Product-Market Fit Checklist
The 40% rule, retention cohorts, and NPS benchmarks to hit.
“Product-market fit is not a feeling. It's a small set of numbers that either improve week on week, or don't. Everything else is founder hope.”
The Insight
Most founders claim PMF 12 months before they have it, then wonder why scaling breaks the business. Real PMF has signatures: customers who behave like fans, metrics that pull themselves, and growth that compounds even when you stop pushing. Learn the signatures, then check yourself honestly.
01
The 40% Rule
If more than 40% say 'very disappointed', you have PMF. Under 30%, you don't — yet. Between 30% and 40% is the danger zone where founders fool themselves. Run this survey every 90 days and watch the number trend upward as you fix things.
02
Retention Cohorts Don't Lie
If every cohort trends to zero, you have an acquisition business, not a product. If you can't point to at least three months of flattening cohorts, skip the scaling conversation.
03
The Behavioural Signals
Tick five of these and your PMF is real; tick two and you're still pushing the rock uphill.
The Takeaway
Wanting PMF doesn't create it. Instrument the three signals honestly, check them monthly, and only pour fuel on the fire once the numbers confirm what your gut is telling you.
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