Rob Snyder is the author of The Power of Pull and writes the newsletter The Physics of Startups. He has advised more than 50 startups on growing from zero to $1 million in ARR, drawing on his own experience as a founder who spent two years pushing a product the market didn’t want before accidentally stumbling onto what actually works. In this episode, we walk step by step through his framework for finding product-market fit, from coming up with an idea to closing your first handful of deals.
Listen on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts
We discuss:
The PULL framework: Project, Unavoidable, List of options, Limitations
Where the best startup ideas come from
Tactics for cold outreach and running your first sales call
Why Rob advises against design partners
Goblin mode: what to do when nothing is working
How to apply the PULL framework inside larger companies
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Where to find Rob Snyder:
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rsnyder1
• Newsletter: https://thephysicsofstartups.substack.com
• Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Cic56E1UEbU25P3v14Vkq
• Website: https://robsnyder.org
Referenced:
• The PULL framework: https://thephysicsofstartups.substack.com/p/the-pull-framework
• The ultimate guide to JTBD | Bob Moesta (co-creator of the framework): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-ultimate-guide-to-jtbd-bob-moesta
• How to find work you love | Bob Moesta (Jobs-to-be-Done co-creator, author of “Job Moves”): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-find-work-you-love-bob-moesta
• Jump: https://jump.ai
• Linear’s secret to building beloved B2B products | Nan Yu (Head of Product): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/linears-secret-to-building-beloved-b2b-products-nan-yu
• Josh Woodward on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshwoodward/
• Clearly AI: https://clearly-ai.com
• Emily Choi-Greene on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilycg
• Spanx: https://spanx.com
• Floodgate: https://www.floodgate.com
• Snoop Dogg on X: https://x.com/SnoopDogg
• Jira: https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira
• Linear: https://linear.app
• “Sell the alpha, not the feature”: The enterprise sales playbook for $1M to $10M ARR | Jen Abel: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-enterprise-sales-playbook-1m-to-10m-arr
• How to close $100K+ enterprise deals, step by step | Jen Abel: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-close-100k-1m-deals-step-by
• Teero: https://www.teero.com
• A guide for finding product-market fit in B2B: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/finding-product-market-fit
• Retention is the hard part: https://thephysicsofstartups.substack.com/p/retention-is-the-hard-part
• Mark Roberge on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markroberge/
• Ali Ghodsi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alighodsi/
• Pride and Prejudice: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0414387
• Penguins of Madagascar: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1911658
• Muse: https://muse.ai
• Lessons from 1,000+ YC startups: Resilience, tar pit ideas, pivoting, more | Dalton Caldwell (Y Combinator, Managing Director): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/lessons-from-1000-yc-startups
• Lemlist: https://www.lemlist.com
Recommended books:
• The Power of Pull: What You Need to Know About Customer Demand to Build a Successful Startup (and Why Most Founders Get It Wrong): https://www.amazon.com/Power-Pull-Customer-Successful-Founders/dp/1541705955
• The Nature of Order, Book One: The Phenomenon of Life: An Essay on the Art of Building and the Nature of the Universe: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BHLGZHHD
• The Nature of Order, Book Two: The Process of Creating Life: An Essay on the Art of Building and the Nature of the Universe: https://www.amazon.com/Nature-Order-Book-Two-Creating-ebook/dp/B0F2SMKQT8
• The Nature of Order, Book Three: A Vision of a Living World: An Essay on the Art of Building and the Nature of the Universe: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F2SS62LG
• The Nature of Order, Book Four: The Luminous Ground: https://www.amazon.com/Luminous-Ground-Building-Alexander-Christopher/dp/B00CB5JTI6
Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].
Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
