“Look, if you had one shot or one opportunity
To seize everything you ever wanted in one moment
Would you capture it or just let it slip?”
(Lose yourself, Eminem)
All startups have one shot, one opportunity. If you don’t come out with a bang when you officially launch, you’re dead on arrival.
That’s why your first version product cannot be that one shot. You’re risking everything on one move. Expecting your first product to instantly reach PMF is like throwing a key to the keyhole and expecting it to fit right in, on your first attempt. Not mathematically impossible, but very low chance.
Doesn’t matter how many tries it takes, you should keep throwing the key until it fits into the keyhole. Maximizing runway is the most important thing for a startup, because it allows yet another key-throwing. Survival leads to thrival.
You’ll finally find the PMF and open the floodgate officially, and the world will say “Wow, these guys had one shot and they made it count” – and you’ll be smiling quietly in the background 🙂