Look for new products, trends and marketing to see how customers in your area of interest spend money. Read the fine print. Small business is big news these days. Read magazine and newspaper articles for trends in business or ideas for how to run yours. Make noise at the library.
Librarians are excellent sources of information.
They can help you find a variety of business and career resources, including research studies, directories and computerized databases. Don't be shy about asking them for help. Another good method is to contact the organization or individual who conducted the research study and ask for a copy. Some reports are proprietary and expensive, but it's worth a call to ask. Solicit feedback from others about your ideas.