Serviceable Addressable Market
Also called SAM
Serviceable addressable market: the portion of the total market you could actually serve given your product, business model, and reach. Narrower than TAM.
Why it matters
SAM is a more honest measure than TAM of the market you can realistically go after with what you have. It grounds market-size claims in your actual product and geography rather than a fantasy of total demand.
For example
A payroll startup's total market is every business, but its serviceable market is the metro-based tech companies its product and sales actually fit.
Related terms
Go deeper
See how founders actually handle this on Growing and marketing, part of the Starting Up hub.