If you’re building a product, you’ve probably heard this golden rule from Sean Ellis:
If at least 40% of your users say they’d be “very disappointed” if they could no longer use your product, you’ve hit Product/Market Fit.
That 40% benchmark has become a widely accepted signal that your product is solving a meaningful problem — and that it’s resonating with the right audience.
But what if you survey your users and fall short of that magic number?
Most founders panic or start over. But Sean Ellis showed there’s a smarter path.
A Real-World Example: From 7% to Billion-Dollar Valuation
Sean once worked with a startup whose initial survey showed just 7% of users considered the product a “must-have.”
That’s not just short of Product/Market Fit — it’s dangerously low. But here’s the twist:
That 7% wasn’t random. It was a small, specific group of users who were using the product in a very focused, consistent way.
Rather than scrapping the product, the team zoomed in on who those users were and what they were using it for.
Then they made three key changes:
- Changed their marketing and positioning to attract more users like the high-retention group.
- Refined the onboarding flow to support that core use case from day one.
- Shifted their value proposition — no more trying to be everything for everyone.
Just a few weeks later, they surveyed a fresh cohort of users — and this time, over 40% said they’d be “very disappointed” if they could no longer use the product.
That company? It’s now worth billions.
The Big Lesson: Product/Market Fit Isn’t Found — It’s Focused
You don’t always need a new product. Sometimes, you just need a clearer target, a tighter use case, and messaging that speaks directly to the people who already love what you’ve built.
Find your 7%. Double down on them. And grow from there.
What You Can Do Today:
- Survey your users with this one question:
“How would you feel if you could no longer use our product?”
(Options: Very disappointed, somewhat disappointed, not disappointed) - Identify the common traits, behaviors, or use cases of those who answer “very disappointed.”
Adjust your positioning, targeting, and onboarding to align with that core group.