The answer at a glance
Choose a buying decision, compare relevant alternatives on the same dimensions, and distinguish documented features from inference and unknowns. Use the matrix to decide what to test.
Use a checkable method
Start with the customer job and decision. Include manual work, outsourcing, and doing nothing when they are real alternatives; do not list only companies with similar branding.[1]
Choose dimensions that affect the buyer: scope, setup, delivery, cost basis, constraints, and evidence. Avoid an exhaustive yes/no scorecard when the supporting facts are unavailable.
Use official sources for factual product claims. Record plan, region, billing period, checked date, and scope. Leave unknown prices and behavior unknown.
Explain the implication of each difference. A missing feature becomes an opportunity only if customers care enough to change behavior or pay. Validate that hypothesis separately.
Worked fictional example
The fictional Cedar Cycle matrix compares an employer-site service day, a local workshop, and employee self-service.
The proposed service price is a supplied scenario. Workshop prices and delivery scope remain unknown until a named vendor is checked. Self-service effort and capability require customer observations.
Ask whether the site-based service resolves a documented access or scheduling problem at an acceptable contribution. The matrix does not answer that question by itself.
Limits to keep visible
Vendor documentation is not a hands-on benchmark. Features can vary by plan or date, and a comparison must not imply affiliation, endorsement, or missing capabilities without evidence.
Kona Workspace supports saved business work and supported exports, subject to authentication, usage limits, configuration, and user review. Source links do not automatically certify every conclusion.[2]
Continue with your own evidence
Use the competitor-analysis starter with named alternatives and source URLs. Inspect the matrix sample and replace unknowns only when you have supporting evidence.
- Alternatives solve a comparable customer problem.
- Unverified pricing and capabilities remain unknown.
- Each row contains a verification question.
Yours to use
Competitor matrix sample pack — method notes
Prepared fictional notes to inspect and revise. Editable Office files are available from the related sample pack.
Markdown · Opens in any text editor · No signup required
# Cedar Cycle — competitor matrix method
Prepared fictional Kona example. Not a live AI run, customer story, verified demand, or approved financial/legal advice.
## Scope
Compare alternatives for routine bicycle maintenance at a fictional employer site. This is a worksheet structure, not research on named vendors.
| Alternative | Customer job | Evidence status | Price | Next question |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Employer-site service day | Scheduled maintenance at work | Proposed offer; not tested | Supplied scenario USD 100/visit | Will employees book and pay? |
| Local repair workshop | Maintenance at a workshop | Vendor-specific facts unknown | Unknown | What scope, timing, and price does a named workshop offer? |
| Employee self-service | User performs maintenance | Behavior and capability unknown | Unknown | Which tasks do employees actually complete themselves? |
## Review
Add official source URLs and checked dates for any named vendor. Distinguish observations from inference. A missing feature is not proof of an unmet need.
## Method reference
https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/plan-your-business/market-research-competitive-analysis
## Review checklist
- Alternatives solve a comparable customer problem.
- Unverified pricing and capabilities remain unknown.
- Each row contains a verification question.Sources
Sources and further reading
[1]
Planning and market research resourcesU.S. Small Business Administration
[2]
Kona capabilities and current limitsKona Business
Editorial method
This guide combines the linked sources with a worked example and a reusable template. Replace example inputs with your own evidence and check the result before making a business decision.
About Kona’s editorial standardsPut it into practice
Adapt this to your business in Workspace
Copy the brief below, open Workspace, and paste it with the inputs you want to use. Review the assumptions and calculations before relying on the output.
Use the competitor-analysis starter with named alternatives and source URLs. Inspect the matrix sample and replace unknowns only when you have supporting evidence.
Keep working on the decision
Validate a business idea with evidence, not a polished plan
Turn a customer hypothesis into a bounded test. Use a worked service-business example, an evidence table, and decision gates before committing resources.
Explain market-sizing assumptions so another person can check them
Define a market boundary, keep accounts and annual spend consistent, and test reachable shares. Includes a worked TAM/SAM/SOM calculation with clear limitations.