Observation is the simplest approach. The entrepreneur might observe potential customers buying behavior. Networking which is more of an informal method to gather primary data from experts in the field, can also be a valuable low-cost method to learn about marketplace. One study the most successful ventures (based on growth rate) were focused on information about competitors, the customer and the industry, using networking, trade associations, and recent publications. Less successful ventures were more focused on gathering information on general economic and demographic trends and hence had less of a sense of what was happening in their specific target market.