Startup Growth · March 9, 2026 · 14 min read
How to Know If You Actually Have Product-Market Fit (5 Real Signals and 3 That Are Lying to You)
Real product-market fit shows up in behavior, not enthusiasm. The five real signals: retention that holds without heroics, organic word-of-mouth you did not manufacture, users who rebuild workflows around your product, pull demand that requires no pushing, and the Sean Ellis 40% test. The three lying signals: high sign-up volume, strong NPS scores, and enthusiastic early feedback. If you have the first five, you have PMF. If you only have the last three, you have a product that feels like it is working. Until it isn't.