Here’s the neutral truth first.

Every tiny or micro enterprise that faces occasional or regular surplus doesn’t think in terms of “markets.”

They think in terms of distance, effort, and familiarity.

Almost instinctively, they scan three buyer spheres—every single time surplus appears.

Sphere 1: The Immediate Vicinity (100–500 meters)
Roughly 20 potential buyers.
Neighbors, relatives, regular visitors, known households.
This is the zero-friction market. No transport, no persuasion, no explanation needed. Trust is pre-loaded.
If surplus clears here—marketing is over in 30 minutes.

Sphere 2: The Habitat Market (1–2 km)
About 40–50 potential buyers.
Same village or settlement, but now effort kicks in—walking, messaging, asking around, maybe carrying a basket.
Here, marketing becomes intentional: timing, word-of-mouth, small negotiations.

Sphere 3: The Extended Catchment (5–7 km)
Anywhere between 300–500 potential buyers.
Weekly haat, roadside selling, SHG network, kirana tie-ups.
Now marketing costs appear—time, transport, uncertainty, and risk of unsold stock.

👉 Critical insight:
Micro enterprises don’t ask “Who is my customer?”

They ask “How far do I have to go today?”

My clear opinion:
This is the real marketing funnel for livelihoods—not awareness to conversion, but distance to disposal. 

NRLM systems should stop pushing enterprises straight to Sphere 3 and instead strengthen Sphere 1 and 2 predictability. 

If these two are mapped and activated, half the marketing stress disappears.