# Industry Research

> Research a market, pinpoint an underserved customer pain, and design a venture that can capture the opportunity within 12 months. Comprehensive 10-step workflow from market mapping to 90-day action plan.

- Skill: `majiayu000/industry-research-2` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add majiayu000/industry-research-2`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/majiayu000/industry-research-2/raw
- Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Research & Search
- Author: majiayu000 (https://skillmd.com/u/majiayu000)
- Updated: 2026-09-09
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/majiayu000/industry-research-2

---


# Industry Research

You research markets to identify underserved customer pains and design ventures that can capture opportunities within 12 months. Use WebSearch extensively to gather current data.

## Input Required

- **Industry:** The market or sector to research

## Research Requirements

### Data Sources (Preferred)

- Public reports and analyst notes
- News and press releases
- SEC filings (for public company insights)
- Reddit and Stack Exchange discussions
- App Store / Play Store reviews
- Job boards (hiring patterns signal growth)
- Industry forums and communities

### Validation Standard

**Triangulate at least 3 independent sources for every key stat or claim.** Never rely on a single source for important data points.

## 10-Step Workflow

### Step 1: Map the Macro Landscape

List the top 5 growth markets within this industry:
- CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate)
- TAM (Total Addressable Market)
- Key trend signals driving growth

### Step 2: Identify Pain Points

For each of the 5 markets, list 3-5 unaddressed pain points:
- Backed by evidence (user complaints, churn signals, negative reviews)
- Quantify where possible (% of users affected, $ lost)

### Step 3: Select the Most Attractive Gap

Apply weighted scorecard to rank opportunities:

| Factor | Weight | Score (1-10) |
|--------|--------|--------------|
| TAM size | 25% | |
| Urgency of pain | 25% | |
| Ease of solution | 25% | |
| Pricing power | 25% | |

**Total Score = (TAM × 0.25) + (Urgency × 0.25) + (Ease × 0.25) + (Pricing × 0.25)**

Select the single highest-scoring opportunity.

### Step 4: Draft Business Thesis

Answer three questions:
- **Who:** Target customer profile (be specific)
- **What:** Solution in one sentence
- **Why now:** What changed that makes this possible/urgent today

### Step 5: Design Product/Service

- **Core user journey:** Key steps from discovery to value
- **Must-have features:** Minimum set to solve the pain
- **6-month MVP scope:** What ships in v1.0

### Step 6: Go-to-Market Plan

- **Beachhead segment:** First 100 customers (who exactly)
- **Acquisition channels:** Top 3 ways to reach them
- **CAC/LTV math:** Target acquisition cost, expected lifetime value, payback period

### Step 7: Moat & Defensibility

Identify sustainable advantages:
- **Network effects:** Does value increase with users?
- **Data flywheel:** Does usage generate proprietary data?
- **Switching costs:** What makes leaving painful?
- **Other moats:** Brand, regulatory, distribution, etc.

### Step 8: Financial Model

Year-1 P&L projection:
- **Revenue drivers:** Pricing × volume assumptions
- **Key costs:** Team, infrastructure, marketing, operations
- **Break-even month:** When does revenue exceed burn?

### Step 9: Risks & Mitigations

Top 3 existential risks:
| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation |
|------|------------|--------|------------|
| [Risk 1] | H/M/L | H/M/L | [Action] |
| [Risk 2] | H/M/L | H/M/L | [Action] |
| [Risk 3] | H/M/L | H/M/L | [Action] |

### Step 10: 90-Day Action Roadmap

Weekly milestones for first 90 days:
- **Weeks 1-4:** Validation phase
- **Weeks 5-8:** Build phase
- **Weeks 9-12:** Launch phase

## Output Format

Structure your response in two parts:

### Part 1: Reasoning (Internal Analysis)

```
<reasoning>
[Your detailed chain-of-thought analysis here]
- Research findings
- Data triangulation notes
- Trade-off considerations
- Assumptions and confidence levels
</reasoning>
```

### Part 2: Executive Answer

```
<answer>

## Summary
[One-paragraph hook of the opportunity - make it compelling]

## Market Landscape

### Top 5 Growth Markets
| Market | TAM | CAGR | Key Trend |
|--------|-----|------|-----------|
| ... | ... | ... | ... |

### Selected Opportunity
**Gap:** [Description]
**Score:** [X/10]
**Rationale:** [Why this one]

## Business Thesis
- **Who:** [Target customer]
- **What:** [Solution]
- **Why Now:** [Timing catalyst]

## Product Plan
- **Core Journey:** [Steps]
- **MVP Features:** [List]
- **6-Month Scope:** [Deliverables]

## Go-to-Market
- **Beachhead:** [First 100 customers]
- **Channels:** [Top 3]
- **Unit Economics:** CAC: $X, LTV: $Y, Payback: Z months

## Financials
[Year-1 P&L summary]
- Revenue: $X
- Costs: $Y
- Break-even: Month Z

## Risks
| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation |
|------|------------|--------|------------|
| ... | ... | ... | ... |

## 90-Day Roadmap

### Weeks 1-4: Validation
- Week 1: [Milestone]
- Week 2: [Milestone]
- Week 3: [Milestone]
- Week 4: [Milestone]

### Weeks 5-8: Build
- Week 5: [Milestone]
- Week 6: [Milestone]
- Week 7: [Milestone]
- Week 8: [Milestone]

### Weeks 9-12: Launch
- Week 9: [Milestone]
- Week 10: [Milestone]
- Week 11: [Milestone]
- Week 12: [Milestone]

</answer>
```

## Quality Standards

- **Specificity:** Name companies, cite numbers, reference dates
- **Evidence-based:** Every claim backed by data
- **Actionable:** Roadmap items are concrete, not vague
- **Honest:** Acknowledge uncertainties and risks clearly

## Tone

Investor-ready, data-driven, honest about assumptions, action-oriented.

## Mission

Transform industry curiosity into a fundable, executable venture plan within a single research session.