Market Entry Scorecard

Rank up to five new cities, states, or countries on weighted attractiveness and payback, and get a go / test / no-go call.

Example scenario—not a forecast or verified benchmark. Enable JavaScript to edit inputs, view charts, save locally and export your analysis.

Example inputs

Candidate markets: [{"name":"Austin, TX","demand":5,"competition":2,"cost":3,"regulation":4,"access":3,"entryCost":220000,"yr2Revenue":900000},{"name":"San Antonio, TX","demand":4,"competition":4,"cost":4,"regulation":4,"access":4,"entryCost":150000,"yr2Revenue":650000},{"name":"Denver, CO","demand":4,"competition":3,"cost":2,"regulation":3,"access":2,"entryCost":260000,"yr2Revenue":700000}]
Weight: demand: 9
Weight: competitive openness: 7
Weight: operating cost: 5
Weight: regulatory ease: 4
Weight: access & fit: 6
Contribution margin in new markets: 30
Score needed for a 'Go': 65

Enter San Antonio, TX first: 75/100 attractiveness (Go), $195K Year-2 contribution on $150K entry cost, paying back in 9.2 months.

Biggest weighted shortfall there: demand (4/5, weight 9/10). That is the risk to plan around.

Scores sit more than 15 points below your 65/100 bar. Drop them unless a strategic reason outweighs the scorecard.

Run a 90-day demand test in San Antonio, TX (local ads, landing page, 1-2 partner referrals) before committing the full $150K.
De-risk demand in San Antonio, TX specifically; it carries the largest weighted shortfall.
Set a kill criterion before entry (e.g. cost per qualified lead or first-90-day revenue) so you know when to pull back.

Scores (1-5) and weights (0-10) are user-entered; the weighted average is rescaled to 0-100.
Go / test / no-go uses your 65/100 threshold with a 15-point test band (an ACG rule of thumb).
Payback = entry investment / (Year-2 revenue x 30% contribution margin); ignores ramp-up losses in Year 1.