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The TL;DR
Sometimes the best path to product-market fit means following your curiosity and authenticity rather than conventional market sizing wisdom.
Follow interestingness over rigid goal-setting processes. Varun emphasizes that finding product-market fit is about discovering unique insights, not grinding harder. He references “Greatness Cannot Be Planned” by Ken Stanley, advocating for following curiosity and interestingness rather than traditional goal-setting that can stifle creativity.
Transform sales motions through obsessive customer feedback loops. Clay went from requiring seven demos to close a $200/month product to complete self-serve by doing eight “reverse demos” daily where customers brought real problems to solve in twenty to twenty-five minutes. This constant feedback loop and rapid iteration created compound improvements.
Hire for different backgrounds and pay accordingly. Clay deliberately hires people who’ve never done the job before—over half their non-engineering team is in roles they’ve never done. This requires flexible compensation but brings unique skill sets and perspectives that create competitive advantages.
Welcome to First Block, a Notion series where founders from the world’s leading companies tell us about the many “firsts” of their startup journeys. We explore the ups and downs that founders face as they build, and what they’ve learned along the way.
In this episode, we spoke with Varun Anand, co-founder of Clay. Clay is one of the most exciting companies at the intersection of GTM and AI that’s redefining what modern go-to-market looks like.
Varun shares insights on the journey to finding product-market fit, how Clay went from horizontal spreadsheet tool to specialized go-to-market platform, and why following your curiosity matters more than traditional startup wisdom.
What’s in this episode:
Clay’s Template
Download Clay’s Sales CRM Template to streamline your sales process, track deals, manage relationships, and record all interactions in one organized system.
Thought starters for founders
After listening to Varun’s insights, ask yourself:
What would change if you followed your curiosity instead of traditional market analysis?
How could you create more direct feedback loops with your customers to accelerate product improvements?
What unconventional hiring decisions might bring unique value to your team?
Read the full transcript here
