Understand whether local business owners across different business types share a common underlying problem around visibility, trust, and decision making in day to day operations, and define what a product should prioritize first.


Local business owners who manage day to day operations themselves or with a small team, particularly owners who are not physically present in the business at all times.


Exploratory research across four representative business scenarios, used to test whether a shared underlying problem exists across different business types before moving into product definition.

Grocery or local retail owner, not always on site Often holds another job or has other responsibilities while an employee or family member runs daily operations. Relies on calls, WhatsApp, or end of day updates to stay informed. Core need: a simple overview that can be checked from anywhere.
Small retail owner managing staff Running a clothing store, electronics shop, or similar business with a small team. The concern is less about distrust and more about having an easy way to verify what happened while away, accountability rather than surveillance.
Cafe or local service business owner Knows daily sales figures but struggles to interpret them. A number alone does not answer “are we doing better than before.” Needs comparison and context, not just more data.
Pharmacy, grocery, or inventory dependent business Often discovers stock issues reactively, when a customer asks or a product is already unavailable. Needs inventory management to be proactive rather than something to remember to check.

• Visibility — knowing what is happening in the business without being physically present

• Trust — understanding what occurred without having to constantly check on staff

• Understanding — wanting context and interpretation, not just raw numbers

• Action — wanting to know what needs attention before it becomes a larger problem

A single recurring question underlies all four scenarios:
“What is happening right now, and what do I need to do about it?”
This became the central opportunity for Business Companion.

1. Home — quick visibility into current business status

2. Staff and transactions — transparency and accountability without active monitoring

3. Analytics — interpreted performance, not just raw numbers

4. Alerts and AI — proactive flags for what needs attention next

Validate these findings through structured interviews with business owners across each scenario type, testing in particular whether staff visibility is perceived as accountability or surveillance, and whether interpreted metrics are preferred over raw numbers.

Research Context
We started by looking at the day to day problems faced by local business owners who may not always have the time or ability to stay on top of everything happening in their business.