A useful niche is not simply a narrow audience. It is a recognisable person or organisation, in a moment you can reach, with a problem important enough to displace money, time, risk or an existing alternative.
The niche begins to answer back when behaviour interrupts the founder's preferred story.
Look for a problem with an address
Who experienced the problem recently enough to describe the last time?
A recent event produces better evidence than a broad persona assembled from traits.
What do they do now instead of buying from you?
Workarounds, competitors, delay and doing nothing reveal the real alternative and the cost of change.
Can you reach twenty-five suitable people without pretending everyone is a lead?
A painful problem is not yet a market if the founder has no responsible path to the people who face it.
Separate a look from a sale
| Signal | What it can tell you | What it cannot tell you |
|---|---|---|
| Views, likes or saves | The topic earned attention | That the person has the problem or will pay |
| A detailed reply | The problem or language may be relevant | That the person has authority or urgency |
| A qualified conversation | The situation, consequence and route can be examined | That a bounded offer will be accepted |
| Deposit, order or payment | Someone accepted a real commercial commitment | That delivery, retention or scale will work |
Ask about Tuesday, not the ideal future
Ask what happened the last time, what triggered it, who became involved, what they tried, what it cost and what would make change difficult. Do not pitch during the history. Write your prediction before the conversation, then record what actually happened.
Frequently asked questions
Narrow enough that you can name the buyer, buying moment, problem and access route; broad enough to find repeated behaviour rather than one exceptional case.
No. It can reveal language and candidate problems. Profitability requires evidence about willingness to pay, delivery cost, access and repeatability.
A paid commitment is stronger than stated interest, but it still needs successful delivery and responsible economics before you infer a durable business.