I am trying to launch a consumer service oriented company (in training and consultancy fields) and trying to reach some small companies, managers/executives etc of other companies to see if there is a need for such service.

Can someone point to me ways to get concept viability checked? I have draft of 4-5 questions that I would lilke to ask to my target audience. DO I need to engage market research firm? How do I get database (listing) of my target audience?

I would hire a telemarketing firm to do it. You can buy a list from a list broker, it will probably be about 20 cents per contact with a minimum of about $200 cost. The telemarketing will be about $25/hour.

If you get a good diverse list that well-represents your target market, you may need as few as 100 responses to have a good result to work from. You may need to have an incentive to offer your targeted group in order to get them to answer.

Im heading to college and would like to beceome a market research Analyst or something in a related field. I enjoy doing research and working with computers. What should I study?

In my opinion get a degree in Finance and Math/Statistics. Its very important to have a quant oriented degree. Also try doing this, go online and search for the types of jobs you want and look at there requirements. That should give you a good idea at what to major in. Best of Luck, Keep your GPA high!!!