How do you know when you’ve hit product-market fit?

Imagine you’re adjusting the focus on a camera. You tweak angles, experiment with lighting, and make subtle adjustments, but the image remains blurry.

Then, something clicks.

The subject snaps into perfect clarity. You’ve captured exactly what you need.

That moment of focus is what product-market fit (PMF) feels like for a B2B SaaS.

You’ll know the instant you hit it.

“If you have to ask whether you have product-market fit, the answer is simple: you don’t.” – Eric Ries, The Lean Startup

PMF isn't ambiguous. It's the moment you've proven the core value hypothesis of your product. You're solving a pressing need in a way people can't ignore, and they're responding with unmistakable, sustained enthusiasm.

Here's how to recognize that your product is sharp and in focus and why “going upmarket” is the natural next step once you see that clarity.

What happens when PMF comes into focus?

Your users start selling for you

When the lens is dialed in, the subject leaps out.

You're seeing new customers arrive through developer word-of-mouth, unsolicited recommendations, or social media mentions.

These inbound leads are proof your product has genuine value.

You see clear, repeatable usage patterns

Once you've configured your camera settings, each photo has consistent quality. Likewise, with PMF, usage is no longer sporadic.

Developers integrate your product deeply, regularly call your APIs, and return for more. This reliability confirms you're meeting a real need, not just scratching a temporary itch.

Community engagement grows on its own

When your subject is in perfect focus, others can see it clearly, too.

For developer-focused products, you'll notice a thriving community on GitHub, Slack channels, or Reddit.

Users begin answering each other's questions, suggesting workarounds, and collectively shaping the future of your tool.

That's a strong sign of PMF.

“Product market fit feels like stepping on a landmine… when we did find product market fit, I thought for sure, this is too tiny to matter, but it actually solved a real problem, and the market demanded it and ripped it out of our hands.” – Peter Reinhardt, Co-Founder & CEO of Segment

One minute, you're fiddling with the dials; the next, you can't keep up with the demand.

Developer-centric metrics that bring product-market fit into focus

API call volumes

Steady or increasing traffic is the lifeblood of a dev tool.

Sudden spikes can be flukes, but a sustained climb in API calls - across diverse customer segments - is a hallmark of real product-market fit.

Integration depth

If customers use just one endpoint, your product might still be a novelty.

Deep integration - where multiple features or endpoints become part of their workflow - signifies your product is indispensable.

Active feedback loop

Developers submitting requests, bug reports, and feature suggestions show they rely on you to solve real problems.

The more they invest in your product's evolution, the more it's become a critical piece of their stack.

Why achieving PMF means it's time to zoom out

Reaching PMF is like locking in the focus of your camera. It's time to “zoom out” and capture a broader view of the market, including moving “upmarket.”

What does “going upmarket” mean?

In the B2B SaaS world, “going upmarket” usually means serving larger, more complex organizations with stricter security and compliance requirements.

These enterprise-level customers often have higher budgets, more internal stakeholders, and longer sales cycles.

While they can be lucrative, they require more advanced features like single sign-on (SSO), audit logs, compliance certifications, and robust support.

Enterprise customers expect more

Big companies often will not consider a tool that lacks certain integrations (e.g., SAML or SCIM) or documentation of security controls.

They'll also run detailed procurement checks, security reviews, and compliance questionnaires. These larger prospects will look elsewhere if everything isn't perfectly in place.

Upmarket features take time

SOC 2 certifications, ISO 27001 compliance, and multi-tenant security models aren't just weekend tasks. Building these capabilities - and building them well - requires thoughtful planning.

If you wait until a big contract is at stake, you might scramble under a deadline.

Immediate steps once you recognize PMF

Map out your enterprise feature roadmap

Identify which security, compliance, and scalability features you'll need for upmarket deals. Determine your priorities (e.g., SAML SSO first, then SCIM user provisioning) and communicate them to your team.

Elevate your documentation

Your documentation must be top-notch, clear, thorough, and continuously updated to serve mid-size and enterprise customers.

Strong documentation also reduces friction for developers who want to quickly test or adopt your product.

Stabilize your infrastructure

Your services should scale smoothly, handle heavy loads, and include robust monitoring and logging.

Address these before enterprise clients knock so you're not making massive changes under pressure.

Stay true to your roots

Don't alienate the community that helped you achieve PMF. Maintain a developer-friendly approach, possibly with a free or lower-tier plan for smaller customers.

That ongoing grassroots support keeps your product relevant and fuels organic growth.

Finding PMF means it's time to widen your lens

A product that's reached PMF has a sharpness and clarity you can't ignore. Users aren't merely signing up; they're weaving your product into their daily workflows, praising it online, and pushing it further with their own ideas.

It's time to widen your lens once you recognize the market's undeniable pull. Larger enterprises will see your traction, but they'll have higher expectations. Meeting those expectations calls for thoughtful planning around security, compliance, and the complexities of enterprise sales.

If you prepare early, you'll be ready to showcase your now crystal-clear product to a bigger audience without losing the vibrant, developer-focused community that helped bring everything into focus in the first place.

Congratulations! And get ready for a wild ride. Once the market sees your product clearly, you've reached a point of life-changing momentum.