Niche Scoring Checklist for Non-Technical Founders

Working checklist. Skip the reading, run the steps.

Setup

• Sheet: 5 rows (candidates), 6 columns (criteria + total).
• Cap exercise at 15 minutes.

List Candidates

• One exciting niche.
• Two adjacent.
• Two unrelated.

Score (1-10 each)

• Reachability: specific channel, predictable response.
• Pain frequency: daily/weekly/monthly trigger.
• Existing spend: 20-min search for adjacent vendor pricing.
• Differentiation: specific mechanism, not aesthetic.
• Builder-fit: audience or trust, not interest.

Sanity Check Top Two

• Paragraph: why it would work.
• Paragraph: why it would not.
• If "not" is more concrete, re-score.

Pick and Move

• Highest sum wins.
• Schedule 5 problem interviews this week.
• If interviews kill it, re-score 5 new candidates.

Anti-Patterns

• Builder-fit by interest. Score 4 or below.
• Reachability without channel name. Score lower.
• Three weeks of scoring. Cap at 15 min.