let user distribution and search volume dictate your platform choice.

Next guide: How to Find a Business Idea People Will Pay For