Free, plain-English lessons
Market research you can actually do yourself
Big Research Guide explains the basics of market research for small businesses and students in India: how to ask good questions, who to ask, how to estimate a market and how to size up the competition. No jargon walls, no heavy maths, nothing to buy.
Featured guides
Five practical guides, each with worked steps, a checklist or table, and key takeaways. Read them in order or jump to the one you need.
- Guide 1Designing a Customer Survey That Gets Honest AnswersStart from the decision you need to make, then write short, neutral questions about real past behaviour. Includes before-and-after rewrites and a pre-launch checklist.
- Guide 2Sample Size and Sampling Basics, Without Heavy MathsPopulation, sample and sampling frame explained; six common sampling methods compared; and a simple rule of thumb for how many responses you need.
- Guide 3Running Focus Groups and Customer InterviewsWhen to use one-to-one interviews versus group discussions, how to recruit and moderate well, and how to turn notes into clear themes.
- Guide 4Estimating Market Size: TAM, SAM and SOM, Top-Down and Bottom-UpWhat TAM, SAM and SOM mean, how top-down and bottom-up estimates differ, and a step-by-step worked example for a hypothetical tiffin service.
- Guide 5Competitor Analysis on a Small BudgetFind direct, indirect and substitute competitors, use free sources ethically, organise findings in a grid and turn review patterns into clear choices.
Who this is for
Small business owners
Shopkeepers, cafe owners, home bakers, tutors and service providers who want to understand customers before spending money on a new idea.
Students
Commerce, management and design students working on projects, dissertations or business-plan competitions who need a clear explanation of the methods.
First-time founders
People testing an idea who need a sensible, honest estimate of demand rather than an impressive-looking number.
Community and non-profit teams
Groups who want to hear from the people they serve and need simple, ethical ways to run surveys and conversations.
How to use this site
- Start with the decision you are trying to make, and pick the guide that fits it.
- Work through the steps with your own business or project in mind.
- Use the checklists before you launch a survey, interview or estimate.
- Look up unfamiliar words in the glossary.
Big Research Guide is a learning resource only. It does not offer research services, and examples that use numbers are clearly labelled hypothetical.