How strong is your business idea? Do enough people actually want to the product or service you’re trying to sell? The Market Need Score Calculator evaluates your business idea across 12 key factors using a weighted scoring system to determine overall market viability. Get feedback on your idea now.
Market Need Score Calculator
Evaluate the viability of your business idea
How significant is the problem? (1: Minor inconvenience, 5: Critical problem)
How widespread is the problem? (1: Niche problem, 5: Common problem)
How urgent is the need for a solution? (1: Low urgency, 5: High urgency)
Is competition already trying to solve this? (1: Highly competitive, 5: Minimal competition)
How unique is your solution? (1: No real differentiation, 5: Unique solution)
How easily can the solution be monetized? (1: Difficult, 5: Easily monetizable)
Are customers willing to pay? (1: Unwilling, 5: Very willing)
Is this a recurring need? (1: One-time purchase, 5: Recurring)
How easy is it for customers to adopt? (1: Very difficult, 5: Extremely easy)
What is the size of the addressable market? (1: Small niche, 5: Large market)
How easily can you reach your audience online? (1: Difficult, 5: Very easy)
How this calculator works
- Rate Your Idea: You’ll answer 12 questions about your business idea, rating each on a scale of 1 to 5. The questions cover important aspects like the significance of the problem you’re solving, how common the problem is, how easy it is to reach your market, and whether your business is likely to make a good profit margin.
Weighted Scoring: Each factor you rate has a different level of importance. More critical factors like how big the market is and how easily you can monetize the idea are given higher weights, making them more impactful on your final score.
Get Your Market Need Score: After you input your ratings, the calculator uses a weighted formula to give you an overall Market Need Score. This score will fall between 0 and 70.
Front cover of “The Millionaire FastLane”
Score Interpretation:
- 0-20: The idea lacks market viability (“Dead on Arrival”).
- 21-29: The concept might need significant adjustments (“Barely Breathing”).
- 30-46: The idea is promising but needs work (“In the Game, But Average”).
- 47-55: The idea has solid potential for success (“Fast Lane Potential”).
- 56-70: The concept shows great market opportunity and growth potential (“Fast Lane Rocket”).
Key Tip: If your profit margin estimate is low, you’ll need to plan for a high sales volume to make a good living. Low margins mean you need to sell a lot to sustain the business.
Inspiration Behind the Market Demand Calculator
I created the Market Need Score Calculator inspired by the powerful teachings in “The Millionaire Fastlane“ by MJ DeMarco. One of the things that really stands out to me about MJ DeMarco is his emphasis on diving into the numbers behind a business idea. He doesn’t just tell you to follow your dreams or passions—he provides practical, number-driven ways to truly quantify whether an idea is good or bad. That’s exactly what I wanted to capture with this calculator: a way to measure potential success so entrepreneurs can make informed decisions.
MJ DeMarco’s core guidance is simple but powerful: to break free from mediocrity, you need a business idea that will help you cut the time required to achieve wealth. You need something scalable, with market demand, and real growth potential. It’s all about stepping into the “fast lane”—finding a path that lets you reach financial freedom in years, not decades.
The feedback and scoring in this calculator is inspired by MJ’s no-nonsense style. I wanted it to reflect his straightforward approach, guiding you to either improve your business idea or pivot to something more promising.
MJ DeMarco books include “The Great Rat Race Escape”
What’s even more inspiring about MJ DeMarco is that he didn’t just write about how to get wealthy—he’s done it himself. He built and sold a successful business long before writing “The Millionaire Fastlane,” which makes his advice even more valuable. He’s walked the walk, and now you can use tools like this calculator to apply his strategies and take your business idea from average to exceptional.
The Art and Science of a Business Idea
I want to be very clear that I am in no way compensated by MJ DeMarco or “The Millionaire Fastlane”. I’m just a fan and reader of the book who has found immense value in the principles MJ shares.
There are lots of decision matrix’s like this in the book to help make data-back business decision.
It’s also important to note that no tool can give you a 100% guarantee that a business idea will succeed or fail. Business is a mix of art and science, and the Market Need Score Calculator is a tool to help you with the scientific part: giving you a way to think about market potential, competition, and profitability. However, there is always the unpredictable, creative aspect that makes entrepreneurship what it is.
Take “The Snuggie” as an example. The Snuggie was essentially a blanket with sleeves… a product that most would view as completely unnecessary. In fact, if you put this idea through the calculator, it would return a low score because it didn’t solve a crucial problem, fill an obvious gap in the market, or have a very strong profit margin.
Yet, “The Snuggie” ended up selling over 30 million units, becoming a cultural phenomenon making millions of dollars. The Snuggie didn’t solve a difficult problem, nor did it revolutionize a category. But it resonated with consumers and became a massive success.
Business ideas can be surprising. Even when you analyze the numbers, there’s always an element of creativity and timing that plays a role. This calculator can guide you by giving you clarity on the metrics that matter, but it’s only one piece of the puzzle. The ultimate decision to pursue an idea lies in the mix of data, gut instinct, and vision—because in the end, business is both art and science, and no tool out there can provide you with absolute certainty.
Related tools:
How Long Will it Take to Make $1 Million at My Job?: DeMarco would probably call this a “Slow Lane” tool. Find out how many decades you’ll need to slog it out at a 9-to-5 to accumulate 7-figures.
$1 Million Earnings / Revenue Calculator Goal Calculator for Founders: Calculate how to reach 7-figures with more of a “fastlane” inspired plan.
About the Author: Brett Lindenberg
