The Problem with Having Product/Market Fit

Startup founders love to talk about “having ” product/market fit.

But the problem is that product/market fit is not binary.

How do you know that your fit couldn’t be… better?

Of course, when no one signs up for your service, it’s easy to realize a lack of fit. But what if you get ten customers? What if you get ten thousand? Or what if you have double digit growth month over month? Do you have product/market fit then?

In reality, most companies build out their business with some level of product/market fit — many realizing too late that the fit wasn’t that strong after all, and that they had been pushing a rock up a hill during all that time.

Product/market fit is not something that company founders do once. It’s a constant iteration that the company needs to focus on for the as long as it wants to be relevant.