Where Research Begins: Choosing a Research Project That Matters to You

“Where Research Begins" is a comprehensive guide authored by Thomas Shawn Mullaney, a Guggenheim Fellow and Professor of History at Stanford University, and Christopher Rea, a Professor of Chinese at the University of British Columbia. While primarily designed to instruct graduate students in academic research methodologies, its principles are equally valuable for applications in diverse areas, including startups.

Here are 5 steps to research how to build a new business.

1. Identify Topic: Business Translation: Discover Market Opportunities

   • Industry Trends: Explore emerging trends in the tech industry, including technological advancements, shifts in consumer behavior, and underserved market segments.
   • Competitive Landscape: Understand key players and assess which niches are oversaturated and where the gaps are.

2. Ask Questions: Business Translation: Validate Market Needs

   • Customer Interviews: Engage with potential customers or users, understanding their needs, desires, and pain points through open-ended questions.
   • Surveys: Use tools like Google Forms or SurveyMonkey to gather quantitative data on potential problems or needs in your identified market.

3. **Find Your Impactful Problem:**Business Translation: Define Your Value Proposition

   • Problem Statement: Clearly articulate the primary problem your software solution aims to solve.
   • Unique Selling Proposition (USP): Determine what differentiates your solution from existing offerings.

4. **Design Your Project:**Business Translation: Develop Your MVP (Minimum Viable Product)

   • Feature Set: Decide on a core set of features for your MVP, aligning them with the identified problem and your USP.
   • Prototyping: Use prototyping tools to visualize the solution and gather early user feedback before building.
   • Development: Start development, considering agile methodologies to iterate quickly based on feedback.

5. Engage with the Customers and Problem Collective:

   Customer-facing: Beta Testing and Iterative Improvement with customers

   • Beta Testing: Launch your MVP to selected users, potentially those from your customer interviews or a new group.
   • Feedback Loop: Create mechanisms for users to provide feedback, such as in-app prompts, follow-up interviews, or feedback forms.
   • Iterative Development: Refine your product based on the feedback, potentially pivoting the direction based on new insights.

   Peer-facing: Network and Engage with Industry Stakeholders

   • Industry Events & Conferences: Attend relevant events and conferences to meet peers and professionals and gather feedback.
   • Professional Networks: Engage with professionals on platforms like LinkedIn or industry-specific forums, sharing your idea and garnering valuable insights while protecting intellectual property.
   • Collaborations: Explore alliances or partnerships with other startups or established businesses.
   • Feedback from Collective: Regularly solicit feedback from peers and professionals, spotlighting potential pitfalls or areas of improvement.
   • Stay Updated: Keep abreast of the latest trends, technologies, and shifts in market needs by staying engaged with the problem collective.

📣 Agenda items

• brainstorming

2. Setting the Ground Rules (5 minutes)

• Brainstorming etiquette: For example, no judgment, encourage wild ideas, build on others' ideas, etc.
• Timekeeping: Highlight the importance of respecting time slots.

3. Context Presentation (15 minutes)

• Industry trends: Quick overview of current market trends, challenges, and opportunities, based on the research steps you previously discussed.
• Objective clarification: Reiterate the primary goal, which is to generate viable startup ideas.

4. Idea Generation Phase 1 - Individual Brainstorming (20 minutes)

• Silent brainstorming: Everyone writes down as many ideas as they can individually. This ensures everyone has a chance to think without external influences.