What Is Desk Research? (And Why Every Entrepreneur Should Do It First)
If you’ve ever spent months building something only to find out no one wanted it — or launched a product that landed with a thud — there’s a good chance you skipped a crucial first step: desk research.
I realise it’s not a glamorous term, and it doesn’t sound exciting either. But desk research might be the most underused tool in an entrepreneur’s toolkit.
Here’s what it is, why it matters, and how to actually use it.
What Is Desk Research, Exactly?
Desk research — also called secondary research — is the process of gathering and analysing information that already exists. You’re not talking to customers yet. You’re not running surveys or setting up focus groups. You’re sitting at your desk and working with what’s already out there.
And yes, the irony is not lost on me. You start with secondary research and then do primary research 🙂
This includes:
- Industry reports and market data
- Competitor websites and published content
- Google Trends and keyword research tools
- Social media conversations and community forums
- Reviews on platforms like Amazon, Trustpilot, or app stores
- News articles, research papers, and sector statistics
Think of it as doing your homework before the exam — except the exam is whether your business idea has real demand behind it.
Why Desk Research for Entrepreneurs Gets Skipped
Most entrepreneurs skip desk research for one of two reasons.
They’re too excited to slow down. You’ve had the idea, you can see it clearly, and pausing to research feels like wasted time. It isn’t. It’s protection.
Or they simply don’t know it exists. Nobody teaches this in most business programmes or startup courses. The conversation jumps straight to “find your customer” without explaining that the cheapest way to do that first pass is at your desk, not in a customer interview.
The result? Time, money, and energy invested into solutions before anyone has confirmed there’s a problem big enough to solve — or a market willing to pay for it.
What Desk Research for Entrepreneurs Actually Looks Like
You don’t need expensive tools or a research background to start. Here’s where to begin:
Start with Google Trends. Search the problem your product solves — not the product itself. Are people looking for it? Is interest growing or shrinking? This takes ten minutes and tells you a lot.
Read what competitors are publishing. Look at the top three to five players in your space. What problems are they writing about? What do their customers ask in the comments? What reviews say is missing is often more valuable than what they advertise.
Go where your customers already talk. Reddit threads, LinkedIn comments, Facebook groups, industry forums. Search for the problem you solve and read — don’t post, just observe. The exact language people use to describe their frustrations is gold for positioning and messaging.
Look at existing data. For B2B businesses especially, macro data gives context that individual conversations can’t provide. In the Netherlands, we have the CBS that does solid research and has the available for free. But there are also European Commission reports, and industry associations are good starting points.
How Much Time Should This Take?
For most entrepreneurs validating a new idea: one to three focused hours. That’s it. You’re not writing a thesis — you’re building enough context to ask much smarter questions when you do talk to people.
If you’re going deeper — refining a product, entering a new market, building a business case — a proper desk research sprint might take a few days. That’s still far cheaper than building something the market doesn’t want.
The Honest Limit of Desk Research
Desk research tells you what already exists. It does not tell you what your specific customers feel, think, or need right now.
It’s the starting point, not the full picture. After desk research, you need primary research — real conversations, surveys, interviews. That’s where the deepest insights come from.
But trying to do primary research without desk research first is like arriving at an important meeting completely unprepared. You’ll ask the wrong questions, misread the answers, and walk away thinking you know more than you do.
Desk research gives you the foundation. Everything else builds on it.
Ready to Go Deeper?
If you want to understand your market but don’t know where to start, I can help you out! I designed the Arkenstone is a structured research sprint that begins with desk research and ends with a clear picture of who your customer is, what they need, and how to reach them — without the jargon or the endless spreadsheets. From there, you can decide the next step(s).
Find out more about my Desk Research offer →
If you’re not sure what would be a logical next step for your business, take the quiz to discover your stage and get some actionable insighs.
