Business idea scorecard: a free 100-point template

Why score clarity rather than "potential"

Some idea scorecards ask you to rate market size, competition or passion from one to ten. Those numbers are guesses, and it is easy to guess generously about your own idea. Clarity is different: either you have named a customer, a price and a channel, or you have not. A clearly described idea is quicker to put in front of real people, and their response is the evidence that actually matters.

The five criteria (20 points each)

Bands: 75 to 100 Detailed, 45 to 74 Partly detailed, 0 to 44 Early sketch. These are the same published rules Solopreneur Protocol uses.

• Problem clarity: a full sentence (6), that names a pain, cost or frustration (7), with a number or frequency, such as hours a week or how often it happens (7).
• Target customer: a short phrase rather than one word (6), naming a role, trade or business type (7), narrowed by size, place or situation (7).
• Offer and price: what the customer actually gets (7), a stated price (8), and how it is paid: one-off, monthly or per job (5).
• Channel to customers: at least one specific channel (10), plus a concrete action or weekly volume, such as "message 20 shop owners a week" (10).
• Effort to first sale: the first steps you would take (7), a time frame (7), and a small first version such as a pre-sale, pilot or manual service rather than a big build (6).

Copy this template

IDEA NAME:

1. PROBLEM (who it hurts, how often, what it costs)
   ...
   Score /20:  sentence (6)  pain named (7)  number or frequency (7)

2. CUSTOMER (role or trade + size, place or situation)
   ...
   Score /20:  short phrase (6)  role or trade (7)  narrowed (7)

3. OFFER AND PRICE (what they get, price, how they pay)
   ...
   Score /20:  what they get (7)  price (8)  payment basis (5)

4. CHANNEL (where you will reach them + weekly action)
   ...
   Score /20:  specific channel (10)  action or volume (10)

5. FIRST SALE (first steps + time frame + small first version)
   ...
   Score /20:  steps (7)  time frame (7)  starts small (6)

TOTAL /100:      LOWEST PART TO FIX FIRST:

A worked example

Before: "An app to help tradespeople with admin." Problem, customer, price, channel and first sale are all missing or vague. It would land in Early sketch.

After: "Sole-trader plumbers lose around five hours a week writing quotes by hand in the evenings. Customer: self-employed plumbers in the UK with one to three vans. Offer: editable quote templates with a price calculator, £29 one-time. Channel: message 20 plumbers a week in two local trade groups. First sale: pre-sell five copies within two weeks, then build the templates by hand." Every criterion now has something specific to test. The example business is fictional.

How to use your score

• Fix the lowest-scoring part first, whichever part it is.
• Score two or three ideas side by side and test the clearest one first.
• Re-score after every five customer conversations. Their words should make your description sharper.
• Do not treat a high score as permission to build. Treat it as permission to start asking people to pay.

What a scorecard cannot tell you

No scorecard can tell you whether people will buy, whether the market is big enough or whether you will enjoy running the business. Those answers come from conversations and paid commitments. The guide on validating a business idea in the UK sets out a 14-day way to get them.

If you would rather not score by hand, Solopreneur Protocol runs these exact rules on your description and shows which checks you met, with a tip for each one you missed. Your first score is free. It measures clarity, not success, and it is not business, financial or legal advice.