business-model-researcher

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