Interesting! You are one of just a few people I’ve ever read that include validation of customer acquisition model within the definition of product-market fit. Brian Balfour being the other notable writer I recall.
To me this always seemed the correct definition. After all, if you are not able to profitably reach and influence a market to buy, how can you claim that you “fit” that market? 🤔
Yet strangely almost all other writers and articles define product-market fit as something more akin to what you or I would consider problem-solution fit. Basically that the intended customer likes the product and it solves their need.
This has frustrated me for a decade, but honestly I’ve found it so draining to try and convince the majority of people that their understanding of the pmf term is wrong, that I’ve given up and have moved on to instead finding a different term to express the addition of validated customer acquisition in addition to (problem solution fit as product market fit)
Thanks Chris! These terms end up having multiple definitions so it's tough to get everyone aligned. IMO, declaring PMF too early is worse than delaying it, although I can appreciate the pressure there is to declare it as quickly as possible.
Interesting! You are one of just a few people I’ve ever read that include validation of customer acquisition model within the definition of product-market fit. Brian Balfour being the other notable writer I recall.
To me this always seemed the correct definition. After all, if you are not able to profitably reach and influence a market to buy, how can you claim that you “fit” that market? 🤔
Yet strangely almost all other writers and articles define product-market fit as something more akin to what you or I would consider problem-solution fit. Basically that the intended customer likes the product and it solves their need.
This has frustrated me for a decade, but honestly I’ve found it so draining to try and convince the majority of people that their understanding of the pmf term is wrong, that I’ve given up and have moved on to instead finding a different term to express the addition of validated customer acquisition in addition to (problem solution fit as product market fit)
Thanks Chris! These terms end up having multiple definitions so it's tough to get everyone aligned. IMO, declaring PMF too early is worse than delaying it, although I can appreciate the pressure there is to declare it as quickly as possible.