Hey Michael! Great piece. Signs of product/market fit are often strong and unambiguous, and that needs to be emphasized.
That said, many startups get v1 wrong. Not necessarily because their MVP is too clunky, but because they fail to frame (or graap) the correct problem in the first place. Or because their solution to that problem just isn't the right one. (As you aptly put it, founders can get hung up on their solutions and take their eyes off of problems.)
I'd love to see a followup piece about where to go from there. Let's say you're a founder, and your v1 failed to achieve fit. Your v2, perhaps, failed to achieve fit. What is a creative, but rigorous way to go back to the drawing board for v3?
I've worked for some successful startups, and I've worked for some failed startups. None of them found fit right out of the gate. The difference seems to have been that the successful founders recognized it quickly and took intellectually honest steps to do something about it. The failures either avoided that reality, or floundered while trying to adjust.
So what are some effective methods for assessing and course correcting in MVP customer development and product development? We know that "getting outside the building," to use the Lean parlance, is critical. So is effective brainstorming. But what are the best techniques for doing either?
I strongly second this request. As a founder working through a v1 and currently thinking a great deal about product/market fit, it would be fantastic to hear more about this.
That said, many startups get v1 wrong. Not necessarily because their MVP is too clunky, but because they fail to frame (or graap) the correct problem in the first place. Or because their solution to that problem just isn't the right one. (As you aptly put it, founders can get hung up on their solutions and take their eyes off of problems.)
I'd love to see a followup piece about where to go from there. Let's say you're a founder, and your v1 failed to achieve fit. Your v2, perhaps, failed to achieve fit. What is a creative, but rigorous way to go back to the drawing board for v3?
I've worked for some successful startups, and I've worked for some failed startups. None of them found fit right out of the gate. The difference seems to have been that the successful founders recognized it quickly and took intellectually honest steps to do something about it. The failures either avoided that reality, or floundered while trying to adjust.
So what are some effective methods for assessing and course correcting in MVP customer development and product development? We know that "getting outside the building," to use the Lean parlance, is critical. So is effective brainstorming. But what are the best techniques for doing either?