In the early days of a software startup, the company is focused on developing the product. Whether the founders are engineers or developers themselves, or if they are non-technical founders with a product vision, the product is their baby and they care, often, too deeply for the features and benefits of the software they’re creating. They work hard to get the product exactly right, spending months or even years in development. But when they finally launch, they find that they can’t get anyone to buy it. The startup has failed to achieve product-market-fit. Unfortunately, the startup graveyard is packed with failed software startups that were unable to find the path to achieve product-market-fit.
This is the first of a two-part series that elaborates on the 7 mistakes most software startups make preventing them from achieving product-market-fit. Part two will explore the best method to follow that will lead your venture down a path where product-market-fit is way easier to achieve.
1. Failure To Identify Your Early Adopter Niche
If a software startup fails to identify an early adopter niche, they will never achieve product-market fit. Product-market fit is when a startup has a product that solve a problem that has a high enough cost for a particular market that users in that market will pay you to use it. The only proof that your product has achieved product-market-fit is that you are selling enough copies at a high enough price and closing ration that your ration of lifetime value (LTV) vs. the customer acquisition cost (CAC) is 3/1 or higher. I’ll go deeper into these number in part two of this series. Without product-market fit, a startup will never become profitable enough to scale and grow. Most startups never come close to a 3 to 1 ratio.
The early adopter niche is the group of people who are the first to try new products and technologies. They are the ones who are always looking for the latest and greatest thing and are less risk averse than other potential customers. They are also the ones to who you can make a strong appeal because the perceived impact of the problem you are solving, and its associated costs are bigger than other niches which makes them more motivated to consider buying your product sooner.
If a startup fails to identify the early adopter niche, they will never be able to reach product-market fit. The early adopters are the ones who are most likely to be interested in a new product or technology. They are the ones who are most likely to give feedback and help a startup improve their product.
Without the early adopters, a startup will never be able to reach product-market fit. They will never be able to scale and grow. They will never be able to make the necessary improvements to their product that will generate revenue. They will never be able to find the right market for their product.
One example of a software startup that failed because they did not identify their early adopter niche is Google Wave. Google Wave was a platform that was intended to be used for real-time communication, such as chatting or video conferencing.
However, Google Wave failed to gain traction with users. Part of the reason for this was because the early adopter niche was not properly identified. Google Wave was not able to meet the needs of the early adopters they did target which was clearly the wrong niche for the product they created. As a result, the platform failed to reach product-market fit and was eventually shut down.
Early adopters are essential for a software startup. Without them, a startup will never achieve product-market fit.
Part two of this series will explore effective techniques to identify your early adopter niche.
2. Failure To Articulate A Compelling Value Proposition
Many software founders fail to articulate a compelling value proposition, resulting in a failure to achieve product-market-fit. This is often due to a lack of understanding of the problem that the software is solving, the market that the software is targeting, or the customers that the software is meant for. Without a clear understanding of these three things, it is difficult to create a value proposition that will resonate with potential customers. Additionally, many founders underestimate the importance of a strong value proposition and instead focus on the features and functionality of their product. However, without a compelling value proposition, it is very difficult to convince customers to purchase your product. However, it’s difficult to articulate a compelling value proposition without understanding exactly how much the problem you are solving is costing your customer. And that cost equation can vary greatly depending on which target niche you focused on. If you don’t understand all the variations between all your potential target niches, how can you target a niche for which it’s easiest to create the most compelling value proposition possible. Can you see how the value proposition is so dependent on which niche is being targeted?
Vine is a good example of a software venture that never could articulate a compelling value proposition. Vine was a short-form video sharing service that was acquired by Twitter in 2012. Vine was originally positioned as a social media platform for sharing short-form videos. However, Vine never communicated a compelling value proposition to its users. As a result, Vine never achieved product-market fit and was eventually shut down by Twitter in 2016. Can you see how the value proposition is so dependent on which niche is being targeted?
3. Sales And Marketing Strategy is Missing
Product-market fit is the key to a successful software startup venture. A go-to-market strategy helps ensure that the right product is being built for the right market. Without a well-defined go-to-market strategy, it is difficult to achieve product-market fit.
There are a number of reasons why the lack of a well-defined go-to-market strategy prevents software startup ventures from achieving product-market-fit.
First, the go-to-market strategy helps to validate the product concept. Without a go-to-market strategy, it is difficult to determine if the product is actually solving a real problem for the target market.
Second, the go-to-market strategy helps to determine the right pricing for the product. Without a go-to-market strategy, it is difficult to determine if the product is priced correctly for the target market.
Third, the go-to-market strategy helps to determine the right distribution channels for the product. Without a go-to-market strategy, it is difficult to determine if the product is reaching the right people.
Fourth, the go-to-market strategy helps to create a sales and marketing plan. Without a go-to-market strategy, it is difficult to determine how to effectively market and sell the product.
Fifth, the go-to-market strategy helps to establish key partnerships. Without a go-to-market strategy, it is difficult to determine which partnerships are necessary to help the product succeed.
Sixth, the go-to-market strategy helps to define the overall business model. Without a go-to-market strategy, it is difficult to determine how the product will generate revenue.
Finally, the go-to-market strategy helps to set milestones and KPIs. Without a go-to-market strategy, it is difficult to track progress and determine if the product is on track to achieve product-market fit.
The lack of a well-defined go-to-market strategy is a major reason why software startup ventures fail to achieve product-market fit. Without a go-to-market strategy, it is difficult to validate the product concept, determine the right pricing, determine the right distribution channels, create a sales and marketing plan, establish key partnerships, define the overall business model, and set milestones and KPIs.
4. Loving Your Solution Instead Of Loving The Problem
Many software startup ventures fail to achieve product-market-fit because they are in love with the solution instead of the problem. This means that they are more focused on developing the perfect solution to a problem, rather than on understanding the needs of their target market and developing a solution that meets those needs. This can lead to a number of problems, such as developing a solution that is too complex or expensive for the target market or failing to address the real needs of the target market. I often tell founders “Features and Benefits are the reason most founders fail.” Companies that succeed consistently focus on their customers and their problems. Solutions are the necessary step to solve those problems. This mindset is the opposite thought process from founders focused on building the perfect solution that they believe will attract customers in large numbers. The truth is that approach rarely achieves success.
Another reason why startups may fail to achieve product-market-fit is because they are too focused on the technology, rather than on the customer. This can lead to developing a solution that is difficult to use or that does not address the needs of the customer.
It is important for startups to focus on the problem, not the solution. They need to understand the needs of their target market and develop a solution that meets those needs. Only then can they achieve product-market-fit.
5. Over-engineering the Solution
Software startup founders are often guilty of over-engineering the solution instead of focusing on an MVP. This causes them to fail to achieve product-market-fit. Here’s why:
When starting a software company, it’s easy to get caught up in the details of the product. Founders tend to want to build the perfect solution, with all the bells and whistles. However, this is often a mistake. Founders often waste years building features that no one ever uses. I spoke with a startup last week who spent the last 10 years in the education space. The founders raised enough money and had enough of their own cash that they were able to operate without revenue for the first 6 years until they finally were able to start to generate revenue. The CTO told me that more than 50% of the software they developed in the first 5 years was never used and eventually removed from their product. Very few startups can survive that long building features that no one needs or wants. Unfortunately, over-engineering in the norm with software startups.
The reality is that it’s very difficult to achieve product-market-fit without first finding a group of early adopters who are willing to use the product and give feedback. This feedback is essential in order to iterate and improve the product.
The problem with over-engineering the solution is that it takes a lot of time and resources to build all the features that the founder thinks are necessary. This often means huge delays before launching, often waiting until it’s too late. By the time the product is finally ready, the market may have already moved on, or all your cash is gone, leaving you without the money needed to market, and pivot as needed.
It’s important to remember that the goal is not to build the perfect product, but rather to build a product that early adopters will pay for. Once the product has been launched, the focus should be on iterating and improving based on feedback, rather than on adding new features.
6. Failure To Get Customer Feedback Early And Often
When it comes to software startups, one of the most important things to keep in mind is the importance of feedback from customers. Getting feedback early and often is critical to the success of any software startup, yet so many founders fail to achieve product-market-fit simply because they wait way too long to engage early adopters that will give them the feedback they need.
There are a number of reasons why this might be the case. First and foremost, it’s important to remember that feedback is a two-way street. In order to get feedback from your customers, you need to be willing to listen to what they have to say – even if it’s not what you want to hear. All too often, founders are so focused on their vision for the product that they’re not willing to listen to feedback that might change that vision.
Another reason why many startups fail to get the feedback they need is because they’re afraid to ask for it. Asking for feedback can be seen as a sign of weakness, and many startups are worried that if they ask for feedback they’ll be seen as admitting that they don’t have all the answers.
It’s also worth noting that feedback is only useful if it’s actionable. Too often, startups will get feedback from their customers that’s either not relevant or not specific enough to be useful. Asking the right questions and being willing to really listen to the answers is critical to getting the feedback you need to succeed.
7. Waiting Too Long to Validate the Solution
The biggest reason why software startup founders who do not validate their solution early enough fail to achieve product-market-fit is because they haven’t taken the time to validate their solution with potential customers. They may have a great idea, but without feedback from those who would actually be using the product, they’re flying blind.
This is a huge mistake, because product-market-fit is all about making sure that your product is solving a real problem with real impact and real cost for your target market. If you don’t validate your solution with them, then you run the risk of building something that they may not even want or need.
The best way to validate your solution is to get out there and talk to people. Ask them about their pain points and see if your solution is a good fit. You can also look for early adopters who are willing to give your product a try.
Getting feedback from potential customers is essential, but it is also important to take that feedback and use it to make your product better. Otherwise, you will never achieve product-market-fit. In Part 2 of this series, I will talk about the various stages of design and development when founders should be reaching out to customers, and how to make your customer discussions highly effective.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are seven primary mistakes that cause most startup software ventures to fail in achieving product-market-fit: failing to identify your early adopter niche, failing to articulate a compelling value proposition, lacking a well-defined go-to-market strategy, being in love with the solution instead of the problem, over-engineering the solution, failure to get customer feedback early and often, and not validating the solution early enough. Each of these mistakes can be fatal to a software startup, but by avoiding them you will be well on your way to achieving product-market-fit and building a successful software company. Check back next week for Part 2 of this series where I show you several methods to avoid making these mistakes.
