How to Hire Product Managers in Startups
Over the years, I’ve made my share of good and bad hires. I’ve found remarkable individuals
Category Archives: Product Leadership
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How to be effective each week
“Are you proud of your work this week?” This is a useful litmus test. It shows
7-Day Micro-Course (free)
Product Management is different in startups and takes a different mindset to succeed. Get introduced to
They’re not product people
Photo by Ryoji Iwata on Unsplash Too often, we expect non-product people to act like product
8 Ways “Startup Product Leadership” is Different
Photo by Igal Ness on Unsplash 8 Ways “Startup Product Leadership” is different from “Mainstream Product
4 Ways to Prioritize “Incomparable Projects”
Photo by Efe Kurnaz on Unsplash Jason Cohen founder of WP Engine asked a good question
My Favorite Interview Question
Towards the end of every interview, I love to ask this question: “What separates good [insert
How To Get Buy-In On Your Product Vision
I’ve seen this play out several times in multiple companies. Some product leaders succeeded; others never
Everything is Temporary
“Daddy, can I crash it?” My three-year-old was holding a blue lego truck, we’d just built.
How To Work With Startup Founders
“We don’t want you to come in and take over…” “…we have a strong vision and
Startup Superpowers
My response fell flat. “Oh, uhh interesting,” said the hiring manager. “Yeah, we’d test all kinds
The Essence of Startup Product Leadership
Growth & Gravity. Gravity shapes the human experience more than any natural force. Nature relies on
Competing with Spreadsheets
Supply Chain tech products (generally)compete against spreadsheets… …not other software products. Buying a tech product often
Revenue Isn’t Just Revenue
As a young founder, We had a storied angel investor out in Arizona. He made some
Don’t Waste a Perfectly Good Crisis
Don’t waste a perfectly good crisis. Crisis creates a brief moment of opportunity for early-stage product
Your job isn’t to change minds
“Your job isn’t to change minds, it’s to change behavior.” I can’t remember who made this
4 Unfair Advantages of Predictable Product Delivery
Shipping features on-time gets downplayed in some Product circles. They argue outcomes > outputs. But, predictability
Arguing about Product-Market Fit
People argue about Product-Market fit. What it is. What it isn’t. When you should claim you
Roadmapping blind to dev capacity
Roadmapping blind to dev capacity… It’s like starting a road trip withoutknowing how much gas is
“I’m riding their bus”
After making NCAA history last night, Duke’s Coach K said: Speaking of their success… “I’m riding
80% of features rarely used
It’s a sad reality, but 80% of product features rarely get used. It’s gross. Like when
Pay Attention to Customer Segments
Pay attention to new customer segments. Startups need to 2x revenue every 12 months. This creates
The Best Leading Indicator of Product Health
Customers pay for products with time and money. Buyers pay in dollars (revenue). Users pay in
Vision Feature vs. Utility Feature
In 2016 I made a major product gamble. Our startup was building a retail analytics product.
Series-A Product Roadmaps
When a startup raises a Series A,nearly everything changes. Take product roadmaps for example. For the
3 Simple Metrics to Improve Product Execution
Series A startups — virtually overnight — need predictability in shipping product features. Here are 3
Talking openly about hard truths
Last month, I shared that 80% of product features are rarely or never used. (Don’t believe
Top 3 Priorities of Series-A Product Leaders
Startups typically bring in product leadership after Series A. Their top priorities are: 1. Solidify Product-Market
Austin VOP #110: Startup Product Management
Originally published on Austin Voice of Product run by my friend Reza Shirazi. Josh Tong of
My son had RSV
My little guy came down with RSV this week. Nighttimes were the worst. Two year olds
Job titles don’t give us a crystal ball
“If anyone can refute me—show me I’m making a mistake or looking at things from the
When To Be Proactive vs. Responsive
“When it came to free throws, I was willing to wait until the shooters started missing
Sales gets a bad rap
Sales gets a bad rap in Product circles. I think they deserve our respect. Delivering revenue
More Tableau, Less Whiteboarding
Want to save yourself time and disappointment? I was getting fooled by false positives, so I
Product Alcatraz
Do your product strategies start out too complicated? Mine do. 🙋♂️ Think of complexity like Alcatraz.
Layoffs & Positioning Statements
We’d laid off half the company 6 months prior. Only 8 of us remained. We were
5 ‘Product Stages’ startups navigate
Product Management changes dramatically as startups scale. Here are 5 ‘product stages’ startups navigate as they
How to Excel as a Product Manager at an Early-Stage Startup
Here’s the article that goes with the video.
My two favorite Product Messaging frameworks
Prospects don’t like to change. These are my two favorite Product Messaging frameworks for catalyzing change:
Product by Stage
Seed >> make it work Series A >> make it better Seed >> plan in weeks/months
Problems Left Unsolved
Users had highlighted MULTIPLE feature gaps. After months of effort, I felt defeated. Then one of
Andrew Carnegie used an elephant.
In 1874, Eads Bridge became the longest bridge in the world and the first to be
Leaders See Beyond Today
Great leaders see around the corner of today to the challenges of tomorrow. They talk to
A Surprising Approach to Product Leadership
Early-stage product leadership requires you to influence (without authority). One of my favorite leaders had a
Old Feature Innovation
There’s nothing wrong with “old feature innovation” if that’s what drives impact. Customers need to actually
Q&A: As a Product Manager, what have you learned from a failed product you worked on?
The difference between users and buyers of a product. In 2009 I launched a medical device
Q&A: Which books should an ambitious young Product Manager/Owner read and master?
It is really hard to improve upon Ken Norton’s list. Ken Norton: Books for Product Managers
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