Using AI for Market Research – How to Gather Insights Instantly #S12E2

ChatGPT Masterclass - AI Skills for Business Success

This is Season 12, Episode 2 of the ChatGPT Masterclass: AI Skills for Business Success.

In the last episode, we covered how to start using AI to get strategic insights for your business. Today, we’re going further—using AI to identify new business opportunities and revenue streams that you might not have considered.

Instead of spending weeks researching trends and brainstorming ideas, AI can surface potential business opportunities in minutes, helping you save time, explore possibilities, and make better decisions.

By the end of this episode, you’ll know how to use AI to generate new revenue ideas, validate them, and refine them into real business opportunities.

Step 1: Define What Kind of Business Opportunity You’re Looking For

Before using AI, decide what kind of opportunity you want to explore. AI can help with different types of strategic growth, including:

• Adding new revenue streams to your existing business (e.g., launching online services, premium memberships, or digital products).
• Expanding into a related industry (e.g., if you own a fitness studio, offering remote coaching or fitness gear).
• Creating partnerships or collaborations (e.g., teaming up with complementary businesses for joint promotions).
• Exploring entirely new business models based on industry trends.

Take a moment to think about what’s most relevant to your business before moving forward.

Step 2: Use AI to Generate Business Opportunities

The fastest way to get business insights from AI is to use voice prompts instead of typing. When you speak, you naturally provide more context, which helps AI generate better ideas.

Try opening ChatGPT and using a voice prompt like this:

"I run a boutique fitness studio in New York with a loyal customer base of about 200 active members. Most of my revenue comes from in-person classes, but I want to explore additional revenue streams that don’t require hiring more staff. Ideally, I’d like something scalable, such as online coaching, pre-recorded courses, or product sales. What are three strategic opportunities I could consider for 2024, and what are the pros and cons of each?"

AI will generate some initial ideas, but don’t stop there—the best insights come from refining the conversation.

Step 3: Validate the Business Opportunities with AI

Not every idea AI suggests will be a good fit. Instead of guessing, use AI to help evaluate and refine your options. Try asking follow-up questions like:

• "Which of these ideas would require the lowest investment to get started?"
• "What are the common challenges businesses face when launching an online fitness coaching program?"
• "Give me examples of small businesses successfully implementing this revenue model, and what lessons I can learn from them."

These follow-ups filter out weak ideas and refine strong ones, making sure you’re focusing on opportunities with real potential.

Step 4: Use AI to Estimate Market Demand and Profit Potential

Once you’ve narrowed down your options, AI can help you estimate the demand and revenue potential for each idea. Instead of guessing whether a new business opportunity is worth pursuing, you can use AI to gather relevant market insights.

Try asking:

"How big is the market for online fitness coaching in the US? What is the typical customer acquisition cost, and how much revenue does an online fitness coach make per month? Also, what are the most effective pricing models for this type of business?"

AI will provide approximate figures based on available data. While these numbers won’t be exact, they will give you a baseline for further validation.

For more detailed insights, ask:

"What are the three most common pricing models for online coaching? Which one works best for retaining customers long-term? Can you compare the pros and cons of subscription-based models versus one-time payment models?"

This helps clarify how you would monetize your new opportunity, allowing you to plan a revenue strategy before committing time and resources.

Step 5: Create an AI-Powered Business Model Outline

Once you’ve chosen an idea, AI can help structure your business model in a clear and actionable way.

Try this prompt:

"I want to launch a premium online fitness coaching service targeting busy professionals. Help me outline a simple business model, including pricing tiers, ideal customer profile, marketing channels, and key challenges I should be aware of."

AI will generate a structured plan covering:

• How your business will generate revenue (subscriptions, one-time courses, coaching packages).
• What resources and tools you’ll need to get started.
• Who your target audience is and what they’re looking for.
• Potential marketing strategies to attract your first customers.

Once AI provides a draft, refine it further by asking follow-up questions, such as:

• "What are three unique selling points I could use to differentiate my coaching service?"
• "What are common mistakes people make when launching a similar business?"
• "What are the fastest ways to attract my first 100 paying customers?"

This ensures that your business model is practical, specific, and aligned with real-world demand.

Pro Tips and Common Mistakes

✔ Pro Tip: Use Voice Prompts for More Detailed Responses
People naturally explain things better when speaking rather than typing. Instead of typing short, vague prompts, try using voice prompts to give ChatGPT more details.

For example, instead of typing:
"Give me a new business idea,"

Try speaking:
"I run a local bakery in Texas, and I’m looking for ways to generate more revenue without opening a second location. I’ve considered offering baking classes, selling recipe e-books, or starting a subscription box for homemade cookies. What are the advantages and challenges of each approach, and which one would be easiest to test with minimal risk?"

This makes AI’s responses more tailored and actionable.

❌ Common Mistake: Trying to Implement Multiple Ideas at Once
AI will suggest many great ideas, but pursuing too many opportunities at once will slow you down.

Instead of saying:
"These all sound good—I’ll try them all!"

Ask AI:
"Which of these ideas is easiest to test with minimal investment and fastest to generate revenue?"

This helps prioritize what’s most practical for your business right now.

Practical Takeaway

Your challenge for today:

1. Decide what type of business opportunity you want AI to help with.
2. Use the AI prompts from this episode to generate and refine ideas.
3. Pick one idea and validate it by asking AI follow-up questions.
4. Use AI to outline a basic business model for this new opportunity.

By the end of today, you should have one AI-validated business opportunity with a clear starting point.

Call-to-Action

If you found this useful, subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss the next episode, where we’ll use AI to analyze competitors and find strategic advantages for your business.

AI is a game-changer for business strategy, and each episode in this season will help you implement it step by step.

See you in the next episode!