One service, one target
Narrow is easier to sell. "Proposal writing for architects" is easier to explain and find clients for than "writing services for businesses".
Score with five criteria
Rate each idea from 1 to 5: pain (how costly the problem is), access (can you reach 10 prospects quickly), skill (can you deliver well now), ability to pay, and recurrence (does the need come back).
Avoid race-to-the-bottom markets
Be careful with services sold mainly on large freelance marketplaces at very low prices, such as generic articles or simple translations, unless you add strong specialisation.
Validate with pilots
Offer a small paid pilot to two or three prospects. Payment, not compliments, is the signal that the idea works.
Example
Scoring two ideas
Generic blog writing: pain 2, access 4, skill 4, ability to pay 2, recurrence 3 = 15. Newsletters for accounting firms: pain 4, access 4, skill 4, ability to pay 4, recurrence 5 = 21. Start with the second.
Prompt to try
Replace the [brackets] with your own details and review the result before using it.
Score these service ideas from 1 to 5 on pain, access, skill, ability to pay and recurrence, with a short reason for each score: [ideas]. My skills: [skills]. My network: [describe]. Recommend one to test first.
Exercise
Score three service ideas.
