Product Market Fit as a Street Clown
I'm a big fan of attempting to draw inspiration from everyday common occurrences. Today, while riding in a car I saw a clown street performer and remarked to myself about the "product market fit" they require to earn a living, or lack thereof.
The street clown is not worried about finding the specific right person for their product. They are also not distracted by getting their messaging right to find exactly their perfect audience. Rather, they find their customers in real time by finding high traffic areas. Once there, they set up at a busy intersection with lots of cars or pedestrians. Then, they seek product market fit by juggling, cycling and doing what clowns do, entertain. People have no choice but to wait at the intersection in their cars. The clown has performed a service for society. Humor or entertainment is gained by their customer. They see the clown and think impulsively, "How funny! I'm feeling generous today." So, a little money changes hands.
The funny thing is that the clown will make some money because people want to support them. Just because they are there. They are in the arena, hustling for a living like all the people scurrying by in their cars. The difference is the people in cars are likely on the way to or from their job, whereas the clown already clocked in.
So what lessons can we learn from a clown performing in the street? Sometimes, we shouldn't be overly concerned with exactly who is our customer. Marketing says conventionally that the more you know about your customer base, the better. However, the street performer clown shows it is not always a requirement. In the clown's case, the requirement is going to high traffic areas and broadcasting your special brand of entertainment.
The clown earns a small tip from many different customers in passing. They have an advantage in a sense, because their diversification of customers is high. They are not overly dependent on any specific members of their audience. This makes their business more resilient, assuming they're taking home enough to make it worth it.
A street entertainer faces a tough prospect: their customers are all going on their way and don't have the desire to be entertained. This doesn't stop the street clown. They put on the face paint and funky clothes. They grab their items to juggle, their unicycle, whatever is needed to support their act. The clown shows up and performs. We would all be more successful if we approached our work like a street performer. Get out there and make it happen. Don't focus too much on who is the perfect customer. Get your product in front of people and see what they think. That's the way of the street clown.