Here's a simple test that separates real startups from road kill:
If your product disappeared tomorrow, would customers actively seek an alternative, or would they shrug and move on?
This question cuts through the noise.
It's not about your tech, your funding, or your pitch deck. It's about whether you're solving a problem your customer actually feels - deeply enough that they'd pay switching costs to find a replacement.
Be honest. Ask your customers directly for the real honest answer.
Why This Test Matters
In orthopedics, we talk endlessly about innovation. But innovation without stickiness is just expensive noise. I've watched startups burn capital on products that were "nice-to-have" rather than "must-have." The surgeon didn't fight to keep it. The hospital didn't defend it in value analysis. When a competitor showed up or the company hit a speed bump, the product evaporated.
The inverse is true for durable businesses. A surgeon won't switch away from a tool that solves a top-five problem in their operating room - the switching costs are too high, the clinical outcomes too ingrained, the muscle memory too deep. That's economic moat. That's revenue you own, not revenue yo...
