A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders
00:39:05 · Pablo Srugo, Dane Atkinson
[00:39:05] S1: Let’s end it there. Let’s end it on the two questions that we always end on. The first one is, and this is for Odeko specifically, when did you know that you had true product market fit? [00:39:16] S0: I think that empirically, you could see it in the growth data sales without a sales engine, sales without marketing, just sales because the product made sense, that an inflection rate was obvious. I visibly thought that we went to a coffee conference. I was wearing Odeko t-shirt and I don’t think I got around 10-feet before I got my first hug, making a difference to somebody. I have my Squarespace t-shirts and I’ll still get a like, oh, I made my site. It’s so cool. But when it’s someone that’s actually now making money in their business, it was, okay, this is not bad for the use of lifespan, but it’s different for everybody. I would say don’t use funding. Don’t use hiring. Don’t use your pretty box as your symptoms of success. <Laugh> Those are all number of employees, worst one possible. It really should be something where you can feel the impact.
00:40:03 · Pablo Srugo, Dane Atkinson
[00:40:03] S1: Number of employees, it’s funny. There’s vanity KPIs, and there’s vanity KPIs, and especially I remember as a first time founder being like, oh my God, we made this hire. We made that hire. <laugh> You’re not chasing the right things. But just to your point earlier, walking around that conference and having people hugging you, you have to be founder of experience feeling. But for me, the most rewarding feeling of being a founder is having an idea and seeing it transform into real life. Obviously, that idea changes, but there’s a point at which it was just an idea, and you know because you were involved and you were the leader of that. Then to see it actually happening in real life, that feeling is second and none. [00:40:45] S0: Everyone listening, this is a first time in history that you can have an idea, and in a number of years, humanity has felt it across the globe in your community, on your street corner. The fact that it’s possible to invent and change world, it is the most addictive applause you could ever have. It’s almost unimaginable. Something in your head years later is a living thing making the world different for. [00:41:14] S1: The last question here is, and especially for you having done as many startups as you did, being part of so many journeys, what would be some of your most important, most common advice for early stage founders that are right now in the trenches, trying to find, let’s say product market fit?
00:41:14 · Pablo Srugo, Dane Atkinson
[00:41:14] S1: The last question here is, and especially for you having done as many startups as you did, being part of so many journeys, what would be some of your most important, most common advice for early stage founders that are right now in the trenches, trying to find, let’s say product market fit? [00:41:32] S0: There’s a lot to them and I keep a journal. But I’d say for the early stage founder, understanding their own why, why they’re there, who they’re trying to help, what they could see the world as, because that will help provide the fuel source, because It is a gnarly, as you know, it’s such a hard job. It teaches you so much. It offers so much reflection, opportunity to grow, but you need a source of fuel. The more you continuously connect to, I want to make that person’s life better. I want to make the planet better, or whatever it may be, actually more you will fuel yourself, and thus the people around you, and thus your customers. It can get lost. Or sometimes it’s not always bad, but I’ve known plenty of founders like, I want to be rich. It’s actually not the worst thing. There are plenty of rich people who want to be rich, and that’s how they got rich. But then just be honest with it, like, I’m here to – whatever it is. Try to find that center to yourself. It really does work in the long-term. [00:42:26] S1: Perfect. We’ll stop it there, Dane. Thanks so much for being on the show. It was an amazing episode. [00:42:30] S0: Thanks, Pablo. I really enjoyed it, and thanks for doing these things. They help the world.
00:42:30 · Dane Atkinson, Pablo Srugo
[00:42:30] S0: Thanks, Pablo. I really enjoyed it, and thanks for doing these things. They help the world. [00:42:35] S1: If you listened to this episode and the show and you like it, I have a huge favor to ask for you. It’s actually a really small favor, but it has huge impact. But whichever app you’re listening to this episode on, take it out. Go to a product market fit show and leave a review, please. It’s going to help. It’s not just going to help me to be clear. It’s going to help other founders discover this show because the algorithms, whether it’s Spotify, whether it’s Apple, whether it’s any other podcast player, one of the big things they look at is frequency of reviews. It’s quantity of reviews. The reality is if all of you listening right now left reviews, we would have thousands of reviews. Please take literally a minute. Even if you’re just writing like, great podcast, or I love this podcast, whatever it is, just write a few words. Obviously the longer the better, the more detailed the better. But write anything, leave 5 stars, and you will be helping me, but most importantly, many other founders just like you discover the show. Thank you.