# Niche Research First Pass

> First-pass evaluation of niche SaaS ideas through a lifestyle business lens ($1-3M ARR, solo/duo team). Use when evaluating a new niche hypothesis, researching a vertical software opportunity, or validating whether a market is worth pursuing. Triggers on requests like "evaluate this niche", "is this a good market", "research this vertical", or "first pass on [industry] software idea". Distributio…

- **Type:** Skill
- **Install:** `agentstack add skill-kirillpolevoy-claude-saas-eval-skills-niche-research-first-pass`
- **Verified:** Yes — security-reviewed for prompt injection and unsafe behavior
- **Seller:** [kirillpolevoy](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/kirillpolevoy)
- **Installs:** 0
- **Category:** [Agent Skills](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/agent-skills)
- **Latest version:** 0.1.0
- **License:** MIT
- **Upstream author:** [kirillpolevoy](https://github.com/kirillpolevoy)
- **Source:** https://github.com/kirillpolevoy/claude-saas-eval-skills/tree/main/niche-research-first-pass

## Install

```sh
agentstack add skill-kirillpolevoy-claude-saas-eval-skills-niche-research-first-pass
```

Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent.

## About

# Niche Research — First Pass (Lifestyle SaaS Lens)

## Goal

Evaluate whether a niche can become a $1–3M ARR lifestyle business run solo or with 1 partner.

**Ideal characteristics:**
- Simple product scope (v1 in 2–6 weeks)
- Short sales cycle ( 3,000 customers OR unbuildable scope

Include:
- Must-have signals to proceed
- 7-day validation plan

---

## Output

**Filename:** `Niche_FirstPass_.md`

```markdown
# Niche First Pass: 

## TL;DR Verdict

- **Verdict:** Pursue / Hold / Kill
- **Why:** (3 blunt bullets)

## The Wedge

(One sentence: sellable workflow + mandatory artifact + outcome)

## Customer Profile

| Role | Description |
|------|-------------|
| Paying customer | |
| Daily user | |
| Trigger moment | |

## Workflow Today (As-Is)

1. 
2. 
3. 

## Pain / Money Leak

- **Time waste:**
- **Errors/rejects:**
- **Compliance risk:**
- **Revenue leak:**

## Existing Solutions

### Direct Niche Tools
| Tool | Pricing | Notes |
|------|---------|-------|
| | | |

### Substitutes
- 

## Distribution (Must Be Specific)

- **List source:** (actual URL/database)
- **Channel candidate:**
- **Inbound keywords:** (with volume if known)
- **Integration hook:**
- **Distribution risk:**

## Founder Fit

- [ ] Natural access to buyers
- [ ] Would enjoy 50+ sales calls with this persona
- [ ] Would care about this market in 3 years
- [ ] No ethical/personal hesitations

*Fit score: Strong / Moderate / Weak / Unknown*

## Buildability

| Factor | Assessment |
|--------|------------|
| Core v1 timeline | 2–6 weeks / 6–12 weeks / 12+ weeks |
| Regulatory buffer needed | Yes / No |
| Jurisdiction sprawl | None / Moderate / Severe |
| Edge case density | Low / Medium / High |
| Support load estimate | < 5 hrs/wk / 5–15 hrs/wk / 15+ hrs/wk |

### MVP Scope

**Must-have:**
- 

**Nice-to-have:**
- 

**Explicit non-goals:**
- 

## Pricing

- **Recommended tiers:**
- **Expected ARPA:**
- **Why it's fair:**

## Revenue Quality

- **Contract structure:**
- **Payment behavior:**
- **Expansion path:**

## Market Size (Conservative)

- **Payers in target geography:**
- **Total US payers:**
- **Path to $1M ARR:** X customers × $Y ARPA
- **Path to $3M ARR:** X customers × $Y ARPA
- **Key assumption:**

## Defensibility

| Moat Type | Present? | Notes |
|-----------|----------|-------|
| Data/workflow lock-in | | |
| Relationship moat | | |
| Distribution exclusivity | | |
| Speed moat | | |

## Biggest Entry Risks

1. 
2. 
3. 

## Kill Criteria

- If we don't hear X in 10 calls → kill
- If pricing won't clear $Y → kill
- If compliance/portal makes it redundant → kill

## 7-Day Validation Plan

| Day | Activity | Success Signal |
|-----|----------|----------------|
| 1 | | |
| 2–3 | | |
| 4–5 | | |
| 6–7 | | |
```

## Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

- **Author:** [kirillpolevoy](https://github.com/kirillpolevoy)
- **Source:** [kirillpolevoy/claude-saas-eval-skills](https://github.com/kirillpolevoy/claude-saas-eval-skills)
- **License:** MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.

## Pricing

- **Free** — Free

## Security capabilities

Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access:

- **Network access:** no
- **Filesystem access:** no
- **Shell / process execution:** no
- **Environment & secrets:** no
- **Dynamic code execution:** no

*"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.*


## Versions

- **0.1.0** — security scan: passed — Imported from the upstream source.

## Links

- Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/skill-kirillpolevoy-claude-saas-eval-skills-niche-research-first-pass
- Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/kirillpolevoy
- Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse

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