Product Innovation Series with Aram Melkoumov

In this episode of the Product Innovation Show, Maarten van Kroonenburg, founder @ BW Ventures, and Aram Melkoumov dive deep into the realm of enterprise ideation. They explore the ins and outs of validating a business idea, with Maarten unveiling his unique, tried-and-tested processes for determining product viability, customer validation, and effective stakeholder management. The duo emphasizes the significance of securing initial customer commitments and also sheds light on the critical considerations for corporates eyeing acquisitions. Engage in a conversation rich with strategies, insights, and invaluable advice that has the potential to transform your perspective on product development and validation. About the GuestMaarten began his entrepreneurial adventure at 19 in the music scene. After dodging some iffy record deals, he thought, "I can do better!" and launched his first venture. He quickly noticed that the way entrepreneurship was taught was flawed. So, six years ago, Maarten founded BW Ventures. Since then, he's guided over 200 startups, helping them find solid business models. Yet, even with a plan, many still struggle to secure their first investment.SHOW NOTES:[1:59] Corporate Innovation vs Startups: Maarten discusses the distinct ways startups and corporations approach innovation.[6:09] Decision-making in Innovation: Companies face dilemmas in building new solutions, buying them, or establishing partnerships.[11:46] Risk in Innovation: Innovation involves inherent risks, and it's crucial to make calculated decisions.[17:49] Digital Tools in Business: Emphasis on the role and significance of digital transformation for growth.[25:05] Pilot Programs: The value of testing new ideas via pilot programs to validate feasibility is highlighted.[35:59] Importance of Adaptability: The conversation underscores the need for flexibility and adjustments in innovation processes.[43:41] Stakeholder Dynamics: Addressing stakeholder concerns and managing their expectations is vital in innovation.[57:56] When to Pivot or Kill a Project: Maarten elaborates on making choices about pivoting projects or discontinuing them.[59:28] Meeting Stakeholder Expectations: Stakeholders often prioritize visible progress over finalized contracts.[61:41] Acquisition Strategy: Companies need clarity on their strategy when considering acquisitions.Quotes from Maarten:"Showing progress and showing what works and doesn't work is more valuable than just getting that perfect business case out.""People are most of the times too scared to build a super big business case because they think decision makers are going to ask for that. But what's more important is showing progress and understanding what you're doing."Books We Mentioned:1. Pep Guardiola: Another Way of Winning: The Biography2. Mindgames: Phil Jackson's Long Strange Journey3. The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful BusinessesFollow Maarten van Kroonenburghttps://www.linkedin.com/in/maartenvankroonenburg/

Mounika Sanikommu, Senior Product Manager at Zuora, is sharing her thrilling journey with ChatGPT, experiments she runs, plugins she discovered and how she uses AI for data analysis in her day job. Monica and Aram also spills the beans on the future of jobs in an AI-dominated landscape. 

In this episode, our host Aram Melkoumov is speaking with with Jorge, a product leader at Resilia, about the growing influence of AI, particularly GPT-4, in the tech industry. They dive into the ways AI can change our everyday experiences and discuss the potential for AI to replace certain roles.Key Takeaways:The Power of GPT-4: Jorge reflects on the advancements in AI with introduction of GPT-4. He shares his experiences about the potential uses of and capabilities of this tech in writing human-like text.Medici Effect: Jorge emphasizes the power of interdisciplinary knowledge and how viewing use cases from different perspectives can lead to innovative ideas.Real-World AI Integration: Aram and Jorge explore the application of AI in real-world scenarios, particularly through the use of browser extensions and APIs. They discuss how these integrations can help create more relevant and updated information, improving efficiency.AI in Content Creation: Jorge shares his experience with using AI in content creation, particularly in real estate. He also mentions Synthesia, an AI avatar company, as a potential tool for those who may not feel comfortable being on camera.SHOW NOTES 1:06 - Introduction2:15 - Initial Reaction to ChatGPT4:09 - Prompt Engineering6:57 - Learning and Challenges8:19 - Leveraging ChatGPT Plugins13:16 - Investment in AI14:16 - Learning and Content Consumption16:28 - Doomsday Scenario or Paradise18:14 - Finding Irreplaceable RolesAbout Jorge SierraJorge, with over nine years of experience, has honed his skills as a Product Manager, Startup Advisor, and Consultant across the technology industry, from startups to large corporations, and as a founder of his own businesses. His entrepreneurial achievements include the successful establishment and management of two startups and a software factory firm, all aimed at introducing disruptive technologies to Latin American and Hispanic markets. Across multiple sectors, including e-commerce, fintech, and artificial intelligence, Jorge has consistently adhered to user-centric design and agile methodologies to develop intuitive, effective products. Connect with Jorge:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jorge-sierra-guerra/Connect with Aram:https://www.crowdlinker.com/

In this episode of Product Sessions we delve into an insightful discussion with Anton Aleksandrov, associate Director at CleverTap, on how artificial intelligence is shaping product. We get into the impact of AI on development, workplace efficiency, and the potential consequences of its rapid adoption.Show Notes:02:15 - Role of GPT-4 in product research05:30 - AI adoption at CleverTap08:45 - Swift growth of AI applications and emerging companies11:20 - Advice for product leaders on investing in AIAbout AntonAnton is director of product at Clevertap - the complete platform that helps personalize and optimize all customer touchpoints. Some years ago he switched from management consulting to product management and never looked back.

In this episode of Product Sessions, we discuss how chatGPT can be applied to Customer Success and Product Strategy. Our guests, Laura Blackmore from Cascade and Danielle Latimore, Senior Customer Success manager, share their insights on using AI to increase efficiency, tailor customer experiences, and navigate the ethical challenges.Show Notes:0:00 - Introduction2:37 - Laura shares her experience with ChatGPT and its versatility within Cascade4:32 - Benefits of learning from other organizations and tailoring the ChatGPT prompts to suit your brand's voice and customer needs6:15 - Laura talks about the two big bets she would make in the era of AI11:19 - AI's potential in the market and the need for responsible use of data 13:28 - Future of AI About DanielleDanielle supports Cascade's customers as a success manager and heads up a variety of customer programs. She is focused on enterprise support, streamlining internal and external processes to scale that support effectively.Relatively new to the tech space, Danielle's background is in consumer goods sales and operations (particularly in new categories / budding markets). She has also studied math and analytics and loves using data to tackle complex problems. Outside of the virtual office, you can find Danielle taking advantage of working remotely through traveling, hiking, and camping all over the United States.About LauraLaura is currently leading Cascade’s strategic initiatives, with a focus on products. She is also supporting our amazing customers across Europe, by onboarding them onto the Cascade platform, and building a community of like-minded strategists.Laura has over 10 years experience scaling startups, and working closely with customers in the manufacturing, retail, pharmaceutical space to name a few! Laura is passionate about delivering incredible customer experiences and working with products.

About Marlon HopeMarlon Hope is the Head of Product at Netacea. He is PRINCE 2 and Agile qualified, with years spent in banking, operations management, procurement, and logistics. The golden thread in his career is strong project management skills and consistent, high-quality delivery.SHOW NOTES:0:11 | Episode intro and what’s in for you0:57 | How a computer game made Marlon a better product owner5:07 | Good product building involves processes and patterns7:38 | Marlon’s first principles of a good product design10:01 | Marlon’s framework of stripping the root cause of a problem14:00 | How project management and delivery helped Marlon become a product manager18:43 | Common myths that prevent people from becoming a success in product delivery 22:50 | How being non-technical has helped Marlon in his product journey27:17 | A bit about Netacea, how it works, and its difference from the competitors29:40 | Other product lessons and key principles in terms of how Marlon operates32:00 | How much your product’s data can give13:15 | Wrap-up  QUOTES:“Being a product developer, you don’t always have a perfect environment to be able to achieve excellence. There’s always some form of compromise that you have to make.” [5:40] “Effective solving of problems that seem impossible requires quick experimentation. Don’t be hung up on getting the right answer, but plot a path of trial, failing, start again, but do it quickly and take opportunities to validate what we do.” [13:14] “Being non-technical forces us to speak a common language that a four-year-old can understand.” [26:25]“When you follow data, it’s very hard to make wrong decisions.” [31:37] Connect with MarlonCompany’s Website: https://netacea.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlonhope/

About Jeroen Van HautteJeroen Van Hautte is the co-founder and CTO/CPO of TechWolf, a startup with a laser focus on AI-based strategic workforce planning. Jeroen graduated from the University of Cambridge with a specialised natural language processing degree, Jeroen built the groundwork for TechWolf's Skill Engine technology and now heads the development within the company.SHOW NOTES:0:00 | Jeroen's journey building a product at TechWolf 4:02 | What the first technology Jeroen created was missing5:22 | How Jeroen acquired his first clients after launching TechWolf solution 6:48 | When Jeroen realized that he needed to focus more on customer journey  08:27 | Jeroen’s tech solution early adopters and how they identify the gaps 11:09 | Strategies to determine the ROI or interest in your tech investment 12:38 | How to identify what to prioritize when developing new features14:20 | Jeroen’s biggest milestones in the customers’ journey  17:31 | How Jeroen’s team works on the product and engineering side 19:07 | Defining the KPIs for your product and engineering teams 21:18 | What a North Star metric for clients’ success looks like for Jeroen22:56 | How Jeroen role has evolved over the last couple of years24:44 | Spending time with customers through workshops and discovery exercise 26:16 | If Jeroen had only five hours a week, how would he spend the time? Find out?28:00 | What Jeroen would do if he were to start his company all over again29:31 | Jeroen final message as a cofounder, CTO and CPOQUOTES:“Launching a tech solution can be challenging, but the trick is to be out there in the market because when you get the feedback, you can iterate.” [5:24] “As you gain more customers, it’s important not to forget the value you provide to your early customers. Make sure they are coming along for the ride so that you can focus on serving the bigger population.” [10:10] “As engineers, we’re often focused on solving technical problems, but we’ve to remember that we’re building a solution to change the world. A customer-centric attitude is very important. Focus on user experience rather than features.” [15:26]“To solve a problem, you’ve got to be obsessed with it and surround yourself with people who can also find the same passion for the problem.” [29:35] Follow Jeroen Van HauttePersonal Website: https://www.vanhautte.be/Company’s Website: https://techwolf.ai/LinkedIn: https://be.linkedin.com/in/jeroenvanhautte

About Monika OcieczekMonika Ocieczek is the head of product design at Primer. Monika has also served as a CPO and co-founder at Gimi AB, a youth-first neo-bank, and as a product manager and team lead at Tink. Monika is widely recognized for her work in Fin-tech and has been named one of the "Top 250 most promising Fin-techs in the world 2018" by CBInsights and one of the "The hottest startups in Stockholm" 2019 by Wired. Monika has a Master of Science in Marketing and Management from the Stockholm School of Economics and a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the same school.SHOW NOTES:0:11 | Episode intro and what’s in for you today1:21 | Why product designers might do things that aren’t in the best interests of customers3:43 | Evolution of product design approaches over time5:54 | How Monika’s background in marketing and product blends into product design8:47 | The role of product marketing in product design11:28 | How do you become a genius in serving customer’s interest 13:44 | Monika’s thoughts on the best practices in a startup environment20:16 | Characteristics and qualities of a successful product designer23:34 | The source of intuition among many product designers 27:17 | Changing thinking patterns from time-tested principles around product design32:08 | Who should be blamed for unsuccessful product33:54 | If Monika was to make a 30-second social media video, what would she say, and how would it look like35:18 | Monika’s most exciting part of her job and why36:54 | Wrap-upQUOTES:“In product design, the primary focus should be on the users because that always leads to great products, and that great product leads to more business value.” [2:02] “There are two schools of thought that are very popular within product design. These are Google’s Design Print and IDEO Design Thinking. What is lacking in the market is a school of thought on product design that focuses on fast-growing and high-performing startups.” [4:15] “Marketing in the digital space is more interactive than in the traditional way.” [06:26]“No matter which product methodology or framework you use in design, it may not be the best, or most successful.” [31:49] Follow Monika OcieczekCompany’s Website: https://primer.io/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monika-ocieczek/

About Tudor MunteanuTudor is originally from Romania, but lives in Barcelona. Before becoming a VP of Operations and Strategic Initiatives at Aizon he was a subject matter expert on Google Cloud platform working for SELLBYTEL Group. SHOW NOTES:0:00 | Introduction to Tudor Munteanu0:49 | How has the experience of relocating from Romania to Barcelona been for Tudor2:08 | What is Aizon, and what product offerings does it offer3:25 | Mechanisms company put in place to ensure a higher percentage of accurate data is collected6:01 | Managing data validation process7:20 | How Tudor has created product flexibility 9:17| What clients look for in product12:00 | Who is a product engineer?12:41 | Why should product engineers and product managers work closely together14:07| Skills that product engineers should have to develop vast knowledge15:19 | Which industries require unity of product management and product engineering16:37 | Domain Driven Designs and why it must be implemented in companies19:53 | Wrong product practices that don’t give success 21:04 | Functional debt vs. technical debt in software development22:31 | A step in product development that is commonly skipped24:02 | Product bias that affects product performance27:14 | Golden nuggets from Tudor QUOTES:“Barcelona is emerging to be an overall technology hub in Europe.” [0:52]“Sticking to a particular standard is a better way to manage the data validation process on a product.” [6:07]“Product engineers and product managers should, in most cases, work close to ensure a successful product.” [12:32]“Don’t chase the output. Manage the outcome.” [25:34] Connect with Tudor MunteanuWebsite: https://www.aizon.ai/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tudor-munteanu-810a4875/

About Shelly BardaiShelly Bardai is an Associate Partner at IBM Consulting and the Customer Transformation lead for Western Canada within IBM iX. She is based in Vancouver, Canada, and works with Enterprise clients in Energy, Mining, Retail, and Public Sectors. Prior to joining IBM, she spent five years at KPMG, leading their Innovation practice and Innovation Centre in Vancouver. Shelly is passionate about supporting women in tech and is a mentor for ICTC’s Ambassador Program, which aims to support women in leadership positions and promote gender equity within the digital economy. About Mohan GulatiMohan Gulati is a Program Director at TheoremOne. His strategies for product creation are on every major digital platform: web, native apps, mobile web, and wearables. His international career path allowed him to develop expertise in technology, product management, user experience, design, and agile software development. SHOW NOTES:0:00 | Who is Shelly Bardai and Mohan Gulati2:20 | How to make sense of what is happening in the market and survive7:33 | How to compile your vision, strategies, and comms plans in a downturn 13:14 | Where to double your efforts on your innovation and product teams  23:46 | Focusing on the core of your business VS innovation and R&D investments 28:39 | How to prioritize the budget per the business objectives to achieve 36:52 | Structuring functional innovation teams to maximize opportunities for growth 39:04 | Organizing your strategies around long-term and short-term horizon opportunities43:33 | Trends in the finance insurance space 46:21 | Trends in the public and energy sector51:22 | Wrap-up QUOTES:“You’ve to look into the past to understand where you’re going to go in the future; having a vision that is tied to a strategy with clear focus areas is critical to get through an economic downturn.” [4:49] “Don’t box yourself to only focus on who you think is directly in front of you, look around to see where disruptions may be coming from and pivot in a way that responds to those destructions.” [10:53] “Understanding who your customers are and what they want and making sure that you’re adding value is important to your core business. Also, investing in R&D is equally important, and there needs to be a budget for that because the world is changing all the time, new disruptors are coming up in the market every single day, and you’ve to ensure you’re ready to tackle the disruption as well.” [29:52]“Vision comes from the top of your organization, but innovation is driven from a bottom-up approach. Empower your team and give them the ability to feel sensible ownership to innovate, create and bring great ideas to the forefront.” [35:00] Connect with our speakersShelly BardaiPersonal Website: https://shellybardai.medium.com/Company’s Website: https://www.ibm.com/us-en/LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/shellybardaiMohan GulatiCompany’s Website: https://www.theoremone.co/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohangulati

About Tadas Labudis:Tadas leads the Customer AI team at Playvox. He joined Playvox in 2022 following the acquisition of Prodsight, a text analytics startup he founded to help support teams get deeper insights from their customer interactions. In his free time, he likes to spend time with his wife and baby daughter, play drums and try his hand at perfecting espresso and latte art.SHOW NOTES:0:00 | Introduction to Tadas Labudis1:05 | His transition when Prodsight, his company, was acquired in 2022 by Playvox 2:48 | Contrast between his work at Prodsight and Playvox4:11 | Missing the CEO title at Prodsight6:19 | User Research Methods for Discovery at Playvox9:03 | Tools to track the success of a product released to the market11:07| Validating new features on different products13:10 | Differences between working at Prodsight and Playvox15:41 | What Tadas needs to learn in order to be better at doing discoveries18:00 | Changes in product innovation in big companies20:33 | How to motivate and foster the spirit of innovation in team members24:52 | Q/A session26:22 | Wrap-up QUOTES:“When you build a good product, the rest will come easily. People will find you despite how remote your medium of communication may be.” [2:03] “The core of every company, whether start-up or advanced, is the product.” [3:00] “For any company growing, it’s only natural to do things without much urgency unless there’s fear of losing the company.” [18:42]Resources MentionedThe Mom Test: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H4G2J1U/ Connect with Tadas LabudisPersonal Website: https://labudis.com/Company’s Website: https://www.playvox.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tadaslabudis/Twitter: https://twitter.com/tadaslab

We all want to maintain high application quality, but without automation and customer involvement, it would be impossible to reach these goals. Automation plus customer data make your apps scalable, usable, and more efficient for your customers. Create a product and a solution that your customers will love and engage with, not just use. -  Ayal Cohen, Senior Director of Product @ MicroFocus. About AyalAyal is a Senior Director of Products at MicroFocus. He spent more than two decades in the world of automation and is leading the next evolution for automated functional testing. Ayal has helped hundreds of customers build their test automation switches and improve their automation. Experienced with translating customer pains and market needs into working and profitable products based on data analysis and market research. He provides a strong R&D and quality assurance background with proven capabilities in managing large-scale products, projects, and organizations. SHOW NOTES:0:00 | Introduction to Ayal 1:07 | What is functional automation testing, and why his focus is in this area 3:15 | How automated testing works for different products  4:29 | The best customer meeting that Ayal has ever had 7:03 | How to ensure you’re adding maximum value in a customer meeting8:34 | How frequently to hold your customer meetings 11:02| When to consolidate data from customer meetings and do sense-making 12:11 | How the world of products has changed over the years 16:12 | Ayal's biggest product challenge working with big enterprises 18:00 | What Ayal has seen to work in solving customer expectations and requests 20:33 | The definition of enterprise-ready in the product realm 23:21 | The biggest cause of concern and mandate for enterprises today26:33 | Creating product customers will love and engage with, not just use 27:20 | How Ayal determines the success criteria for a product that is going to be loved 28:33 | How to change your product to approach and achieve growth31:48 | Initial foundation levels of success to look at when changing your product33:40 | The last customer engagement syndrome. What it’s and how it works35:37 | Q/A session 38:08 | Key takeaways for the listeners from Ayal  39:07 | Wrap-up QUOTES:“If you want to learn how customers are using your solution and their challenges, it’s very important to be patient, don’t be afraid of awkward silence, give your customers time to answer the question, don’t put words in their mouth.” [7:06] “You need to hear more opinions to make sure you are more educated with different varieties of personas to make the right conclusion from the feedback that you have.” [11:31] “Data is very important and you need to understand how your customers are using your product to understand what is missing and how you can engage more solution.” [31:46]Resources MentionedThe Mom Test: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H4G2J1U/ Connect with Ayal CohenCompany’s Website: https://www.microfocus.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayalc/

About BurakBurak Kantarci is a Product Manager at Thundra where his main goals are to simplify developers’ daily life and make their workflows more errorless and enjoyable. He lives in Turkey and has a degree in Computer Science.SHOW NOTES:0:00 | Introduction to Burak Kantarci1:17 | Original product at Thundra and the different pivots it has undergone6:24 | Metrics to track as a product leader before pivoting9:31 | How to prioritize products15:52| Burak’s biggest takeaways going from a product designer to a product manager18:04| Current working framework on his role22:51 | How to keep product vision in alignment with other stakeholders25:50 | Key product lessons/ principles Burak keeps coming back to when stuck30:18 | Parting wisdom and golden takeaways32:24 | Wrap-up QUOTES:“Getting your hands dirty is the only way to understand the problem and the solution of a product.” [17:40] “Repetition creates clarity and alignment of a company’s product purpose. Product managers should derive a way of constantly communicating the purpose to the stakeholders. This can be through frequent memos.” [24:30] “Know your superpowers as a product manager, and be aware of the company culture and leadership. It helps you do actionable things” [30:45] Connect with Burak KantarciPersonal Website: https://www.burakkantarci.com/Company’s Website: https://www.thundra.io/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/burakkantarci/Twitter: https://twitter.com/kantarciEmail: burakkantarci.08@gmail.com

Manos Kyriakakis is a Head of Product & Growth at Simpler. They’re aiming to allow shoppers all over the world seamlessly checkout from anywhere. In the past, Manos has worked with other VC-backed startups in industries such as insuretech, ad-tech, and travel-tech, including Pricefox.gr, Avocarrot, Market Group, and Welcome Pickups. He has also collaborated with companies as a consultant and co-founded his own company.SHOW NOTES:0:00 | Introduction to Manos Kyriakakis2:05 | Achieving product/market fit for startups3:56 | Metrics that show whether you have hit market fit for your product5:51 | Early challenges in attaining market fit at Simpler9:35 | Knowing if you are on the right track14:07| What Manos has done to ensure product vision is common with all stakeholders17:26 | Confidence, Arrogance, and making Assumptions in products19:43 | Getting rid of ego from the equation21:24 | Product biases that Manos has had to deal with frequently22:44 | The one question Manos desires to be asked as a product manager24:21 | Becoming not entirely data-reliant in decision making25:54 | Wrap-up QUOTES: “To achieve product /market fit, an entrepreneur should be as close as possible to the target audience. This means being in a good market with a product that can satisfy that market.” [3:24] “As a product leader, you are responsible for ensuring the product vision is protected and all stakeholders have a clear grasp before making decisions.” [14:07] “It’s easy for product managers to be arrogant, overconfident, and make assumptions about their products. Such negligence is also easily transferred to the team” [18:32] Connect with Manos KyriakakisPersonal Website: https://manoskyriakakis.com/Company’s Website: https://www.simpler.so/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manoskyr/Twitter: https://twitter.com/manoskyr

Tom and Aram discuss how and why to build an advisory council. They discuss how to ask questions people want to answer, how getting close to your users makes work more meaningful for your team, and why you should never build a product alone. They also explore why you shouldn’t only think about who your customer is and what they need - but who their customers are and what their objectives are. About Tom O’NeillTom is the Founder and CEO of Parallax. He built a stellar product by first building an advisory council because he believes that great products are never built solo, they’re created by great teams. Tom is also the co-founder of Frebella and was previously the CEO of The Nerdery. SHOW NOTES:00:05 | Who is Tom O’Neill?00:38 | How and why to build an advisory council04:15 | How to find product advisors 05:34 | Running advisory council sessions 08:47 | Nobody leaves a banging nightclub… 11:19 | Do advisors become clients? 16:59 | Wrong ways to think about your client 23:49 | How to build ANY product27:27 | He doesn’t want to learn this lesson again 29:47 | Fireside: attitude, crazy features, focus, mentorship Quotes: (03:16) “I think a lot of people enjoy being a part of building something. I think that the idea of being an advisor to a product development team is appealing to them and that's how we positioned it.”Follow Tom O’Neillhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/tomoneill/ 

What happens when you accept that many people can do a better job than you? Why should you treat your company as a product? This founder took what he learned working at Amazon and Siemens and started his own company. About Pierre BrunellePierre Brunelle is the co-founder and CEO of Noteable. Previously, he was a technical product manager at Amazon Europe. He also held a role at Siemens earlier in his career. That said, Pierre has always been an entrepreneur at heart. In fact, he started his first business when he was 15 and it’s still operational today!  SHOW NOTES:00:00 | Who is Pierre Brunelle?02:50 | Being a technical product manager at Amazon04:46 | Amazon EU vs Amazon US07:36 | Starting a furniture business at 15 (it’s still running)11:32 | What’s it like to work at Siemens? 13:35 | Is raising $25M enough? 16:03 | Nothing gets done alone 19:06 | How often should you pivot? OR When should you pivot? 22:43 | How product documents are reviewed at Amazon 28:26 | Copying Amazon’s internal operations30:53 | Creating ownership: dos and don’ts 34:40 | Building a product organization39:14 | How to do boring work41:59 | Why he moved from Amazon to entrepreneurship 44:04 | Do technical product managers need to be technical?Quotes: (16:56) “I always believe that I don't achieve anything by myself - I think as a CEO or co-founder, it's a great mindset to have.”(20:41) “Commit to something. And when you get small signals, change, adapt, and commit to the second thing until you have information to make you change your opinion.”Follow Pierre Brunellehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/brunellepe/  

What do you get when you rely on your intuition instead of just what customers tell you? The iPod. Today we discuss the creative leaps of faith you should and shouldn’t take when developing your product. About Ravi SwaminathanRavi Swaminathan is the CEO of TaskHuman. He believes in egoless leadership. Egoless leadership is about being at peace with not having all the answers today and believing that more answers will come with time. Previously, was President at WiZER and a VP at SanDisk amongst other roles.About Seth Barron Seth Barron is the Head of Product Management at TaskHuman. He thinks new features should only be added if they remove friction from the user experience. His litmus test is asking: will things be simpler for the user after adding this feature? Previously, Seth spent 16 years at Google. He is also a Yogi.SHOW NOTES:00:00 | Who are Ravi Swaminathan and Seth Barron?01:12 | Google, but for people04:04 | Obsessing about consumer experience 07:53 | Egoless product development 11:22 | More than a paycheck 14:46 | Asking your customers vs. following your gut 17:59 | Taking data-driven leaps of faith21:55 | Is the feature good enough yet? (litmus test) 25:49 | Myth of objectivity Quotes: (17:42) “I'd rather follow what people are doing rather than what people are saying.” - Ravi(19:39) “I think a lot of product leaders get lost is they get lost in the data and they don't effectively synthesize the insight. The data is just the observation, The insight is the understanding. So something that I think about all the time is: how do I synthesize the signal from the noise?”Follow Ravi Swaminathanhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/raviswaminathan/ Follow Seth Barronhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/seth-barron-nyc/ 

You can be a product manager and have 0 technical skills. Sound controversial to you? Today’s product director has never written a single line of code - he has played professional soccer though. Find out how not having technical skills makes him a sharper PM. About Mor AviHananMor AviHanan is the Director of Product Management at ZoomInfo. He doesn’t consider himself a technical guy, in fact, he never wrote a line of code in his life. To him, coding is just another language, and communication is not restricted to it or by it. In another life, Mor played soccer for the Israeli national team. He has to leave soccer behind due to an injury. Links We MentionedPep Guardiola: Another Way of Winning: The Biography https://www.amazon.ca/Pep-Guardiola-Another-Winning-Biography/dp/1409129462 Mindgames: Phil Jackson's Long Strange Journey https://www.amazon.ca/Mindgames-Phil-Jacksons-Strange-Journey/dp/0803259980 The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses https://www.amazon.ca/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-Innovation/dp/0307887898 SHOW NOTES:00:05 | Who is Mor AviHanan? 01:03 | Do you need to have technical skills as a product manager?05:28 | Talking to developers when you aren’t a technical PM08:20 | Being an athlete vs. being a product manager 12:17 | The secret to running 7 SCRUM teams 16:43 | Running a team of genius minds 19:42 | Book recommendations from sports and tech 21:30 | Saying ‘why not?’ instead of ‘no’  22:22 | Visualizing your ideas and innovations23:17 | Turning sport into a product Follow Mor AviHananhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/moravihanan/ Work with Crowdlinker: https://www.crowdlinker.com/contact 

The way a design team is managed can fuel creativity or stifle it. What happens when you direct ideas too early? How do you challenge your designers without overwhelming them? Today’s guest built his design team in 4 months, this is what he learned. About Mike TownsonMike Townson is the Director of Product Design at Order. When he started at Order, there wasn’t much of a design or product team. It was just him and the VP of product. There, he had to build an internal design team in 4 months. As a leader, he believes that you don’t always have to be right - but you always have to be surrounded by the right people. His approach to building a design team is to set up the team to be self-led and empowered. In another life, Mike would’ve been a tour guide. Links We MentionedOrg Design for Design Orgs: Building and Managing In-House Design Teams https://www.amazon.ca/Org-Design-Orgs-Building-House/dp/1491938404  Turn the Ship Around! A True Story of Turning Followers Into Leaders https://www.amazon.ca/Around-Story-Turning-Followers-Leaders/dp/1591846404 SHOW NOTES:00:05 | Who is Mike Townson? 00:24 | What is Order?01:29 | Becoming a director of product design05:34 | First reality check as a design manager07:48 | Do you have to become a people manager to grow as a designer? 10:10 | The most exciting part of management 14:04 | Building an internal design team from scratch OR Building a design team focused on jobs to be done17:47 | Scaling a design team 20:49 | Why do great designers have impostor syndrome?23:23 | Objectivity of design: is it real? 26:04 | Best ways to track design metrics 30:42 | Leader-leader method  33:49 | Fireside: illustration, VR, design meetings, throwaway work Follow Mike Townsonhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/miketownson/ Work with Crowdlinker: https://www.crowdlinker.com/contact 

When Wrike was a start-up, winning was easy. Its biggest competitor was Excel. Today, it competes with Asana, Monday, Trello, and more. What do you do when your market becomes more competitive? How do you make it impossible for your clients to leave you?About Alex ZhezerovAlex Zhezerov is the Director of Product Management at Wrike. He is also a blogger and newsletter writer who runs a B2B SaaS newsletter for founders and executives. He likes to begin his morning with a thinking routine and is currently looking to establish a stronger personal brand for himself through writing. Alex has a unique perspective when it comes to project management - he runs a product that was once in an easy-to-win market and is now in a heavily competitive one.Links We MentionedThe Mom Test: How to talk to customers & learn if your business is a good idea when everyone is lying to you https://www.amazon.ca/Mom-Test-customers-business-everyone/dp/1492180742 Porter's Five Forces: Understand competitive forces and stay ahead of the competition https://www.amazon.ca/Porters-Five-Forces-ahead-competition/dp/2806270626 7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy https://www.amazon.ca/7-Powers-Foundations-Business-Strategy/dp/0998116319 The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change the Way You Do Business https://www.amazon.ca/Innovators-Dilemma-Revolutionary-Change-Business/dp/0062060244 SHOW NOTES:00:00 | Who is Alex Zhezerov? 00:23 | B2B SaaS thought leadership and morning thinking routines 03:53 | 3 differentiation strategies 06:28 | Vertical SaaS vs. Horizontal SaaS 08:13 | Should you build a vertical tool with a low budget? 10:06 | Differentiating Wrike from Asana, Trello, and Monday12:03 | Product priorities after market saturation 15:01 | How to make sure people don’t leave you 19:03 | Million-dollar product management question 22:14 | What every product manager must do to win (and 3 must-read books) Follow Alex Zhezerovhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/alexzhezherov/ Alex’s Newsletter: https://zalex.co/ Work with Crowdlinker: https://www.crowdlinker.com/contact