Ice Cream Business City Opportunity Tracker — Data-Driven Market Research Spreadsheet

Stop guessing where to open. Score and rank any US city by population, income, climate, and competition — automatically

Thinking about starting an ice cream, dessert, or food business but not sure where? This spreadsheet turns scattered research into a clear, ranked shortlist — no guesswork, no gut feel.

Just plug in data for any US cities you're considering (population, median income, average summer temperature, competitor count) and the built-in scoring formula automatically ranks them by opportunity — weighted toward markets with strong spending power, favorable climate, and low competition.

What's included:

✅ City Opportunity Tracker — auto-scoring and ranking formulas (add as many cities as you want)

✅ Gap Analysis tab — track unmet needs (flavors, dietary options, delivery, pricing, hours) per city

✅ Business Case tab — compare go/no-go recommendations side by side

✅ Licensing Notes tab — track permit requirements per state/city

✅ Step-by-step Instructions tab — including exactly where to pull free data (Census, NOAA, Yelp) and a scoring methodology explained in plain English

✅ Bonus: ready-to-use AI research prompts (works with NotebookLM or any AI tool) to speed up your data-gathering

Who it's for:

Aspiring food/beverage entrepreneurs, side-hustlers validating a business idea, or anyone who wants a repeatable way to compare markets before spending real money.

Format: Excel (.xlsx) — works in Excel, Google Sheets, and LibreOffice.