On Product-Market Fit

There is no creativity without failure.

A few weeks back I showed at Renegade Craft Fair and (despite the crowds) I made no sales. Zero $$$. As you could imagine, it was a little disheartening... and felt like a waste of a weekend. But it was also a moment of clarity; a live case study on Product-Market Fit (or rather, the lack thereof).

Product-Market Fit is the ‘holy grail’ of the tech startup world. Roughly defined as “a unique product offering that people desperately want”, much has been written about PMF - why it matters, methods to achieve it, and how to know when you’ve got it.

And so - even though it felt crappy to sit at a fair for 12 hours only to sell nada, I did leave with something valuable: a very strong signal that this product did not fit this market.

Before the fair, I had the inkling of a problem. In the days leading up I could feel myself getting frustrated, but I couldn’t identify the root cause.

I had applied and was accepted a couple of months back, and my intention was to bring the products (mostly upcycled knit vests) I already had on hand, and just ~see how it goes~ (great strategy btw). But as the fair got closer, I got anxious: should I make some smaller / lower priced items to sell too?

One week out, I panicked and scrambled to whip up a new, smaller / lower priced product (a sort-of tote-style bag). Obviously I was doomed to fail - there was no possible way I could design from scratch, iterate / test, and produce multiple units of a brand new product in 4 days. And even worse, I ended up punting my other work (newsletter & social media content) too.

The "bags" I made - kinda cool, but definitely not great. Maybe I'll repurpose them into baskets or planters ;)

I was so annoyed with myself! I had this creeping realization that I was a ‘master of none’ doing lots of things and doing them *pretty* well. But my lack of clear priorities and singular focus was preventing me from doing the most important things *exceptionally* well. Fortunately my failure experience at the fair put a fine point on the situation.

So - what’s to do when the product and market do not fit?

I suppose there are really three options:

1. change the product

2. change the market

3. change both the product & the market

Based on my observations at Renegade Craft I felt pretty strongly that, at the very least, I needed to change my market. My products were 2-3x higher in price than those selling around me. I know there is a market out there for $300-500 sweaters, but this wasn’t it. Now I know…

I also took the opportunity to reflect on my vision for Next Season, and critically assess the product (upcycled knitwear & remanufacturing services). And I had to be honest with myself - is my product ‘good enough’ for the market I do intend to target? No.

And so the choice was pretty clear →

3. change improve the product & change the market

So - what now?

I decided to commit (hard) to narrowing my focus, and prioritize creating SUCH an incredible / cool / beautiful (upcycled) sweater, that, when placed in front of my target customers, they’ll be desperate to get their hands on it.

I also decided to actively deprioritize nearly everything else - and trust that I can do the other stuff (e.g. marketing) later.

And more importantly, how?

In discussing this ‘fail’ of a fair, two different people close to me shared this same Ira Glass “The Gap” monologue, reminding creatives that the most important thing we can do, is do a lot of work - to close the gap between the work we’re currently making and our ambitions / taste.

@kannwallerI’ve played this on repeat for the last hour. This applies to everyone, not just creatives. Don’t give up and push through the gap!!! Video was found on Vimeo made by Daniel Sax. Voice recording is The Gap by Ira Glass. #creativeinspiration #inspiration #iraglass

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And unintentionally, I also recently started The Artist’s Way with a group of friends - the timing couldn’t be more fitting. Since the market, I’ve drafted, refined, and started test knitting two new patterns. I’ve also set aside time to do more mood boarding / creative visioning for the brand aesthetic.

Most exciting of all, this week I hired a summer intern - a fashion & textiles graduate student with machine knitting skills that far surpass my own. My goal is to prioritize creative vision work & product development every single day for (at least) the next three months. Can’t wait to share what we come up with and learn along the way ✨