Source verification — separating what is known from what is assumed

The problem

Your market entry document says the category grows at 14% a year, that premium buyers are concentrated in tier-1 cities, and that a distributor will accept 22% margin. The first came from an unsourced report, the second from your own inference, the third from one conversation. All three read identically, and the plan treats them as equally solid.

What you need

Document: market entry plan for organic namkeen in Maharashtra modern trade. Use: board decision on ₹40 lakh.

The tool

Perplexity, or browsing-enabled assistants

The prompt

What comes back

1. UNSOURCED FACTS — highest priority 'The organic snacks category is growing at 14% annually' — presented as fact, no source.

Verify before you use it

• The growth rate is the finding. A plan whose volume case rests on an unsourced number is not ready for a board.
• Note the reframing of the tier-1 claim into what you actually observed. That version is defensible and the original is not.
• The distributor margin point is subtle and important — a source with an interest in the claim is a starting point, not evidence.
• Apply the weakest-link principle honestly. It caps your confidence, and saying so in the board pack is a strength.