The word ‘research’ always has a formal sound to it.
Like, scholars in tweed jackets (don’t forget the elbow patches) and smart-looking glasses sitting with furrowed brows at a lonely table waaaay in the back of the library.
Even the 4-step Find Your Wedge process is pseudo-formal. It’s a framework with steps. (Subscribers get the starter version for free.)
At the same time, we as entrepreneurs either don’t have time or don’t want to do MR. It can be kinda boring sometimes (all my market research friends have just disowned me).
And then, there’s that ‘I’ve only got 5 minutes’ thing I wrote about a few weeks ago.
It’s all true.
My goal with this newsletter isn’t to ‘make you do market research’ or try to convince you it’s the most fun you can have on a Monday morning.
My goal here is to help you find ways to become more knowledgeable about the business world or niche you are working in so that you can better define what you do and rock YOUR WEDGE in that niche.
The end-goal of market research isn’t market research. The end-goal is to give yourself tools that create clearer paths to running your business more effectively.
To that end, I’m going to introduce you to one of the most exciting tools out there today. Everyone’s heard of them and getting access to one is pretty easy.
Ready?
Spreadsheets.
Ugh.
Half of you just closed this article.
The other half of you are still here just to see what this madness is about.
If you are still here, hear me out.
Sometimes you are hopping along during your day, being productive, all the day’s boxes are checked.
Maybe you are reading some news and you run into an article that is interesting to you and relevant to your business. Maybe your favorite Inspo-Competitor just posted a very informative blog post.
You want to read it again later, to keep it around for future reference, maybe think a bit more about some of the ideas in the article.
First of all: Congratulations! You have just become your business’ accidental market researcher.
But second, to be able to use that information later and incorporate it into the Find Your Wedge framework, you need a place to keep track of this article. You can bookmark it, sure, but will you ever find it again? Will you remember that you bookmarked it?
There are lots of tools out there that people use to capture and review information at a later time. Lots. Some are easy, so not so much.
However, a very simple way is to create a very simple spreadsheet to keep track of all your accidental market research. This is research you’ve stumbled upon while doing something else, it’s information you’ve found while researching, but need to come back to later, or it’s something you feel is important, but you don’t quite know how…yet. So, you want to save it somewhere you’ll remember it.
Enter the simple spreadsheet.
This spreadsheet is for easily keeping your list of Inspo-Competitors (and links to their website/blog) handy and accessible. If you are upping your research game, you can make a few notes about the article or source right alongside the link to it.
I’ve added this to the upgraded Find Your Wedge worksheet and video guide package. If you’ve already purchased this from me, you’ll automatically get this upgrade sent to you.
If not, get the package now and up your business’ research game.
Own your expertise.
The Find Your Wedge framework helps tailor your market approach (video guide and tracking spreadsheet included). Get it here.
Stay tuned,
Julie