How do I go about gathering data? Well, obviously, an interview with the client is the place to start, ask a lot of questions, take lots of notes, and then do your research. Hit the internet and see if the answers you were given match up with what you're able to achieve by doing some research on the internet. And then you can also talk to other business owners, other business owners in the same type of business, and see if those answers jive. I think the most important thing, though, is asking questions of the client and the client's employees and then doing independent research.