Of the thousands of people talking about the so-called "0-1 stage" or "seeking product-market fit stage" in startups, I have found most lacking in one way or another:
- Sounds good but doesn't actually work.
- Is correct but so banal that it's not worth stating.
- Either too practice-oriented—making it hard for others to understand quickly, or
- Too theoretical/academic—offering little help with "what should I do next?"
One exception to the above characterization is Rob Snyder and his advice on how to achieve product-market fit. A recovering ex-McKinsey consultant, he is wise in structuring thoughts and communicating them to the less gifted—like me. More importantly, he's a doer who puts himself in the trenches while reflecting deeply on his own failures (and successes) to draw invaluable lessons for the world.
I have found very few people offering a satisfactory (a.k.a. "close to reality") description and advice on the "0-1 stage" for startups, and Rob is definitely near the top of the list.
So, let's make way for Rob's thoughts on PMF.
Rob's Pointers
In business, you do first, learn next. In university, we try the opposite—learning first and then attempting to apply it in the real world.
The best way to achieve PMF is to try selling a case study and fail. Then refine the case study multiple times until you get a "pull" response from prospects upon introduction.
The "pull" response is an indication of strong demand.
The above work is real "sales," but it feels more like research—learning through doing and reflection.
Any research done without an attempt to sell is just wasted effort. You don't get validation unless someone is willing to open their wallet.
There is a difference between a "social transaction" and a "business transaction." Unless you attempt to sell, the transaction remains social—and it doesn't help you discover what you can actually sell. The wallet doesn't lie. :)
More about demand: Demand is about the prospect, not the seller or builder.
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Demand is something the prospect wants to accomplish and is willing to prioritize. This means:
- They are willing to invest time to get "it" done.
- They are willing to invest money to get "it" done.
- They are willing to put in the bare minimum effort needed to get "it" going (meetings, etc.).
Sales is just discovering what the "it" is—what the prospect is willing to prioritize and take action on.
In 0-1, don't try to "educate" the customer; instead, figure out what they need and try to fulfill. Education is not easily done in the 0-1 stage. With deep pockets and big organizations, it may be possible. Otherwise, don't attempt it.
Once demand is discovered, pains must be taken in actually serving the customer with the minimum amount of building to support the process. The emphasis is on "minimum building." Building too much, too early, is a distraction and often dangerous to the business. So, build the bare minimum and manage with more manual services to fulfill customer requests.
The goal of the fulfillment stage is to get a "hell yeah" response from the customer.
Until you get one customer to say "hell yeah" to the overall experience provided, there is no point in thinking of more complex things—such as marketing, scaling, building, etc.
Therefore, refine the fulfillment mechanisms until you get a "hell yeah." This means that the approach you are taking could be a good one—something that is able to not only attract customers on introduction but also retain them after initial fulfillment.
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The first success or "hell yeah" is considered the foundational "case study" upon which a business can be built:
- Identify customer demand (willing to pay).
- Fulfill demand.
- Ensure customer satisfaction & willingness to renew.
Once the above (1), (2), and (3) are built—the initial case study—the business is ready to scale.
The business is simply a "case study replication machine." You build systems to repeat the case study with higher and higher efficiencies to fulfill more and more customers, and each customer as many times as possible.
The above outlines the mechanics of building a business, as expounded by Rob Snyder.
In Summary...
Action over Theory: Doing before learning, contrasting academic approaches with real-world business.
Demand Validation: Using sales attempts as research to identify genuine demand (pull response).
Customer-Centric Focus: Understanding that demand is about the prospect's needs and willingness to invest time/money.
Iterative Refinement: Continuously improving the offering based on feedback until achieving a "hell yeah" response.
Scaling Post-PMF: Once validated, the business becomes a system to replicate the successful case study.
As Founder - What Customer Responses Stages You Must Aim for
- Step (1): Apathy & Rejection to Case Study
- Step (2): Pull response
- Step (3): Hell Yeah response
- Step (4): Multiple "hell yeah" per customer
- Step (5): Multiple "hell yeah" from many customers
Some "memes" from Rob's Thoughts You Can Easily Remember (mostly AI generated rehashing, but it's helpful!)
Here are some memes on the topic that may help you remember the key ideas of Rob.
1. Academic vs. Business Learning
Academic Path:📚 Learn → ➡️ Apply (Theoretical)
Business Path:🛠️ Do → ➡️ Learn (Action-Driven)
2. PMF Validation Cycle
🧪 SELL Case Study → ❌ Fail
🔄 Refine → 🔄 Repeat
✅ "Pull" Response (Demand Validated)
3. Demand Criteria
⏰ Time Investment
💰 Money Investment
💼 Effort CommitmentCenter: "Prioritized Demand"
4. Sales vs. Social Transactions
Social Transaction: 🤝 Interest → ❓ No Validation
Business Transaction: 🤝 Interest → 💸 Wallet Opens → ✅ Validation
5. Path to "Hell Yeah"
🎯 Identify Demand → 2. 🛠️ Fulfill Minimally
🔄 Refine Until → 🚀 "Hell Yeah"
✅ Retention/Referral
6. Scaling as a "Case Study Replication Machine"
Base: 🧱 Case Study (Demand + Fulfillment + Satisfaction)
Middle: ⚙️ Systems (Marketing, Operations, Sales)
Top: 📈 Scale (Repeat & Expand)
Key Takeaways
💡 "Do First, Learn Later"
🔄 Iterate via Feedback
💰 Wallet = Truth
🚀 Scale After "Hell Yeah"
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