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Why Market Research Matters A data specialist offers insights for startups.

By Claire Gibson

This story appears in the March 2015 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »

Randy Harris
Data maven: Dionna McPhatter.

The first step in launching any successful business should be conducting research into prospective markets. Capturing and sifting through such data is Dionna McPhatter's specialty. Before co-founding New York-based marketing firm The Strategy Collective, which builds custom analytics platforms to better understand customers and influence business decisions, McPhatter was responsible for unearthing data insights for British consumer-goods company RB (formerly Reckitt Benckiser) and its suite of global health and home brands, such as Airwick and Lysol.

Here, McPhatter shares how a bit of market research can benefit startups.

What are some misconceptions about consumer research?