Here are some good strategies to find out what solutions may already exist for the problem you identified:
Business database with full text for over 3¸600 serials¸ including over 1¸000 peer-reviewed business journals. Additional full text¸ non-journal content includes financial data¸ books¸ monographs¸ major reference works¸ book digests¸ conference proceedings¸ case studies¸ investment research reports¸ industry reports¸ market research reports¸ country reports¸ company profiles¸ SWOT analyses and more.
Coverage: 1886 - present
Data Axle, formerly ReferenceUSA, databases contain over 60 million U.S. and Canadian companies, subsidiaries or divisions, searchable by industry, keyword or location. Search this business database by company name, sales volume, SIC codes, number of employees, product lines, and more. Also search the included U.S. Consumers/Lifestyles database to find information on over 319 million U.S. consumers.
Now you need data to support your idea
Use Marketline to search for a company that does similar things to your idea and then look at the SWOT analysis for the company to see their Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Marketline works best for companies listed in the NYSE (stock market). To find out if a company is on the stock
IBISWorld is a database with industry data. You can see the current state of an industry, the trajectory, and the industry SWOT. You can also see who major players in the industry are
IBISWorld Industry Reports provide in-depth industry analysis for over 700 U.S. industries in all major U.S. industry sectors at the 5-digit level of NAICS . Reports are updated regularly¸ and contain: key statistics¸ market characteristics¸ segmentation¸ industry conditions¸ industry performance¸ key competitors¸ key factors¸ and industry outlook and forecast.
Coverage - Current
Mintel has great (and recent) consumer survey data. You can explore the data online or click the Databook Excel button to download all the raw data to get demographic information on the survey answers (such as how did men over 45 years answer the question).
Market research reports primarily for the U.S. and covers a variety of sectors including beauty and personal¸ health and medical¸ electronic¸ consumer goods¸ lifestyles¸ travel and tourism¸ financial industry¸ internet industry¸ retail¸ and food & drink. Reports discuss market drivers¸ market size & trends¸ market segmentation¸ supply structure¸ advertising and promotion¸ retail distribution¸ consumer characteristics¸ and future and forecasts. Users will need to click on "I Agree" with the "Conditions of use" statement - each time they enter the database¸ and to establish and login into a profile with a UC e-mail address. Coverage: current
Sage Stats/Data Planet has a lot of in-depth survey and poll data. You can find data based on the topic or the source of data.
Sage Data (formerly Data-Planet Statistical Datasets) provides easy access to an extensive repository of standardized and structured statistical data. ... With the ability to instantly chart, map, and compare billions of indicators at the county, MSA, census-tract, state, and country level, Data-Planet is revolutionizing statistical research.
Coverage: 1909 - present
SimplyAnalytics allows you to look at survey data geographically. This could be great if you are targeting a particular region of the country or Ohio. You can also look at correlations between socioeconomic status and your data points on the map as well.
SimplyAnalytics (formerly SimplyMap) is a web-based mapping application to create professional quality, interactive thematic maps and reports using thousands of U.S. demographic, business, and marketing variables. Select, sort, and compare data across multiple geographic locations and create custom reports exportable to spreadsheets. First time users must create an account to login.
