4AM
Journal

// NICHES

How we pick the 18th niche.

Seventeen niches took eleven years. The eighteenth is coming. Here's the one-sheet we use to decide.
Meera·2026-03-22·7 MIN READ

Every quarter I file a dossier on one new industry. It takes six weeks, costs us nothing, and most of them get rejected. The ones that survive become niches. Here's the questionnaire.

The five filters

  • Can a solo owner run this business without a CTO?
  • Do 80% of them have the same 80% of needs?
  • Is the median revenue above ₹8 lakh / year?
  • Do they already pay ₹3k+/month for software today?
  • Is there a trade body that publishes a directory?

Four yeses out of five, we research further. Three or below, we thank the industry and move on. Pet groomers failed on filter 2 (too much variation). Driving schools cleared all five — that was niche 14.

// WRITTEN BY

Meera

NICHE RESEARCH

Writes about niche research at 4AM Tech. Part of a four-person team that believes a small business deserves a beautiful website.

// END OF PIECE

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