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By Lenny Rachitsky · lennysnewsletter.com · @lennysan on X · YouTube · LinkedIn
Lenny answers a first-time B2B founder's question about prioritization before product-market fit. He argues that typical frameworks suit large companies, lists common early-stage pitfalls, and proposes a single goal: make 10 customers very happy. He outlines a segment-understand-solve-focus approach and a time-allocation split for choosing what to build.
Subscriber post — summary only01Key takeaways
- Early-stage startups lack the data and momentum that let large companies absorb wasted experiments.
- Solving only nice-to-have problems ('vitamins') rarely builds a large B2B business; target significant pain.
- Focus on making about 10 customers very happy, which signals product-market fit and is a base for growth.
- Dig into users' underlying pain points rather than building exactly what they request.
- Spend roughly 80% of time increasing product value, 10% on onboarding, and 10% on delight.
“Your single goal as an early-stage pre-PMF startup should be to make 10 customers very happy.”Lenny Rachitsky · Lenny’s Newsletter
“We generally prioritize any serious 'blockers' with existing features over new feature development.”Benjamin Encz · Lenny’s Newsletter
02Frameworks mentioned
Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.