Stop Waiting for the PMF Rocketship to Launch

As someone often referenced as an expert in product-market fit (PMF), I've spent years helping companies navigate the challenges of achieving sustainable growth. This is only possible with strong PMF. One of the tools I've developed to assess PMF is the Product-Market Fit Survey, often called the Sean Ellis Score. This survey has become a go-to method for startups looking to validate whether they've achieved a strong fit with their target market. However, despite the clarity the survey can provide, I’ve seen many founders disagree about what PMF truly looks like in practice.

A lot of people believe that if you’re not sure whether you have product-market fit, then you probably don’t have it. This belief likely traces back to early writings by Marc Andreessen, where he described the signs of PMF as customers practically grabbing your product out of your hands, explosive growth, and a sense that the product is selling itself.

Of course, if this is happening, then yeah, you’ve probably got PMF. But do you really need to wait for that moment to declare it? In my experience, the answer is no. Despite being on the ground floor of several unicorn startups, I’ve never seen PMF happen exactly like that. Instead, it’s often more gradual. It starts with a small group of customers who see your product as a must-have, and from there, you build momentum as you make continuous improvements across the customer journey.

Real-World Examples of Product-Market Fit Journeys

Take Dropbox, for example. At its core, Dropbox’s success was driven by a great product. But let’s be honest, that product alone wouldn’t have achieved record growth without some smart moves along the way. The first big leap came from a creative Digg video, which explained the product’s value in a simple, relatable way, complete with some funny pop culture references like "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Indiana Jones." This video generated a ton of interest and brought in early users who loved the product and gave us valuable feedback to improve it. Each tweak we made sped up growth, but none of it was instant. We didn’t wake up one day with a rocket ship; we built it piece by piece.

Even after this early success, there were plenty of skeptics. Many believed Dropbox would get steamrolled by Microsoft and Google, who were also in the cloud storage space. But the combination of a solid product, continuous improvement, and a relentless focus on user experience allowed us to overcome those challenges and build something lasting.

LogMeIn had a similar story but with a more pronounced turning point. We didn’t suddenly hit PMF out of nowhere. The breakthrough came when we revamped our onboarding process, which dramatically improved our conversion rates. We realized that just getting people to sign up wasn’t enough—we needed them to actually use the product and see its value. This shift in focus from merely acquiring users to ensuring they engaged with the product made all the difference. It wasn’t about PMF magically appearing; it was about systematically improving what we already had.

More recently, I’ve been involved with Bounce, which has been on an incredible growth ride. We’ve seen some of the strongest month-over-month revenue growth I’ve ever witnessed. But here’s the kicker—Bounce wasn’t initially the market leader. Operating in the highly competitive luggage storage space, where differentiation is minimal, Bounce had to fight its way up. The team at Bounce isn’t just waiting for the perfect product-market fit to appear; they’re making it happen through relentless execution and daily improvements.

Why an Accurate PMF Assessment is Important

Getting a handle on product-market fit is crucial for your business’s long-term success. A false positive—thinking you’ve nailed PMF when you haven’t—can lead to premature scaling, one of the most dangerous pitfalls for a startup. Premature scaling often results in wasted resources, skyrocketing costs, and, ultimately, the collapse of the business. You might hire too many people, ramp up marketing and support efforts, and invest heavily in infrastructure before your product is truly ready. When the expected growth doesn’t come, the financial strain can be crushing, and the company might not survive the fallout.

On the other hand, being too cautious with your PMF assessment can be just as risky. If you’ve achieved a solid level of PMF but hesitate to scale, you risk missing your window of opportunity. In fast-moving markets, unmet demand won’t go unnoticed—eventually, a competitor will step in to fill the gap you left open, often before you even realize it. This competitor could grab the market share that should have been yours, making it that much harder for you to catch up later on.

To really sharpen your PMF skills, I recommend checking out the GoPractice Data-Driven Product Management Simulator, which I’ve partnered on with Oleg Yakubenkov. It immerses you in realistic scenarios, helping you learn how to dial in product-market fit effectively. By practicing in a controlled environment, you can develop the skills needed to avoid the traps of premature scaling and ensure you're fully prepared to seize your PMF opportunity when the time comes.

When you accurately assess PMF and recognize that your product has achieved it, it’s essential to take the slack out of the market and fully capitalize on your opportunity. This means scaling efficiently to meet demand, maximizing customer acquisition, and solidifying your position in the market before others can challenge you. The goal is to strike a balance: avoid the dangers of premature scaling while also ensuring that you don’t miss out on your market potential by being overly cautious.

Remember, PMF isn’t a single moment; it’s a process. The companies that succeed are those that understand this and are willing to put in the work, day in and day out, to continually earn and expand their fit in the market. So, stop waiting for the rocket ship to launch, and start building it today.