Pivot vs. Persevere Decisions

Pivot or Persevere? Your Startup Crossroads.

Don’t blindly keep digging or randomly jump ship. Make smart, data-driven decisions.

1. The “Persevere” Path: Keep Going, Keep Improving.

• When: Your Minimum Viable Product (MVP) experiments confirm your core hypotheses are largely correct.
• Signals:
  • Users are engaged and happy.
  • Key metrics (e.g., retention, usage) are growing.
  • Customer feedback is positive and indicates real value.
• Action: Continue iterating and optimizing your product within the current strategic direction.

2. The “Pivot” Path: Change Direction Fundamentally.

• When: Your MVP experiments invalidate your core hypotheses, or show that your current path isn’t leading to sustainable growth.
• Signals:
  • Low user engagement/high churn, even after iterations.
  • Customer feedback is lukewarm or indicates you’re solving the wrong problem.
  • Your customer acquisition cost (CAC) is unsustainable relative to customer lifetime value (CLV).
  • You’re consistently missing key growth targets.
• Action: Make a structured course correction. This isn’t failure; it’s learning!

3. Types of Pivots (Which way to turn?):

• Customer Segment: Same product, different customer.
• Problem: Different problem for same customer.
• Solution: Different solution for same problem.
• Business Model: Change how you make money.

Golden Rule: Don’t fall in love with your initial idea. Fall in love with solving your customers’ problems. The faster you learn and adapt, the greater your chances of success.