Product-market fit isn't a finish line. It's a moving target.
Dave Berkus
CogLab UC Berkeley
Hello CogLab,
Too many small companies never figure out where their product or service fits - where customers pull them rather than the company pushing without great results. Please read on...
Tuesday, March 10th, 2026
Product-market fit isn't a finish line. It's a moving target.
I've watched many founders celebrate "achieving PMF" only to
see their growth stall six months later. The market shifted. Customer
expectations evolved. Competitors adapted faster.
Here's what five decades of investing has taught me about product-market fit: It's not binary. You don't flip a switch and suddenly have it forever.
Real PMF shows up in three ways that matter:
First, your customers start selling for you. Not because you asked them to. Not because you incentivized referrals. They just can't help themselves. When someone asks them about their problem, your product is the first thing they mention. That's signal.
Second, your churn drops without you doing anything heroic. You're not throwing discounts at people or assigning success managers to babysit accounts. People just stay. The product became part of their workflow, their process, their identity ... You can Read the rest of this post on Berkus.com by clicking here...
EVENTS, TV and VIDEOS
Dave's YouTube channel:: "Startup Masterclass from Dave Berkus"
Dave's TEDx talk: "Smiling at success, laughing at failure."
The"Berkus Method" of valuing early stage businesses
SELECTED BERKONOMICS POSTS
* You are watched, mostly when decisions are tough.
* The lion and the ant: A managerial lesson.
* OUCH! If only I had learned this before losing millions.
THIS WEEK'S FEATURED BOOKS BY DAVE: The three BERKONOMICS books for entrepreneurs, CxO's, management and their board members and investors. Each is divided into 101 easy to read insights with Dave's stories from his 50+ years of experience on both sides of the business aisle. Available as a Kindle book and as a soft cover book on Amazon's bookstore.
Check out all 31 variations of the 13 books, audio books, and Kindle publications from the Berkus Press by clicking the box below:
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