Business Brainstorm

/business-brainstorm — Pressure-test a business idea

Takes a vague idea, runs it through the user's filter, and outputs a structured viability brief. Composes with deep-research (for market) and /domain (for naming).

Step 1 — Capture the idea

Get from the user:

• The idea in 1–2 sentences (the *what*)
• The reason it's on their mind (the *why now*)
• Any starting context (a chat where this came up, a tweet that inspired it, a problem they've hit)

If they point at a past chat / doc, load it first. Memory has project_*.md files for in-flight projects — check there before assuming the idea is brand-new.

If the idea is too vague to score, ask 1–2 clarifying questions and stop. Don't pad the brief with assumptions.

Step 2 — Load the framework + personal overlay

Read references/framework.md — the user's filter. Apply each dimension in order.

Also try to load ${MAKERSKILLS_CONFIG:-$HOME/.config/makerskills}/business-brainstorm/portfolio.local.md if it exists — this is where the user lists their real in-flight businesses, properties, audiences, and partners. When present, use it for the "portfolio fit," "distribution," and "opportunity cost" dimensions instead of asking the user to name each one.

Step 3 — Score each dimension

For each of the 9 dimensions in framework.md, give a 1-line take + a verdict (✅ strong / 🟡 OK / ❌ weak / ❓ unknown — needs research).

Don't BS the unknowns. Mark them ❓ and route to deep-research in Step 4.

Step 4 — Trigger research where needed (optional)

If 2+ dimensions are ❓ unknown, offer the user: *"Want me to run /deep-research on [topic] before scoring?"*

Useful research targets:

• Market size / who pays signal → /last30days <space> + WebSearch
• Competitive landscape → search for "alternatives to X", "X vs Y" pages
• ICP signal → forums / Reddit / X where the audience hangs out
• Pricing benchmarks → look at competitor pricing pages

If the user says yes, run Skill({skill: "deep-research", args: "<topic>"}) and incorporate the brief.

Step 5 — Check the .com

Always run /domain on the working name(s). A perfect idea with a $50k domain is a worse idea than a B+ idea with a free .com.

If naming is wide open, brainstorm 5–10 candidate names through /domain and report which are available.

Step 6 — Output the brief

Use this template:

# Business brainstorm: <name or idea slug>

**Date:** <YYYY-MM-DD>
**Idea:** <1–2 sentences>
**Why now:** <1 sentence>

## Verdict
**Build** / **Sleep on it** / **Pass** / **Steal an angle for [existing property]**

<2–3 sentence rationale>

## Score

| Dimension | Take | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Problem | … | ✅ |
| 2. Audience | … | 🟡 |
| 3. Wedge | … | ❓ |
| 4. Monetization | … | ✅ |
| 5. Moat | … | ❌ |
| 6. Portfolio fit | … | ✅ |
| 7. Distribution | … | ✅ |
| 8. Energy fit | … | 🟡 |
| 9. Opportunity cost | … | ❌ |

## Domain
- <name>.com — available / taken / aftermarket $<price>
- (other candidates if relevant)

## Research applied
- <link to deep-research brief in ~/.config/makerskills/deep-research/archive/, if run>

## Open questions
- <what would change the verdict>

## If you build it (sketch)
- **First 100 customers:** <how>
- **Wedge offer:** <what>
- **Price:** <range>
- **MVP scope:** <1–3 features>

## If you don't build it
- **Angle to steal for existing properties:**
  - Property A: …
  - Property B: …
  - Property C: …
  - (etc., only where relevant)

Step 7 — Archive

Archives live in ${MAKERSKILLS_CONFIG:-$HOME/.config/makerskills}/business-brainstorm/archive/ (create the directory if missing). Never write archives inside the skill's own folder — skill installs and upgrades re-sync from source and wipe anything saved there. Migration: if this skill's folder contains an old references/ideas-archive/ with user entries, move those files into the archive directory first.

Write to <archive dir>/<YYYY-MM-DD>-<slug>.md. Append to <archive dir>/INDEX.md (create if missing):

- 2026-06-16 — [<idea>](./<filename>.md) — **<verdict>** — <one-line rationale>

Step 8 — Surface

Show the brief in chat. Tell the user the archive path. Offer:

• *"Want to push to Notion as a positioning canvas?"*
• *"Want me to scaffold a project repo / landing page?"* (if verdict = Build)
• *"Want me to revisit in 30 days?"* (if verdict = Sleep on it)

Composes with

• deep-research — for market validation when dimensions are ❓
• /domain — for .com availability and naming brainstorm
• /last30days — for audience/market recency signal (via deep-research)
• Memory (project_*.md) — for portfolio context (don't pitch an idea that already exists)

Notes on quality

• Nine dimensions, not one hero metric. Ideas fail because one dimension quietly rots even when the rest score high. Force each dimension to be scored — no "we'll figure that out later" cop-outs.
• Verdict discipline: Ship / Sleep on it / Kill. Not "maybe." Ambiguity in the verdict compounds into ambiguity in the commit; the brief exists to prevent that.
• Portfolio-context check is non-negotiable. Before writing, grep memory + wiki for existing property overlap. If the new idea is 80% one of your existing properties, propose extending the existing property instead of forking a new one — 4x cheaper to compound.
• Archive every brief, even Kills. Killed ideas resurface — the brief with rationale prevents re-litigating. The archive dir + INDEX.md makes revisit trivial.
• "Angle to steal" section forces value from Kills. Even ideas you won't build often have an angle that improves an existing property. Don't skip this section — it's the highest-leverage output of a Kill verdict.
• 30-day revisit for "Sleep on it." Set the calendar reminder. Sleep-on-it ideas that never get revisited become dead weight in the archive; ideas that get revisited resurface with better context.