But just like how money can't buy you happiness, it also can't buy you PM fit.
Saturday thoughts on funding: Where it helps. Where it doesn't. And how it affects team, success, and PM fit.
This is just my $0.02 after looking reviewing 30k+ early stage startups personally and having led 350+ investments across 2 VC firms & as an angel.
Let's begin! >>
But just like how money can't buy you happiness, it also can't buy you PM fit.
But for software startups, it's unclear if ppl want your product at your price pt.
But having sales does not mean that you have a repeatable customer acquisition process that can be sustainable
Frankly speaking, finding PM fit is a LOT of luck. This explains why a lot of serial entrepreneurs who were successful on 1 venture have a hard time repeating that.
It's not a lack of capabilities.
This is why SV VCs will often back "failed founders" again, because that failure isn't (always) an indicator of the founder -- there's also that big LUCK component of finding (or not finding) PM fit.
I mentioned 1 way -- experience in seeing and doing a lot. (and learning)
Another way: focusing on only things that matter (mostly derisking sales) & ignoring all else to utilize time and resources efficiently and quickly
But doing just 1 talk feels like nothing but it adds up.
Now where does money come into this?
And that affects runway. Runway affects # of PM fit experiments.
Then, by extension of their runway, they find strong PM fit and the rest is history.
However, I'm very aware that MOST founders don't get 2nd or 3rd chances like this.
Should ppl get more shots on goal? That's a philosophical q above my paygrade. But the way we operate @HustleFundVC is that we just assume that each of our cos will only get 1 shot on goal.
3 addl rounds -> your ROI is cut in half & that may not even return the fund even if the co "wins".
The flip side is if you don't have PM fit, having more ppl on the team makes getting to PM fit HARDER not easier in many cases.
More from Elizabeth Yin
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5 Micro Skills That Will Improve Your Life Drastically
// A THREAD //
Even the small things compound over time... and become huge.
And they become HUGE.
This is the list of small skills that will improve your life A LOT over time, you can't even imagine how much... before you give it a try.
I'll present the skills in form of mini challenges.
1. Type with all ten fingers 10 days - 10 mins in the morning.
Most of us spend a lot of our time behind the computer typing.
Yet, not many people know how to write with all ten fingers —> drastically faster.
You can learn it for free here:
https://t.co/ow2WTHrXBJ
2. Make at least one Zap
Zappier allows you to make micro workflows between the applications you use.
Let's say you have to calendars (work and normal) and you want to sync them all the time —> Zappier
2b. You send an email every month remind your customers to pay the maintenance fee + reminder them if they won't —> Zappier
You want an email notification every time someone edits a Google sheet —> Zappier
Basic version is free. @zapier
// A THREAD //
![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EqWhIvbW8AUlgs6.jpg)
Even the small things compound over time... and become huge.
And they become HUGE.
This is the list of small skills that will improve your life A LOT over time, you can't even imagine how much... before you give it a try.
I'll present the skills in form of mini challenges.
![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EqWhJ0yXcAQR_Vz.jpg)
1. Type with all ten fingers 10 days - 10 mins in the morning.
Most of us spend a lot of our time behind the computer typing.
Yet, not many people know how to write with all ten fingers —> drastically faster.
You can learn it for free here:
https://t.co/ow2WTHrXBJ
![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EqWhKwSXUAAVIif.jpg)
2. Make at least one Zap
Zappier allows you to make micro workflows between the applications you use.
Let's say you have to calendars (work and normal) and you want to sync them all the time —> Zappier
![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EqWhLY2XUAEjX2E.png)
2b. You send an email every month remind your customers to pay the maintenance fee + reminder them if they won't —> Zappier
You want an email notification every time someone edits a Google sheet —> Zappier
Basic version is free. @zapier
![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EqWhMe3XIAU_dhW.jpg)