The Spyglass

Chapter Preview Of The Soon-To-Be Published 30-Day Startup Manual

Author

Sanju G Prakash
September 08, 2025

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Here is a preview of our upcoming book. We will deliver chapter previews and more every Monday. Stay tuned.

Day 8

The Spyglass

This chapter is about structured market research and competitive analysis. You’re going to assemble a tactical awareness of the space you’re entering. Today, you become a business intelligence operative to map your competitive terrain, identify market gaps, and spot threats before they blindside you.

Your mission has three objectives:

1. Market Sizing and Structure: Understanding market size and dynamics through real-time intelligence.

2. Competitive Landscape Mapping: Identifying direct competitors, indirect competitors, and substitute solutions.

3. Strategic Positioning: Finding your defensible position in a crowded market.

The Five Layers of Competitive Intelligence

Think of this as an intelligence operation with five levels of depth:

Layer 1: Surface Intelligence (Public information)

· Websites, pricing pages, feature lists
· Social media presence, marketing messages
· Press releases, funding announcements
· Crunchbase and AngelList profiles

Layer 2: Behavioral Intelligence (What they actually do)

· Website traffic patterns, SEO rankings
· Social media engagement rates
· Customer review patterns and complaints
· Support forum activity and response times

Preview Note: This is just the opening of chapter 8. The full chapter helps you identify your opportunity landscape through market mapping.

Express Your Interest

We are spending over 1 week on each chapter, so that the entrepreneurs of tomorrow can launch a startup within 30 days in this age of AI. We already completed the manuscript and we are currently editing and designing the book and getting ready to launch in October end 2025.

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