Adam Warburton’s Post

The journey of a Product Manager in an early-stage startup is thrilling, unpredictable, and demands more than just a roadmap; it requires a compass – one that guides you to make real, tangible impacts. You are going to not have too much structure around you, and not enough resources in the team such as designers, QA, user researchers, etc.. and with this all you need to build product market fit from just an idea. These are some of the principles that can help in keeping the process right and ensure that you build the right(ish..) things at high speed with less(ish.. 😅) chaos around you. Message me if you are working on a new idea and want some consultation on navigating the journey to PMF. #productmanagement #earlystagestartups #userstories ##prototyping #startupgrowth

You can’t go wrong with these principles

𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐈𝐭 𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐈𝐭! 🚀 Imagine spending months, even years, perfecting a product. Sounds like a good plan, right? 𝐖𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠! Here’s why you should get your product out there, even if it’s not perfect. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐲𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 We all dream of launching the perfect product. But reality check: perfection is a myth. Your first product version will have flaws. And that’s okay. The key is to ship it anyway. 𝐖𝐡𝐲? 𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐈𝐧: 1. 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐬 𝐇𝐲𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐬 You think you know what users want? Think again! Real users will give you insights you could never predict. 🚀 2. 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 While you’re polishing your product, competitors are already gathering data and iterating. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of progress. 🏃♂️💨 3. 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 The best lessons come from the real world. Ship your product, learn from it, and improve. It’s an ongoing cycle. 🔄 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬: 🚀 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲: Get your product out there. 🔄 𝐈𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐬𝐭: Learn from real users and make quick improvements. 🎯 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐞: Deliver the essential features first. Add the bells and whistles later. Your first product version might not be perfect. But it doesn’t need to be. It needs to be out there, evolving with real-world feedback. So stop waiting for the perfect moment. 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐢𝐭. 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐢𝐭. 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫. 🌟 #productmanagement #productmanager #PM #launch #startup #tech

I've had a good chance to reflect on my journey into Product, and specifically about the challenges (and awesome opportunities) that come with working in a health-tech startup. In this post I explore how to start from zero, and general advice for new PMs looking to drive efficiency and impact. Being a product manager in a startup is all about embracing the chaos, Agree? #productmanagement #startup #tech #learning #blog #product #UX #healthtech

From Feature Frenzy to User Focus: A Product Manager's Lesson 👇 I still remember the pit in my stomach. While I was doing my MBA, I joined a fast-paced startup during the semester break. Ideas buzzed – new features every week! But soon, the app became a cluttered mess, and user engagement plummeted. We hit pause. Stepping back, we focused on core user needs. Instead of feature overload, we prioritized a streamlined experience. Engagement soared. The lesson? Focus on value, not features. 💡 What's your biggest "less is more" product management story? Share in the comments! #product #productmanagement

🌟🚀 From Concept to Success: How world-class product development can set you apart from the competition 🌟🚀 Sometimes, the most profound insight comes from those who navigate the trenches daily. We had the pleasure of hosting Sarah M., who works in product operations at Uber and has worked across strategy, operations and product in high-growth, unicorn and late-stage tech companies. Sarah’s knowledge and experience helped us understand what it takes for #startup teams to build great products. Here’s what we learned: 🔑🎯 Key Principles for building Good Products: Clarity of Vision: Sarah underscored the importance of having clear, outcome-based objectives when operating as a startup - as opposed to only focusing only on the financials or on shipping as many features as possible. Think #Dropbox in its early days, who set their objectives to focus solely on providing seamless file syncing to its users. Roadmap Rigour: A well-articulated roadmap is your blueprint to success. #Airbnb’s product development strategy was to first focus on a few iterations before getting hosts to love the product, they then focused on guest quality and host coverage. Feature Focus: In the early stages, your goal should be to achieve product-market fit. Identify the core, must-have features that address your users’ pain points, and see if it lands. #Instagram only started with a simple photo-sharing social media. Agile Adaptability: In the spirit of ‘fail fast, learn faster’, it is crucial to be ready to pivot - #Slack transformed from a gaming platform to a collaboration giant by following user demand. Testing Tenacity: Before launching, test not just extensively, but smartly. Effective testing should make the team able to move faster - not slower! Feedback Fidelity: The voice of the customer is the most critical voice in the room. Collect, consider, and act on customer feedback relentlessly- #Duolingo uses user feedback to tweak its language learning pathways, enabling them to optimise the effectiveness and user engagement of the app. 🔍📈 From our experience as pre-seed investors, we've discerned a pattern: Founders who present a clear product vision, supported by an #MVP or a Figma blueprint at pre-seed, are 2X more likely to secure follow-on funding. It’s a testament to the power of preparedness and tangible proof of concept. 🔑💡 Key Questions for Founders at pre-seed: •⁠  ⁠How do your goals translate into a no-code MVP? •⁠  ⁠What’s the compass guiding your #product roadmap? •⁠  ⁠Which features are your ‘must-haves’ for early release? •⁠  ⁠What does iteration mean to you and your engineers? •⁠  ⁠How do you filter and prioritise customer feedback? 💫 So, for all the #investors and #founders out there: Build fast, test rigorously, iterate wisely, and stay open to the uncharted waters of innovation. 🌻 Sarah M., a sincere thank you from the entire team for the wisdom and product insight. #ProductManagement #Leadership #StartUpWisdom

We all understand that creating any product involves a multitude of elements, with one crucial aspect being "user research" I'm reaching out to all startup founders and product managers to delve deeper into this fundamental element of product development. I invite you to take a moment to explore the following link: https://bit.ly/3ubNXbb and kindly share your thoughts. If there's anything you'd like to add, please feel free to drop your comments. I also appreciate if you could share this with your network, as it would help reach everyone and allow me to better understand their challenges. 🙏🏼 #founders #productmanager

Why do products fail? It's a question that has intrigued me for a while now. And one of the key answers I've discovered is surprisingly simple - 'No Product Strategy'. Let me share a little story with you. Over the weekend, as I lounged around at home, I found myself mindlessly scrolling through the App Store on my phone. As I swiped through various apps, glancing at their ratings and reviews, it hit me - there's a staggering number of products out there, each one representing countless hours of planning, design, and development, not to mention the financial investments poured into them. But surprisingly, a large percentage do not hit the mark of “success”. As a product designer in today’s cutthroat market, I've seen companies, especially startups, succumb to the pressure of pushing out a product without a roadmap. We dive headfirst into design, development, launch, and start offering services, all without pausing to craft a solid Product Strategy. And guess what? It often backfires. But here’s the thing - product strategy is like our blueprint for success. It provides a clear roadmap of the product's lifespan, think of it as a plan that says where the product is headed, how it's going to get there, and why it's going to do well. Developing a product strategy during the early stages ensures that we align our efforts with market needs and company goals. A well-defined product strategy increasing the chances of product success by ensuring that every step we take is deliberate and informed. It helps us understand our target audience, define key features, and anticipate market trends, ultimately leading to a more impactful product. So, here's the bottom line - investing time and effort into crafting a solid product strategy isn't just important, it's downright crucial. Because at the end of the day, It's not just about building a product; it's about building the right product, and that starts with a well-thought-out strategy. #ProductStrategy #ProductDevelopment #BusinessStrategy #startups

Long Yin is a Product Manager at heymax.ai, where he thrives on ensuring our products deliver value to both users and the company, all while collaborating with a stellar team to bring them to life. A typical day for Long Yin might involve brainstorming with designers and engineers, analyzing user data to understand their needs, launching new features, and (of course) enjoying some dumplings!d🥟 Looking back on his heymax journey, a key highlight for Long Yin was the launch of the Max Miles program. In a bold move, the decision to launch was made the morning of September 8th to capitalize on the 9.9 shopping rush. Despite the tight timeline and potential for unknowns, the launch resulted in fantastic user engagement and media coverage. Today, Max Miles stands as a core pillar of the heymax.ai product and business. Embracing the startup environment, Long Yin finds joy in bringing structure to the inherent uncertainty. The ever-evolving nature of startups keeps things exciting, and Long Yin thrives on the challenge. While there can be a lack of established mentors or readily available answers, Long Yin tackles this head-on by actively seeking out learning resources and mentors beyond the immediate startup environment. When it's time to unwind after a long week, Long Yin prioritizes quality time with loved ones, leaving the phone and computer behind.👨💻

🚀 Embracing Shape Up for a Startup 🚀 As a Product Manager at Bean Mind, I've had the opportunity to embark on a learning journey with the Shape Up methodology. Transitioning to a new way of working always has its challenges, and Shape Up was no exception. It demanded not just understanding but adapting to a novel approach that initially felt foreign. Yet, the concept of "betting" (a way to prioritise) on projects captivated me from the start, promising a blend of excitement and strategic foresight. • Quick Wins: Every 6-week cycle = new feature. Boom 🚀 • Deep Dives: More time thinking = better features. Splash 🌊 • Team Vibes: Everyone’s in sync, and it shows 🚀 Reflecting on our journey with Shape Up, it's clear that it's more than just a methodology for us at Bean Mind; it's a catalyst for growth. Every 6-week cycle culminates in the delivery of at least one fully formed feature, showcasing an impressive speed of work that's rarely seen with more traditional methodologies. This cadence of delivering complete, vertically integrated features not only boosts our productivity but also enriches our product offering at pace. One of the most transformative aspects has been the art of writing pitches (feature requirements). This process, albeit effort-intensive, forced us to meticulously think through every detail of what we were planning to build. It wasn't just about putting ideas on paper; it was about envisioning the entirety of a feature, from backend to frontend, and ensuring everyone was aligned and ready to execute. The effort invested in crafting these pitches didn't just pay off; it propelled us forward, accelerating development work in ways I hadn't experienced before. Shape Up is an exemplary methodology for startups, especially those in rapid growth phases. It allows us to maintain agility, focus on impactful work, and continuously deliver value to our users, all while navigating the complexities of scaling. #ShapeUp #StartupGrowth #ProductManagement #Innovation #AgileDevelopment #BeanMind