Business Model Researcher
When to Use
- Map or critique a business model (canvas, lean canvas, value proposition)
- Research competitor revenue models, pricing, and packaging
- Estimate TAM/SAM/SOM with stated assumptions
- Model unit economics and sensitivity (CAC, LTV, margins, payback)
- Compare monetization options (subscription, usage, marketplace, ads)
- Synthesize public sources into a cited business-model brief
When NOT to Use
- BRDs, user stories, process maps →
business-analyst
- Issue trees, operating model, steerCo recommendation →
business-consultant
- ASC 606, close, contract accounting →
senior-revenue-accountant
- Warehouse metrics and dashboards →
bi-analyst
- Long-form API docs or runbooks →
tech-writer-researcher
- UX journeys and wireframes →
product-designer
- Deal desk CPQ and order forms →
deal-operations-administrator
- Monetization PRDs, paywalls, billing product requirements →
product-management-monetization
Related skills
| Need |
Skill |
| Executive business case and roadmap |
business-consultant |
| Build requirements from validated model |
business-analyst |
| Research writing polish |
tech-writer-researcher |
| Product discovery UX |
product-designer |
| Pitch narrative (if deck-focused) |
business-consultant references |
Core Workflows
1. Define the research question
State explicitly:
- Subject — company, product line, or greenfield idea
- Decision — invest, pivot pricing, enter segment, fundraise narrative
- Audience — founder, product, investors, board
- Depth — snapshot (2–4h) vs diligence (multi-day)
- Sources allowed — public only vs internal data
List unknowns as hypotheses to validate or kill.
2. Map the current or proposed model
Fill canvas blocks with evidence tags [source] per claim:
| Block |
Research focus |
| Customer segments |
Who pays vs who uses; ICP |
| Value proposition |
Job, pain, gain; differentiation |
| Channels |
Acquisition and delivery |
| Relationships |
Self-serve vs enterprise vs community |
| Revenue streams |
Pricing model and packaging |
| Key resources / activities / partners |
What enables the model |
| Cost structure |
Fixed vs variable; COGS vs OpEx |
See references/canvas_frameworks.md.
3. Size the market (when needed)
Use top-down and bottom-up; reconcile or explain gap.
Document every assumption (penetration, ARPU, growth rate).
See references/market_sizing.md.
4. Unit economics
Build a simple model:
- Revenue per customer or unit
- Variable cost per unit (COGS, infra, support allocation)
- CAC and payback period
- LTV (state churn and gross margin assumptions)
Run sensitivity on churn, CAC, and price.
See references/unit_economics.md.
5. Competitive benchmarking
Compare 3–7 peers on:
| Dimension |
Notes |
| Primary revenue model |
Sub, usage, take rate, hybrid |
| Pricing tiers |
Entry price, enterprise motion |
| GTM motion |
PLG, sales-led, channel |
| Unit economics signals |
Public filings, interviews, estimates |
Label fact vs estimate vs unknown.
See references/competitive_benchmarking.md.
6. Revenue model options (greenfield or pivot)
Shortlist 2–3 monetization patterns; score fit to segment and delivery cost.
See references/revenue_models.md.
7. Deliverable
Standard output structure:
## Executive summary (≤ 10 bullets)
## Business model map (canvas table)
## Market size (if applicable) — assumptions table
## Unit economics — base case + sensitivity
## Competitive comparison table
## Risks and open questions
## Sources
Hand strategic recommendation and investment case to business-consultant when exec decision is next.
When to load references
- Canvas / VPC / lean →
references/canvas_frameworks.md
- TAM SAM SOM →
references/market_sizing.md
- CAC, LTV, payback →
references/unit_economics.md
- Sub, marketplace, usage →
references/revenue_models.md
- Peer comparison →
references/competitive_benchmarking.md
1---2name: business-model-researcher3description: Guides business model research—Business Model Canvas and Lean Canvas, value proposition and customer segments, revenue and pricing models, unit economics (CAC, LTV, payback), market sizing (TAM/SAM/SOM), competitive business-model benchmarking, and evidence-backed synthesis for startups and product strategy. Use when researching how a company or idea makes money, comparing competitor monetization, sizing a market, stress-testing unit economics, drafting a canvas for a pitch, or documenting monetization hypotheses—for shipping pricing/packaging PRDs and paywalls use product-management-monetization—not for delivery BRDs (business-analyst), steerCo consulting engagements (business-consultant), GAAP revenue recognition (senior-revenue-accountant), internal BI SQL (bi-analyst), or technical architecture (senior-system-architecture).4---56# Business Model Researcher78## When to Use910- Map or critique a business model (canvas, lean canvas, value proposition)11- Research competitor revenue models, pricing, and packaging12- Estimate TAM/SAM/SOM with stated assumptions13- Model unit economics and sensitivity (CAC, LTV, margins, payback)14- Compare monetization options (subscription, usage, marketplace, ads)15- Synthesize public sources into a cited business-model brief1617## When NOT to Use1819- BRDs, user stories, process maps → `business-analyst`20- Issue trees, operating model, steerCo recommendation → `business-consultant`21- ASC 606, close, contract accounting → `senior-revenue-accountant`22- Warehouse metrics and dashboards → `bi-analyst`23- Long-form API docs or runbooks → `tech-writer-researcher`24- UX journeys and wireframes → `product-designer`25- Deal desk CPQ and order forms → `deal-operations-administrator`26- Monetization PRDs, paywalls, billing product requirements → `product-management-monetization`2728## Related skills2930| Need | Skill |31|---|---|32| Executive business case and roadmap | `business-consultant` |33| Build requirements from validated model | `business-analyst` |34| Research writing polish | `tech-writer-researcher` |35| Product discovery UX | `product-designer` |36| Pitch narrative (if deck-focused) | `business-consultant` references |3738## Core Workflows3940### 1. Define the research question4142State explicitly:4344- **Subject** — company, product line, or greenfield idea45- **Decision** — invest, pivot pricing, enter segment, fundraise narrative46- **Audience** — founder, product, investors, board47- **Depth** — snapshot (2–4h) vs diligence (multi-day)48- **Sources allowed** — public only vs internal data4950List unknowns as hypotheses to validate or kill.5152### 2. Map the current or proposed model5354Fill canvas blocks with **evidence tags** `[source]` per claim:5556| Block | Research focus |57|---|---|58| Customer segments | Who pays vs who uses; ICP |59| Value proposition | Job, pain, gain; differentiation |60| Channels | Acquisition and delivery |61| Relationships | Self-serve vs enterprise vs community |62| Revenue streams | Pricing model and packaging |63| Key resources / activities / partners | What enables the model |64| Cost structure | Fixed vs variable; COGS vs OpEx |6566**See `references/canvas_frameworks.md`.**6768### 3. Size the market (when needed)6970Use **top-down** and **bottom-up**; reconcile or explain gap.7172Document every assumption (penetration, ARPU, growth rate).7374**See `references/market_sizing.md`.**7576### 4. Unit economics7778Build a simple model:7980- Revenue per customer or unit81- Variable cost per unit (COGS, infra, support allocation)82- CAC and payback period83- LTV (state churn and gross margin assumptions)8485Run sensitivity on churn, CAC, and price.8687**See `references/unit_economics.md`.**8889### 5. Competitive benchmarking9091Compare 3–7 peers on:9293| Dimension | Notes |94|---|---|95| Primary revenue model | Sub, usage, take rate, hybrid |96| Pricing tiers | Entry price, enterprise motion |97| GTM motion | PLG, sales-led, channel |98| Unit economics signals | Public filings, interviews, estimates |99100Label **fact** vs **estimate** vs **unknown**.101102**See `references/competitive_benchmarking.md`.**103104### 6. Revenue model options (greenfield or pivot)105106Shortlist 2–3 monetization patterns; score fit to segment and delivery cost.107108**See `references/revenue_models.md`.**109110### 7. Deliverable111112Standard output structure:113114```markdown115## Executive summary (≤ 10 bullets)116## Business model map (canvas table)117## Market size (if applicable) — assumptions table118## Unit economics — base case + sensitivity119## Competitive comparison table120## Risks and open questions121## Sources122```123124Hand strategic recommendation and investment case to `business-consultant` when exec decision is next.125126## When to load references127128- **Canvas / VPC / lean** → `references/canvas_frameworks.md`129- **TAM SAM SOM** → `references/market_sizing.md`130- **CAC, LTV, payback** → `references/unit_economics.md`131- **Sub, marketplace, usage** → `references/revenue_models.md`132- **Peer comparison** → `references/competitive_benchmarking.md`
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