Market Research

Competitive landscape, market sizing, and positioning analysis using a KPI-driven "No BS" framework.

When to Use

Competitive landscape ("Who are the competitors?")
Market opportunity sizing (TAM / SAM / SOM, gap identification)
Positioning strategy ("What should we own?")
Go-to-market input
Deal / partnership competitive assessment

The 5 Core Questions

Every brief answers these:

Comparable Projects / Competitors — Name 3–5 direct or adjacent competitors globally (not just regional). For each: price point, positioning, return/value promise, what they get right, what they miss.
Market Gap — The biggest unmet need, with specific evidence (search data, buyer behaviour, a real customer quote).
Success KPIs — The 3 metrics that make or break the first $1M in traction. What does success look like at 30 days / 90 days / 12 months?
Fatal Risk — The #1 thing players in this space get wrong (regulatory, trust, delivery, pricing). How do we counter it?
Positioning — One sentence no competitor can honestly claim. Specific, defensible, ownable.

Output Format

# [Business] — Market Research Brief

## Executive Summary
- Opportunity size: [TAM / SAM / SOM with methodology]
- Key gap: [one sentence + 1 supporting datapoint]
- Risk: [#1 blocker + mitigation]

## Competitive Landscape
| Competitor | Price | Positioning | Return/Value Promise | Strength | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|

## Market Sizing
- **TAM**: [$ + methodology]
- **SAM**: [$ + methodology]
- **SOM (Year 1)**: [$ + methodology]

## Success Metrics (First $1M)
- 30-day: [metric + target]
- 90-day: [metric + target]
- 12-month: [metric + target]

## Positioning
> "[one-sentence defensible claim]"

Research Sources

G2 / Capterra — competitor features, pricing, reviews
Crunchbase — funding, segments, deal flow
Search trend data — Google Trends, Ahrefs (volume, SERP landscape)
Customer signal — LinkedIn, Reddit/HN threads, interviews
Pricing intel — competitor pricing pages, payment models

Quality Checklist

[ ] 3–5 comparable competitors (global, not just regional)
[ ] Specific pricing/revenue model for each
[ ] Market sizing has explicit methodology
[ ] KPIs are specific and measurable (not "grow fast")
[ ] Risk is the #1 blocker, not a secondary concern
[ ] Positioning is one sentence and defensible
[ ] Every claim has supporting data