| name | research-business-idea |
| description | Multi-phase market research for evaluating a business idea. Runs ecosystem surveys, competitive deep dives, distribution analysis, and CAC estimation. Creates comprehensive summary documents. Use when user says "research business idea", "market research", "evaluate this market", or wants to understand competitors and unit economics. |
Research Business Idea
Multi-phase market research workflow for evaluating a business idea. Uses Gemini Deep Research for comprehensive reports, then synthesizes findings into a structured summary document.
Trigger Phrases
- "research business idea"
- "market research for"
- "research this market"
- "evaluate this idea"
- "/research-business-idea"
Output Location
~/obsidian/Research/
Workflow
Phase 1: Scope the Research
Use AskUserQuestion to understand:
- What's the business idea? (product, service, market)
- What's the focus? Options:
- Broad ecosystem survey (default starting point)
- Competitive deep dive on specific players
- Distribution/marketing channels
- Unit economics / CAC estimation
- All of the above (full research)
Phase 2: Initial Ecosystem Survey
Run Gemini Deep Research (use the gemini-deep-research skill workflow):
bun ~/.claude/skills/gemini-deep-research/gemini-helper.ts submit "<topic>: websites, apps, products, and companies in this space. Include market size, key players, business models, and recent trends."
Save to: Research/Deep-Research-YYYY-MM-DD-<topic-slug>.md
After reviewing results, identify:
- Top 3-5 players to analyze
- Key market categories
- Notable trends or disruptions
Phase 3: Competitive Deep Dive
For each major competitor identified, research:
| Category | Questions |
|---|
| Company | Entity name, HQ, founding date, employees, funding |
| Product | Core features, platforms (web/iOS/Android), pricing tiers |
| Data | Where do they source data? APIs? Scraping? User-generated? |
| Distribution | SEO? Paid ads? App store features? Influencers? PR? |
| Reviews | App store ratings, Trustpilot, common complaints |
| Positioning | Tagline, target customer, key differentiator |
Run follow-up Gemini research if needed:
bun ~/.claude/skills/gemini-deep-research/gemini-helper.ts submit "Deep competitive analysis of [Company1], [Company2], [Company3]: ownership, funding, team size, pricing, distribution channels, app store ratings, common user complaints"
Phase 4: Distribution & Marketing Analysis
Research for each competitor:
- Google Ads: Use Google Ads Transparency Center or search for their brand
- Facebook/Instagram Ads: Check Meta Ad Library (ads.facebook.com/ads/library)
- TikTok: Search for brand mentions, check TikTok Creative Center
- Reddit: Search for subreddits, brand mentions in relevant communities
- SEO: Note if they dominate organic search for key terms
- App Store: Check if featured, "App of the Day", etc.
Document: Are they doing paid acquisition or purely organic growth?
Phase 5: CAC Estimation
Research and calculate:
- Industry benchmarks - Search for CAC/CPI data in their category
- CPI by platform - TikTok, Facebook, Google typical CPIs
- Influencer costs - Rates for nano/micro/macro in relevant niches
- Unit economics check:
CAC = CPI ÷ Free-to-Paid Conversion Rate
Payback Period = CAC ÷ Annual Revenue per User
Required LTV:CAC = 3:1 (SaaS benchmark)
Include a glossary of terms (CPI, CAC, CPM, CPC, LTV, ASO, UGC).
Phase 6: Synthesize Summary Document
Create a comprehensive markdown summary at:
Research/<Business-Idea>-Market-Research-Summary.md
Document structure:
# [Business Idea]: Market Research Summary
*Research Date: [Date]*
---
## Executive Summary
[3-4 sentences: market state, key finding, opportunity/gap]
---
## Market Categories
[Segment the market into 2-4 categories with tables]
---
## Competitive Deep Dive: Top Players
### [Company 1]
| Attribute | Details |
|-----------|---------|
| Entity | ... |
| Employees | ... |
| Funding | ... |
| Platforms | ... |
| Pricing | ... |
**Core Features:**
- ...
**Distribution:**
- ...
**Reviews & Complaints:**
- ...
[Repeat for each major competitor]
---
## Comparative Analysis
### Feature Comparison
[Table comparing features across competitors]
### Distribution Comparison
[Table comparing marketing channels]
---
## Market Dynamics
### Key Trends
1. ...
2. ...
### Market Gaps
1. ...
2. ...
---
## CAC Estimation
### Key Terms Glossary
[Define CPI, CAC, CPM, CPC, LTV, ASO, UGC]
### Industry Benchmarks
[Tables with CAC/CPI data]
### Channel Costs
[TikTok, YouTube, influencer rates]
### Unit Economics Check
[Payback period analysis for this market]
---
## Strategic Positioning
[Table: Company | Metaphor | Best For]
---
## Appendix: Source Reports
[Links to full Gemini Deep Research reports]
Phase 7: Iterative Additions
Throughout the process, the user may share:
- Screenshots from Hacker News, Twitter, Reddit
- Links to archived sites or articles
- Specific questions to investigate
Add these as clearly attributed sections:
#### [Topic] (Source: [HN/Twitter/etc.])
> [Quoted content]
[Your analysis/context]
Tips
- Parallel research: Run multiple Gemini queries for different aspects if needed
- Verify claims: When Gemini cites specific numbers (revenue, users), try to trace to source
- Recent shutdowns: Look for companies that recently shut down - they reveal market dynamics
- Legal considerations: Note any copyright/legal concerns in the space
- Self-hosted alternatives: For SaaS markets, check if open-source alternatives exist
Example Session
User: /research-business-idea
Claude: What business idea or market would you like to research?
User: Apps for tracking home maintenance and repairs
Claude: I'll run a comprehensive market research workflow. Let me start with an ecosystem survey...
[Runs Gemini Deep Research]
[Identifies top players: Centriq, Homer, HomeZada]
[Runs competitive deep dive]
[Checks distribution channels]
[Estimates CAC]
[Creates summary document]
Research complete! Summary saved to:
Research/Home-Maintenance-Apps-Market-Research-Summary.md
Key findings:
1. Market leader Centriq shut down Jan 2025, creating opportunity
2. No player doing paid acquisition - all organic
3. Estimated CAC of $50-130 makes paid growth challenging at $50/yr price point
4. ...
Would you like me to dig deeper into any aspect?
