Getting to PM-Founder Fit

Everyone talks about PMF, but a far less discussed challenge is how to reach Product (the person)-Founder(s) suitability

Reaching product-market fit is a massive challenge for early-stage startups. It is usually a long and very winding road of discovery, trial, and many errors until a startup reaches product-market fit, itself a somewhat amorphous designation that can shift over time.

Also challenging, but far less discussed, is reaching Product (the person)-Founder(s) fit. Talk to PMs at early-stage startups and many will tell you that they joined because the founders were inspiring and exciting. Over time, however, this excitement can turn into frustration if the founders are perceived as not truly handing over the responsibility for Product. Founders, for their part, are often frustrated with their PM who they want to commit despite disagreeing vs. creating more noise, and they question whether the PM truly understands customer pain points.

This tension isn’t all that surprising when you consider what’s at stake. In the early stages, the product IS the startup — it’s core to the company’s existence. And while founders and PMs are aligned on the goal — finding product-market fit — they often have different perspectives on how to reach it, creating tensions that themselves make the shared goal harder to reach.

At Symbol, we’re focused on accelerating the founder journey to product-market fit, so this topic is near and dear to us. While each startup is an island unto itself, we wanted to share some lessons learned from our Zero to One Product Club, and from the founders we talk to on a regular basis. Hopefully being aware of the other side of the (product) coin, will be of help in reaching PM-Founder fit.

Whose product is this?

• Insight for Founders: This product is your idea, but you’ve hired an expert to take it to the next level. For this to work, you need to give the PM agency and a real seat at the table — that means having them join customer calls, looping them into product conversations (which often happen spontaneously between founders), and taking their perspective into account, even during tight timeframes. A PM can’t take your baby and run with it, but they also can’t be expected to succeed in raising it if you’re keeping them out of the loop. Product expertise is why you hired the PM and giving them a sense of ownership is the name of the game.
• Insight for PMs: Joining an early stage, pre-PMF startup is an amazing opportunity — there is a lot of satisfaction in building a product from scratch. That said, you’re working with the parents of a newborn — it is their baby and they are, understandably, protective of it. They also have a lot of opinions, many of them probably good, about how to raise the baby. Thinking through this built-in tension before taking a position is key. If you’re a person who likes to be left alone to do your thing, fair enough, but that’s not going to work well at an early stage. If you can view the founders’ input and involvement as a positive (even if irritating at times), this could be a good fit.

Changing the plan (and chasing shiny new objects)

• Insight for Founders: You need to be agile and part of that might be making opportunistic changes to the product roadmap, or even the short-term plan. But it’s important to consult with your PM, as they may have ideas on how to improve the idea or a persuasive argument why NOT fulfill a specific customer request. Importantly, the PM often serves as a gatekeeper to keep the company honest (re its plan) and ensure the product stays on course.

Even if you overrule your PM, clearly communicating the reason will create alignment and engagement vs. it seeming like you’re simply chasing shiny new objects. It will also allow the PM to learn and adapt to your way of thinking, which over time will reduce this kind of friction.

How often is too often to sync?

• Insight for Founders: The best way to deal with the complexities of founder-PM relationships is to communicate early, often, and deeply. Weeklies are time well spent, even in a very busy environment. Don’t be scared of tough conversations — they are likely to result in better alignment (and product).

Expert vs. Kolboynic

• Insight for PMs: You were hired as an expert, but now you’re also doing QA, figuring out UI, and maybe even doing couples therapy for the co-founders. In our experience, being a Kolboynic is part of life in an early stage startup, and everyone wears several hats, some of them less fun than others. For what it’s worth, the co-founders are also likely washing dishes and ensuring that bank deposits go through.

Final Suggestions:

• Insights for Founders: Product is very broad. Find a PM who completes you, Jerry Maguire style. Choose someone who you trust enough to truly consider their opinion, even when they challenge your thinking (vs. viewing them as Doobi Lo Lo). A good PM can be a forcing mechanism to ensure changes are intentional, raising a red flag when things might be going off the rails. At their best, PMs help mediate between different functions within the company (sales, marketing, developers) and help prioritize the roadmap when there are many conflicting needs.
• Insight for PMs: It can be challenging to be a PM at a young startup, and you might find yourself being the ‘responsible adult’ and putting your foot on the product breaks on occasion. This can be a tough spot, but because of the centrality of the role, PMs often become the source-of-truth for a startup since they are connected — at a detailed level — to dev, sales and marketing. If you can embrace the difficulties, the product and personal growth payoff can be huge.