Why plans don't matter, Marc Andreessen on product/market fit, and inspiring drive in people

1: Why your startup plan doesn’t matter

"You can have a great startup idea, but a great startup idea is like having a great plan for a fistfight.

The moment the idea actually touches customers is like the moment you get punched in the face.

What matters is what you do at that moment, not the plan."

-Garry Tan

2: Marc Andreessen on product/market fit

“The only thing that matters is getting to product/market fit. Product/market fit means being in a good market with a product that can satisfy that market.

You can always feel when product/market fit isn’t happening. The customers aren’t quite getting value out of the product, word of mouth isn’t spreading, usage isn’t growing that fast, press reviews are kind of “blah”, the sales cycle takes too long, and lots of deals never close.

And you can always feel product/market fit when it’s happening. The customers are buying the product just as fast as you can make it — or usage is growing just as fast as you can add more servers.

Lots of startups fail before product/market fit ever happens. My contention, in fact, is that they fail because they never get to pfoduct/market fit.”

Source: The PMarca Guide to Startups, Part 4 - The only thing that matters

3: How to inspire drive in people

Source: Choose Your Enemies Wisely by Patrick Bet-David