Entrepreneurs see opportunities everywhere.
Luck is preparation meeting opportunity.
This is the preparation part.
Here's the framework we use at Siqnalis. It's how the Opportunity Check tool works under the hood. You can run through it yourself, or let the tool do it automatically. Either way, you'll end up with a scored, prioritized list of real options for your business.
Why this matters
We've written before about why opportunity-rich businesses are lower risk. The short version: opportunities are options. When something goes wrong, they give you somewhere to go. When things go right, they're how you grow.
But you can't use opportunities you haven't identified. This framework helps you find them.
Start with your company profile
Before listing opportunities, understand what you're working with. A pre-seed startup and an established SME have completely different option sets, even in the same industry.
Assess where you stand across these dimensions:
| Dimension | What to assess |
|---|---|
| Market position | Market leader → struggling player |
| Growth stage | Hypergrowth → turnaround mode |
| Financial strength | Well-capitalized → resource-constrained |
| Technology capability | Tech leader → tech laggard |
| Competitive advantage | Strong moat → no moat |
| Operational maturity | Highly scalable → not scalable |
| Brand strength | Premium brand → weak brand |
| Geographic footprint | Global → local only |
| Customer base | Diversified and loyal → concentrated with churn |
| Innovation capability | Innovation leader → limited innovation |
| Talent strength | Talent magnet → talent gaps |
| Partnership ecosystem | Strong network → isolated |
You don't need precise scores. Directional is fine. The point is seeing where you're strong and where you're constrained. That shapes which opportunities are realistic.
Look through three lenses
Once you know your profile, scan for opportunities across three categories. Each lens catches different types of options.
Lens 1: Market and growth opportunities
Where can you grow within or adjacent to what you already do?
- Deeper penetration in existing segments
- New geographic markets
- Adjacent customer segments you're not serving
- Pricing changes or new revenue models
- New distribution channels or partnerships
- Underserved niches competitors are ignoring
Lens 2: Competitive and strategic opportunities
How can you strengthen your position relative to competitors?
- Differentiation you could sharpen
- Technology advantages you could build
- Operational efficiencies to unlock
- Supply chain improvements
- Strategic partnerships or ecosystem plays
- Customer experience gaps you could own
Lens 3: Innovation and expansion opportunities
What bigger moves could change your trajectory?
- New products or service lines
- Acquisition targets
- Vertical integration possibilities
- International expansion
- New business models entirely
- Transformational bets (high risk, high reward)
For each lens, aim for four to six opportunities. Include one or two moonshots alongside the conservative options.
Score each opportunity
Not all opportunities are equal. Score them on four dimensions, each on a 1–5 scale.
Market potential. How big is this opportunity?
| Score | Label | Size |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Very limited | Small niche, declining or stagnant |
| 3 | Moderate | Meaningful market, stable growth |
| 5 | Exceptional | Large market, rapidly expanding |
Feasibility. Can you actually do this?
| Score | Label | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Very difficult | Major capability gaps, high barriers |
| 3 | Moderate | Achievable with focused effort |
| 5 | Highly achievable | Natural extension of what you do |
Time to value. How long until it pays off?
| Score | Label | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Long term | 3+ years |
| 3 | Medium | 12–24 months |
| 5 | Quick win | Under 6 months |
Strategic fit. Does this align with where you're going?
| Score | Label | Alignment |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Misaligned | Conflicts with core strategy |
| 3 | Moderate fit | Some synergies |
| 5 | Perfect fit | Core to your vision |
Add the scores. Maximum is 20.
Prioritize by tier
| Priority | Score | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| High | 16–20 | Pursue immediately |
| Medium | 11–15 | Active development priority |
| Emerging | 6–10 | Monitor and prepare |
| Watch list | 1–5 | Track for later |
Most of your opportunities should land in Medium or Emerging. If everything scores High, you're probably being too generous. If everything scores Watch List, you may be too conservative, or your business genuinely lacks options, which is a risk signal worth paying attention to.
Look for synergies
Some opportunities reinforce each other. Geographic expansion might pair well with a new partnership channel. A product extension might unlock a new customer segment.
Group related opportunities together. Pursuing them as a cluster often makes more sense than chasing them individually.
What to do with your opportunity map
You've identified your opportunities and scored them. Now what?
The high-priority opportunities are clear: pursue them. But what about the rest? You can't chase everything. You also shouldn't ignore options that might become valuable later.
The next piece in this series covers exactly that: how to manage your opportunity portfolio, which opportunities to actively cultivate, what that costs, and when to exercise or let them expire.
Get your opportunities mapped automatically
Want to skip the manual work? The Siqnalis Opportunity Check runs this entire framework for you.
Enter your company name, URL, and location. In about 15 minutes, you'll get scored opportunities organized by priority tier.
Free. No signup required, just request access.
Next: You've identified your opportunities. You've scored them. Now what?