Free business evaluation tool
Business Idea Viability Scorecard
Score a business idea across market demand, customer economics, competition, execution difficulty and founder fit before committing serious time or capital.
Simple viability score
0–100 scoreRate the idea on eight core factors
Business idea
Rate each factor from 1 to 10
FactorWeightScore
Market demandIs there clear, reachable demand?
20%/ 10
Problem urgencyDoes the customer need a solution now?
15%/ 10
Willingness to payIs the buyer likely to pay enough?
15%/ 10
Gross margin potentialCan the economics support healthy contribution?
10%/ 10
Competition / defensibilityCan the idea differentiate and defend a position?
10%/ 10
Customer acquisition feasibilityCan customers be reached efficiently?
10%/ 10
Founder / team fitDoes the team have relevant skill, access or credibility?
10%/ 10
Capital efficiencyCan the idea be tested and launched without excessive capital?
10%/ 10
Simple methodEach 1–10 score is converted to a weighted contribution. The fixed weights total 100%, so the final viability score is on a 0–100 scale. The score is a prioritization aid, not a guarantee that the business will succeed.
Advanced viability score
10-factor modelWeight the criteria and discount weak evidence
Idea profile
Scores, weights & evidence confidence
CriterionScoreWeightEvidence confidence
Market demandReachable market with active demand.
/10
%
%
Problem urgencyCustomer pain and urgency to act.
/10
%
%
Willingness to payEvidence buyers will pay enough.
/10
%
%
Gross-margin potentialContribution economics at scale.
/10
%
%
Customer acquisition feasibilityAbility to reach and convert customers efficiently.
/10
%
%
Competition / defensibilityDifferentiation, switching costs and barriers.
/10
%
%
Capital efficiencyAbility to validate and launch without excessive capital.
/10
%
%
Recurring revenue / retentionRepeat purchases, contracts or retention potential.
/10
%
%
Founder / team fitSkills, insight, access and credibility.
/10
%
%
Execution / regulatory simplicityOperational complexity and barriers to launch.
/10
%
%
Financial reality check
Advanced methodRaw viability score normalizes your entered weights to 100%. Confidence-adjusted score then multiplies each criterion's weighted contribution by its evidence-confidence percentage. This deliberately penalizes attractive assumptions that are not yet well supported by customer, pricing or operating evidence.
Criterion breakdown
Normalized weightingWhere the score comes from
| Criterion | Score | Entered weight | Normalized weight | Evidence confidence | Raw points | Confidence-adjusted points |
|---|
Score sensitivity
±2 score-point testWhich criteria can move the score the most?
| Criterion | Current adjusted score | If score falls by 2 | If score rises by 2 | Maximum swing |
|---|
Evidence priorities
Weight × evidence gapHighest-value assumptions to validate next
| Priority | Criterion | Weight | Confidence | Validation priority score |
|---|
Financial sensitivity
Gross margin and fixed cost unchangedContribution economics at different revenue levels
| Monthly revenue | Gross profit | Fixed cost | Monthly contribution | Above break-even? |
|---|
Scope
A scorecard should guide validation, not replace it
This scorecard is a structured planning framework. It does not predict whether a company will succeed and should not replace customer research, market sizing, legal review, financial modeling or direct validation. The most useful output is often the lowest-scoring or least-supported assumption that deserves testing next.