Once you've determined that you have a potentially workable idea, you need to learn as much as you can about what the market currently for your product or service is like, if it's changing, and how you can fit into it.You've already done your initial survey of the market, but now you need to dive in deeper. If you're hoping to sell your jam, get out there and talk to vendors and shop-owners about where they get their merchandise and how much business it brings in for them. For example, see if the vendors at the farmers' market are willing to talk to you about their experiencesare they able to make a full-time living selling their goods, or is this a hobby or side business? Perhaps you've identified a number of local shops that are willing to sell locally produced items; you'll want to learn about what their best-selling items are, or if they sell less of particular items at certain times of the year. For example, do they see spikes in sales around the holidays, but a big drop-off in January? You want to try to find out how steady your sales might be. You should be able to find even more detailed information for the demand for your product or service by studying the results of the government's Economic Census, which is conducted every five years. Business owners are asked about their sales, number of employees, business expenses and types of products, among other things. You can find the results of the most recent Economic Census online, and customize your search to learn as much as possible about your area of business, the market for it, and your community in particular. A great way for you to learn as much as possible about what your potential consumers or audience want and need is to interview them and ask them specific questions. For example, see if customers at the farmer's market are willing to complete a survey or be interviewed about their buying habits and preferencesperhaps in exchange for a free sample of your product. Besides interviewing people directly, you can also reach people you think would buy or benefit from your idea by mailing them surveys to complete. If you do this, be sure to include a return envelope with pre-paid postage. Depending upon your audience, you may get better results by conducting telephone or email surveys. You can also direct people to a web-based survey by using social media like Twitter or Facebook. Make sure that whatever methods you choose to learn about your audience's needs and wants, you take the time to compose detailed, specific questions for your survey. For example, if you want to sell your jam, be sure to ask who typically buys jam in the house-hold, and who it is bought for (is it for their kids, for example?). Ask what their favorite flavors are, whether there are other flavors they'd like to try but have never found, and how much they are willing to spend. Ask them as well about what they like about their current brand: the color, the consistency, the company that makes it, etc. It's also important that you try to determine how much of a share your top competitors have, and how long they've held on to that position. This can let you know whether you'll realistically be able to take a significant portion of the market for yourself. For example, if you learn that a local company dominates the jam market and if the results of your interviews and surveys have shown that customers are very loyal to that brand, you may want to consider moving on to your next great idea. If you haven't already, be sure to use the information from the most recent Economic Census. Once you understand how your competitors fit into the market, you should be able to estimate how you'll be able to fit in. You want the results of your feasibility study to outline, with as specific of numbers and percentages as possible, how you'll fit in and how you'll likely grow over time. For example, will you be able to serve the 10% of people who indicated that they would prefer an organic jam option? What will that translate to in terms of how much jam you'll have to produce?
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One-sentence summary -- Learn about the market. Use data from the Economic Census. Survey people directly. Conduct market surveys by other means. Design your surveys carefully. Analyze the competition's claim on the market. Identify your potential share of the market.

If you want fresh pumpkin seeds, you may take the seeds straight from a pumpkin you purchase at a grocery store. To start, carefully use a knife to cut a circle around the top of the pumpkin near the stem. Then, remove the section you cut out. Use your hands, or a spoon if you'd prefer, to scoop out the insides of the pumpkin. In addition to scooping out seeds, you'll find some orange pulp. You will have to wash this off the seeds later. Collect the seeds and pulp in a bowl. When you've fully cleaned out the inside of the pumpkin, you should clean the seeds until they're free of any pulp and juice. You can clean them by placing the seeds and pulp in a strainer. Then, run the strainer under cool water in your kitchen sink until most of the pulp is removed. It's okay to leave some pulp on the seeds, as some of it can be stubborn to get off. However, you should make sure to get most of the pulp off of the seeds, especially if you plan to roast the pumpkins later. Excess pulp could burn in the oven. Now, you can begin the process of removing the hard exterior shells from the pumpkin. These shells are non-toxic, so it's safe to leave them on, but many people prefer the softer seeds within. To start, spread the seeds out on a hard surface, like a counter top or cutting board. Try to spread the seeds out evenly, so there's little overlap between seeds. Take a rolling pin. Gently roll the pin over the seeds, using enough force to produce light cracks in the shell. Do not use too much force here. You do not want to damage the soft seeds within. Just roll hard enough to lightly fracture the surface of the shells. Boil a pot of water big enough to hold all your pumpkin seeds. Take your seeds and pour them into the water. The boiling process should cause the shells to gradually fall off. Keep an eye on the seeds as they boil and remove the seeds from the heat once most of the shells have shed. You'll notice the shells have slipped off of the seeds and are floating in the water or congregated at the bottom of the pan. This process generally takes around 5 minutes, but it may take slightly more or less depending on how many seeds you're boiling. Less seeds may be ready in a couple of minutes, while more seeds may take closer to 10 minutes for the shells to shed. Once the shells are gone, remove the seeds from the heat. Strain them over the sink, using a sifter or strainer, and then set them out to dry. You can set the seeds over tray or countertop covered in paper towel to absorb the water. If there are any small bits of shell left on the seeds, you can pick these bits off using your fingers once the seeds are dry to the touch. Make sure to wash your hands first.
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One-sentence summary --
Remove the seeds from the pumpkin. Clean off the removed seeds. Roll a rolling pin over the seeds. Boil the seeds in water for about 5 minutes. Remove the seeds and let them cool.