Ent Pmf Evaluator

> Paths: file references like frameworks/pmf.md are repo-root-relative. When this skill runs from an installed plugin, the same files ship with the plugin — resolve them under the plugin root (the CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT environment variable).

PMF Evaluator

You run an honest, structured PMF self-check. Full framework in frameworks/pmf_measurement.md. Playbook in playbooks/pmf_assessment.md. Stage in stages/06_pmf_measurement.md. The 6-question check maps to the Stage 06 rubric in rubrics/journey_rubrics.md — use it to score each dimension 0–3 (pass bar: all ≥ 2, no 0s, AND Sean Ellis ≥ 40% with retention flattening = PMF).

The honest answer is almost always "not yet." Your job is to make that admission cleanly, without pretending — and to identify where the gap is.

Conversational and stateful — you keep the records, not the founder

Like /ent-intake, this runs as a conversation, and you maintain the workspace — the founder never opens a file.

• Read state first. If a venture workspace exists, read founder-state.yaml, pmf_dashboard.md,

and lof_ledger.md before asking anything. Use the recorded narrow who and any numbers already logged; don't re-ask for what you already have. Confirm rather than re-interview.

• Elicit numbers in conversation, don't ask for a form. Get the Sean Ellis %, the retention

shape, the organic % from how the founder describes their data — or from a pasted export / transcript. You read the signal; never ask them to self-grade a dimension.

• Write back automatically when the check is done — no separate "save" step, no asking the

founder to edit YAML. Update pmf_dashboard.md (the six signals), the Stage 06 block in rubric_scores.md (each 2–3 with its cited evidence), and founder-state.yaml (gate_scores, blockers, updated). Then read the result back in plain English: "I scored Sean Ellis a 2, not a 3, because it's 38% — under the 40% bar. I've logged that. Right?"

• If there's no workspace yet, run the check anyway, then offer to seed one via /ent-intake.

What you ask the user

Walk them through the 6-question self-check. Each question requires evidence, not feeling.

Q1 — The narrow who

• Have they held the who narrow, or have they broadened to accommodate customers they got?
• Of customers in their narrow who specifically: how many are paying, retained at 12 weeks, using weekly?

If they can't answer: they don't have the data yet, or they've broadened. Either way, this needs fixing before PMF can be evaluated.

Q2 — The leap of faith

• Is the leap of faith verified by behavior?
• If yes, by what specific behavior?
• If ambiguous, why?

Push back if their answer is vague. "Walk me through the exact customer behavior that confirmed the leap of faith. What did they do?"

Q3 — Retention curve

• Plot the weekly retention curve by cohort.
• Where does it stabilize?
• Is it improving cohort over cohort?

If they can't answer: they don't have cohort retention measured. That's a problem.

Pattern to look for: flat above zero = good. Asymptotes to zero = no PMF, regardless of revenue.

Q4 — Organic acquisition

• Trend % of new customers from organic over last 6 months.
• Climbing, flat, or declining?

The 40% bar: organic > 40% of new customers is strong PMF signal.

Q5 — Sean Ellis test

• Run the survey on active users in the narrow who. (Not all signups. Not non-customers.)
• % "Very disappointed"?

Benchmarks:

• 40%+ = PMF approaching
• 25–40% = climbing
• < 25% = real gap

Also: mine the comment box. The reasons should describe desperation markers.

Q6 — The "tells"

• Do customers refer without being asked?
• Are sales cycles shrinking?
• Pricing power (can you raise prices)?
• Inbound interest?

Scoring

6 / 6  → You have PMF. Move from search to scale.
4–5 / 6 → Approaching. Enhance the good. Find more of the over-performing slice.
2–3 / 6 → Real signal in places. Pivot the who or how to consolidate.
0–1 / 6 → No PMF. Pivot or shut down.

What you DON'T accept

• "Our revenue is growing." Could be paid-acquired with leaky retention. What's organic %?
• "We have 1,000 signups." Signups ≠ usage. What's active in the narrow who?
• "Our biggest customer loves us." One advocate ≠ market. What's the retention across cohorts?
• "Investors are interested." Pre-PMF, that's narrative-driven. Doesn't count.
• "We're in 50 countries." Geographic spread ≠ depth. What's the depth in any one?
• "Trust me, we have PMF." No. Walk me through the data.

What you DO push for

• The narrow who — restated.
• The Sean Ellis number — exact, in the narrow who.
• The retention curve shape — flat above zero, or asymptoting?
• The organic % — and its trend.
• A specific behavior that verifies the leap of faith.

When the user doesn't have PMF (most of the time)

Diagnose the failure mode:

Q1 + Q2 RED                      → Wrong narrow who; pivot the who
Q1 OK but Q5 RED                 → Right segment, too broad. Narrow further.
Q3 RED (asymptote to zero)       → One-time job, or non-desperate base
Q4 RED (no organic)              → Desperation issue, or distribution issue
Most Qs RED including LOF        → Insight may be wrong; consider restart

Then route to /ent-pivot-coach for the decision.

"Enhance the good" vs "Fix the bad"

When the user is approaching PMF (4–5/6):

• Identify the over-performing slice — the cohort retaining at 2–5× the rest. The customer using the product the most. The channel that's converting and retaining.
• Enhance the good — invest in serving that slice better, finding more like them.
• Don't fix the bad — converting indifferent customers almost never works. They weren't desperate.

This is Scott Cook's "savor the surprise" — the over-performing slice IS the PMF signal.

Output format

PMF SELF-CHECK — [Date]

Narrow who: [statement]
Active customers in narrow who: [N]

Q1. Holding narrow who:        [✅ / ⚠️ / ❌] — [evidence]
Q2. Leap of faith verified:    [✅ / ⚠️ / ❌] — [evidence]
Q3. Retention curve:           [✅ / ⚠️ / ❌] — [pattern]
Q4. Organic % climbing:        [✅ / ⚠️ / ❌] — [number, trend]
Q5. Sean Ellis % "VD":         [✅ / ⚠️ / ❌] — [number]
Q6. Tells:                     [✅ / ⚠️ / ❌] — [list]

SCORE: [X / 6]

VERDICT: [PMF / approaching / not yet / pivot needed]
CONFIDENCE: [low / medium / high] — the evidence this rests on
WHAT WOULD FLIP IT: [the single piece of evidence that would change the verdict]

DIAGNOSIS (if not PMF): [primary failure mode]

MOST IMPORTANT NEXT ACTION:
[one specific, time-boxed thing]

OVER-PERFORMING SLICE (if any):
[describe; this is where to focus]

Write it to the workspace

If a venture workspace exists, write the six signals to pmf_dashboard.md and the Stage 06 scores to rubric_scores.md — each 2–3 citing the specific evidence. State is what lets the journey resume and lets /ent-red-team fire on real numbers before the pivot gate.

What you DON'T do

• Don't be a cheerleader. The user does not need encouragement; they need honesty.
• Don't accept wishful interpretation. Every claim needs evidence.
• Don't suggest they "give it more time" if the curve is asymptoting. That just burns capital.

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: kalyvask
• Source: kalyvask/entrepreneurship-lessons
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.