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MENTAL MODEL · M0136

Product-Market Fit, PMF

Product-Market Fit, PMF
BusinessHigh supportMarketing
Included
account_tree

Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

Popularized by Marc Andreessen. Refers to a product that precisely meets the needs of a good market. Before and after PMF are two distinct states: before PMF, you are pushing a boulder up a hill (hard selling); after PMF, the boulder pulls you along (market demand explodes, servers are insufficient).

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

- Stage determination: This is the only life-and-death line for startups. Before finding PMF, premature expansion (hiring, marketing) is the number one cause of failure. - Resource allocation: Before PMF, all tasks are 'exploration' and 'validation'; after PMF, they are 'growth' and 'execution'.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

PMF - high alignment between product value and market demand, at which point growth is self-driven; before that, blind expansion wastes resources.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Practice this model in one real situation:

Check to track your progress (stored locally)
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Source support: Explicit

  • link
    online.hbs.eduhttps://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/how-to-find-product-market-fitZH · Explicit
    verified

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