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Is Your Early Success Setting You Up for Scaling Failure?
- Startups that mistake early adopters for widespread adopters are falling for a common misconception about their target market that can lead to plateaued growth instead of continuing upward trajectory.
- Early adopters are defined by their acute pain point, and vocal willingness to test anything that could fix it, but it is not a reliable signal for widespread adoption.
- Widespread adopters have a higher pain tolerance, are willing to wait for a better solution and are less vocal, making them a more difficult group to manage or win back if they become disenchanted.
- Being led by enthusiastic early adopters can lead to an extremely niche product that solves their problems, but has further-reaching problems of its own in terms of attracting wider adoption at scale.
- Product/market fit comes only after a minimum viable product that appeals to a wider audience and fulfils the needs of the early adopters but is straightened out to appeal to widespread adopters.
- A company that fails to recognise the needs of early and widespread adopters inadvertently creates instability, rattling early adopters with frequent product instability, and stalling the adoption of its product between the $2m and $5m mark.
- Building a successful marketing strategy means knowing the difference between early and widespread adopters, and for later-stage start-ups, concentrating on finding and serving the needs of the latter.
- Shift your focus from early adopters to widespread adopters, building your product and business model around common desired outcomes that meet the demands of both groups.
- When planting a metaphorical garden in search of product/market fit, early adopters are the sprouts that can only get a start-up so far before the focus shifts from cultivation to cultivation and training necessary for widespread adoption.
- Understanding the difference between early and widespread adopters is key in addressing the challenges that arise when scaling up from a niche customer base
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