I will write a blog post soon on the two stages in the graphic below. The probability of success and the talent and skills needed in each phase are very different. "Zero to one" versus "one to n." Gil's book explains these points in a clear way and has examples.
Andy Rachleff, who created the term "product market fit," calls the two phases the "value hypothesis" and the "growth hypothesis." Making the shift from value to growth prematurely means almost certain death (as does not having the right team/talent for the second stage).
What is created in a value stage can enable the creation of distribution systems in the growth stage. That distribution capability can last longer and be more valuable than the original product. Andreessen talks about this in an interview in Gil's book. a16z.com/2018/07/20/aft…
When people forget that product market fit requires a scalable business model the result can be tragic. The odds that a start up has a product that can easily be monetized after growth like Google or Facebook are not even close to good for a startup. google.com/amp/s/25iq.com…
