When people talk about product-market fit, it often feels like a planned expedition—market research, strategy brainstorming, meticulous iterations.
But my first encounter with it was anything but planned. It was an accident, a lucky break, or maybe just being in the right place at the right time. And when I spoke to many successful businesses, the journey was very similar. Here is my story:
It was 1997, and I had just started INT. I started building websites for small businesses in Kolkata.
I faced an almost impossible challenge: affordable web hosting. Options in India were scarce, and the few that existed were ridiculously expensive. I was just starting out, scraping together whatever resources I could. There was no way I could afford the steep upfront costs to put my own
Days turned into nights as I scoured the internet (yes, even in the late ’90s, this was a thing) in search of a solution. I stumbled onto something that felt like a revelation. Hosting services abroad were significantly cheaper. The catch?
– They required upfront payments,
– Sending overseas payments from India was a pain beyond imagination, and
– One needs technical knowledge to manage the server, which was not a common skill those days
But I wasn’t ready to give up.
In a moment of sheer boldness (or maybe desperation), I reached out to an Italian hosting company and proposed something audacious: let me pay later. I half-expected them to laugh at me, or worse, ignore me. But they didn’t. To my surprise, they agreed.
That single ‘yes’ changed everything. Suddenly, I had access to affordable hosting, and more importantly, I realized I wasn’t the only one struggling with this problem. Many small businesses in India were in the same boat. That’s when it hit me— let me sell hosting to them.
And the next realisation was – how can I empower other web design companies with the same solution. Why not offer reseller hosting? And, can I leave a lot of value for them (great margins, abstracting the payments problem, and technical knowhow) so that it works magic.
What started as a small experiment exploded into something much bigger. Within just a year and a half, we became the largest web hosting provider in Eastern India. It wasn’t planned. I didn’t had a blueprint. But the opportunity was there, and I grabbed it.
Looking back, this experience taught me that product-market fit isn’t always a deliberate process. Opportunities come disguised as problems you’re desperately trying to solve. The question is—will you see them? And are you willing to go the length of solve it.
It’s about being open, recognizing the problem staring you in the face, and having the courage to take the leap.
What about you? Have you ever stumbled upon an opportunity like this? I’d love to hear your story.