Every buyer already solves this problem somehow. This skill finds out how, what they pay, and what they hate about it, so the new business starts with a gap instead of a guess.
The rules
- Public sources only, every fact linked. Websites, price pages, menus, app store and Google Maps listings, review sites, Reddit, news. If a source cannot be reached, say so. Never invent a competitor, a price, a rating or a review.
- Read, do not scrape. Read pages as a person would. Respect each site's terms.
- Quotes are verbatim, short, with the link. They are research, never testimonials.
Step 1: who is there
From founder/idea.md (write it first if missing; see /founder-board step 0):
| type | what it means | example for a matcha café |
|---|---|---|
| Direct | sells the same thing to the same buyer | other matcha bars within walking distance |
| Indirect | a different product for the same job | the coffee shops on the same street |
| Substitute | how buyers solve it without a business | matcha powder at home, canned drinks |
Aim for 5 to 10 direct and indirect, plus the main substitutes. For a local business, search the map for the exact area; for online, search how a buyer would ("best for ", " alternative").
Step 2: the facts
One row per competitor in founder/competitors.csv:
name,type,url,location_or_channel,price_of_comparable_item,what_it_sells,positioning_line,rating,review_count,source_date
positioning_line is their own headline or tagline, copied. Price is for the item
closest to what the new business sells, with what it includes.
Step 3: what their customers say
For the top 3 to 5, read their reviews (1 to 3 stars first, then the "love it, but..." 4 stars). Note recurring complaints as themes with counts and one or two linked quotes each. Mark a theme thin if it has under three reviews.
Step 4: the map and the gap
Write founder/competitors.md:
- The table (from the CSV), sorted by how directly each competes.
- Price range: lowest, median, highest for the comparable item.
- A positioning map in text: two axes that matter to this buyer (price and convenience, quality and speed...), where each competitor sits.
- The complaints, ranked, with links.
- The gap: what nobody does well that this business could, tied to the evidence. If there is no gap, say so plainly; that is the most useful result this skill can give.
- The threat: who could copy the new business fastest, and how.
Output
founder/competitors.csv, founder/competitors.md. Next: /founder-consumer
uses the complaints to write real objections; /founder-pricing uses the price
range.