PMF = Invention

Every time I meet a new Founder and there is talk around trying new stuff or pivoting, there is always some sort of resistance. Most Founders want to continue to try what’s in their comfort zone than constantly keep trying again and feel rejected. Yes, your Product can reject you :) many many times. And yes, it’s not a good feeling. Every time you try something new and it doesn’t work, you get a sinking feeling.

And if you don’t start thriving in this feeling then that’s a problem because Product Market Fit is like inventing something new. And an invention takes a lot of experiments. So instead of seeing it as a pivot, start seeing it as an experiment. Don’t fall in love with the solution. Fall in love with the problem, with the market, with the vision - but never the solution.

And build a culture of experimentation, because only that will lead to invention. In other words Product Market Fit :)

At Unacademy there was a saying back in the day (still is in the new Business Units) that every month something changes. Before we found PMF in our Subscription Model in 2019, we must have changed our strategy at least 20 times. There was a lot of discomfort because experiments mostly put you out of comfort zone and then the feeling of rejection is even worse. But we would not have reached where we reached with being fine and almost thriving in the constant discomfort and trying out new things culture.

Reminds me about an Edison Quote that our School Teachers used to repeat often:

I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.

Invention takes time. Invention takes many many failed experiments. Invention takes a lot of discomfort. Invention means that you should be fine with constantly getting rejected.

And it’s fully and truly worth it :)

We are not here to do what has already been done. Know what the old masters did, know how they composed their pictures but do not fall into the conventions they established.