The 4 types of finite B2B markets
"Finite" does not mean every small market behaves the same way.
I use four rough types to think about what controls access.
This is a working model. I expect it to change as I see more companies.
1. Institutional markets
Examples: GovTech, utilities, regulated infrastructure.
Certifications, tenders, approvals and formal eligibility matter heavily.
Question: can you qualify to be bought?
2. Enterprise committee markets
Examples: core banking, enterprise security, large ERP.
You are navigating a decision system, not one buyer.
Question: can the buyer safely defend choosing you?
3. Tribal markets
Examples: niche SaaS, industry technology, specialist B2B services.
A few hundred companies. People know one another. Private conversations move reputation quickly.
Question: what kind of name are you building?
4. Expert guild markets
Examples: boutique consultancies, niche agencies, specialist studios.
The expert is a large part of the product.
Question: does the market trust the person behind the company?
The point is not the labels
The useful question is:
What actually controls access to buyers in this market?
Once you know that, GTM gets much easier to reason about.