Before you pour money into ads, spin up growth hacks, or scale your sales team — stop and ask yourself:
Have we truly reached product/market fit?
It’s one of the most important questions any startup or SaaS company can ask — and also one of the most misunderstood.
Luckily, there’s a simple test that can give you a clear signal.
Ask your existing users this question:
“How would you feel if you could no longer use our product?”
- Very disappointed
- Somewhat disappointed
- Not disappointed
Why this works:
This question was popularized by Sean Ellis, the early growth marketer behind Dropbox, Eventbrite, and LogMeIn. He discovered that if at least 40% of your users say “Very disappointed,” you’ve likely achieved product/market fit.
In contrast, if fewer than 40% choose that option, you’re not there yet — and scaling too early could burn time, money, and team morale.
What if you’re below 40%?
That’s not failure — that’s feedback.
It means:
- You haven’t nailed the core value yet.
- You may be attracting the wrong users.
- Or the product is still missing critical features or usability.
Instead of jumping into growth mode, double down on discovery:
- Talk to users. Understand what they love — and what’s missing.
- Refine positioning. Ensure your messaging speaks to your ideal user.
- Iterate relentlessly. Obsess over feedback until you shift from “nice to have” to “can’t live without.”
When You Reach 40%+
That’s your green light. It means:
- You’re solving a real, painful problem.
- Users are emotionally invested.
- You can now build a growth engine that scales, because the product is sticky.
Growth without product/market fit is like pouring water into a leaking bucket.
But once you hit that 40%, you’ve got a foundation worth scaling.