← All stepsStep 1

Understand the business

What this market actually is, who buys, and whether it's a fit for you — before you spend a dollar.

3 lessonsabout 36 minutes

What you finish with

A written one-page decision: who you'd serve, what you'd sell, what it costs to find out, and whether you're going ahead.

Lessons

  1. 01What a research-peptide company really sells

    14 min

    You are not selling a treatment. You are selling research-use-only materials to buyers who need consistent quality and honest paperwork. Everything in this course follows from that one sentence — your labels, your website copy, your ads, and your payment application all have to match it.

    • Research use only: what the phrase legally commits you to
    • The three buyer types: labs, universities, and independent researchers
    • Why product quality is really paperwork quality
  2. 02How money actually moves in this market

    12 min

    Margins look enormous from the outside. Once you subtract testing, packaging, payment reserves, returns and the cost of a single supplier failure, the real number is far more ordinary. We walk through a full unit economics example line by line.

    • Typical landed cost vs. shelf price on a single SKU
    • The five hidden costs beginners forget
    • Why cash sits tied up in stock and reserves
  3. 03Is this a fit for you? An honest scorecard

    10 min

    This business rewards people who are patient with paperwork and calm under scrutiny. If you want a fast, hands-off store, this is the wrong niche. Score yourself across capital, time, risk tolerance and temperament before going further.

    • Minimum realistic starting capital ranges
    • Time commitment in months one through six
    • Signals you should walk away now

Templates included

  • Market one-pager template
  • Unit economics starter spreadsheet
  • Readiness scorecard

Mistakes to avoid

  • Assuming margin equals profit
  • Copying a competitor's positioning without knowing their cost base
  • Starting with ten products instead of one