Dasha Getmanchuk’s Post

For Founders ONLY: Ever wondered why up to 90% of startups fail? One of the trends Rafiat and I spoke about at the last LinkedIn Live Product Management event was about founders building products [solutions] first and then look for the problem afterwards, when indeed it should be the other way round. If you've been approaching your product with this mindset, it's time to do things differently. Here are few examples of solution-first product building mindset: 💎 It's common for founders to build products based on their own personal challenges. The real question you want to ask before building a solution to that problem you've encountered is "how many people have this same challenges?" This is where your Market Research is required. Building without expert market research is suicidal for that product. Never skip this process. 💎 It's common for founders to build solutions based on how well another product is doing. Every founder wants to build the next Facebook, Amazon, Uber, and the likes. Here, the questions you should be asking would be, "What would my product do differently that'll attract my target audience?" You want to be sure that your SWOT Analysis is as objective and data-driven as possible. 💎 It's also common for founders to build products because the Founder/CEO appellation just sounds great. If this is you, that's okay. This just means that there's something you seek and you're just in the right spot to discover a rewarding problem. Remember the red car theory? Keep it in mind always. Building products with a solution-first mindset is expensive - both in terms of financial resources and time. If you started with this mindset and wish to pivot, then a Product Manager should be your best friend. I am Nike Adebanjo, an expert Product Manager. Does your product require my expertise? Then let's have a chat! #thoughtleader #productmanagement #productmanager #agilemethodologies #productconsultant

Innovate, Iterate, Impact: My Product Management Journey at 0to1 Startup My previous job working at a 0-1 startup has been a roller coaster ride. Although it was stressful, it was satisfactory by the end of the day. If you're an aspiring #productmanager or a new pm with no #iit or #iim degree backing you, then this piece of content is for you. You have all my #empathy. Here's my learning working at a 0-1 startup, building it from scratch, launching and scaling it to more than 200 users all within a 6-month time period. Shipping Quickly and Adapting - In a fast-paced startup environment, you develop an entrepreneurial mindset and the art to adapt quickly to changing customer needs and market conditions. - I've learned to ship successful and unsuccessful MVPs, then iterate on features until they perfectly solve customer problems. - Importantly, my work directly impacts the company's revenue, so I've also learned to think strategically and influence the core business strategy. Developing a Generalist Skill Set - As a #startup PM, I was exposed to a diverse set of problems every week. - This taught me to anticipate issues, discover new opportunities, and become a better problem-solver overall. - I've developed the ability to determine a path to solving almost any problem that comes my way. Prioritizing and Communicating Effectively - In a resource-constrained startup, there's always more to do than time allows. - I've learned to ruthlessly prioritize what's truly important and urgent. - I've also had to establish effective communication channels and processes to work cross-functionally with the engineering, design, sales, and marketing teams; and sometimes do these jobs myself. Becoming Resourceful and Creative - With limited resources and support compared to larger companies, I've had to find creative ways to get things done. - This has fostered a "do whatever it takes" mentality that has made me a more resourceful problem-solver. Overall, this experience has allowed me to develop a diverse skill set, think more strategically, and become a more adaptable and resourceful professional. If you're considering a role at a 0 to 1 startup, I highly recommend it for the incredible learning opportunities. Let me know if you have any related questions!

#startups | #productmanagement : Product Management for Startups and Understanding Growth . “A great product manager has the brain of an engineer, the heart of a designer, and the speech of a diplomat”. Three Pillars of Product Management are : (1) Vision align org goals with market conditions & user needs ‘get’ the pulse of the product (think movie directors) (2) Design give shape to the product: feature mix, user experience (3) Execution work with engineering, quality, marketing to deliver. Various aspects that must be considered while making a hire for the role : 1.Strong product sense/instinct 2. Carries multiple points of views 3. Communicates clearly 4. Simplifies & prioritizes 5. Measures & iterates 6. Understands good design 7. Writes effective copy

I’ve held both Big Company PMM roles and Startup PMM roles, and they each have their benefits and drawbacks. As one of many #PMMs at a large company… 1. I became a true SME in my specialized area. I knew my product, audience, competitors and jobs to be done like the back of my hand. 2. I got to continually iterate and refine - and make my messaging, positioning, content development and tactical execution stronger with every launch. But, I often didn’t get to stretch myself into areas that were unfamiliar. As a single #PMM at a startup… 1. The speed is intoxicating. Every single day is different - and I NEVER get bored! 2. I get to lean into areas outside of my previous scopes of responsibility. In my current role, I’ve had a front row seat to analyst relations and packaging. But, it sometimes feels like you can’t accomplish 1/10th of the tasks you need to. Does anyone else feel the same way?

7 steps to refocus your product strategy As a Product Manager, I've seen how pivoting can completely change a startup's path. My client's journey to Techstars is proof of that. But how do you know when to pivot, and how do you do it? Here's the process I used to help my client pivot successfully: 1️⃣ Assess the situation: Look closely at your product and how it's performing. Be honest: does it solve a problem people really care about? 2️⃣ Talk to your customers: Don't just rely on numbers. Interview potential customers and understand their frustrations. 3️⃣ Identify their problems: Pay attention to common themes and challenges. What are their biggest headaches? 4️⃣ Analyse and prioritise: Dig into your findings and pinpoint the most important problems to solve. Look for opportunities with a big potential impact. 5️⃣ Make your case: Share your research with the CEO and suggest a change in direction. Be ready to back up your recommendations with evidence. 6️⃣ Track your progress: After you pivot, watch how the market reacts to your new strategy. Use this feedback to refine your approach. 7️⃣ Use your success: If your pivot works, use this momentum to get funding, partnerships, or other opportunities to grow. My client's pivot was a bold move, but it led to a bigger market, a simpler product, and a spot in Techstars. Sometimes, the best way forward is a big change. Ready to take your product to the next level? Let's talk. 📥 ⏤ Sharing my experience of creating value as a product manager e.g. £31m biz benefits, £100k saved, a Techstars spot. On-demand product management advisor/consultant. #productmanagement #founders #startup

Product Management is more of an art, not a science. I don't claim to be the Product expert for startups, but I'd like to share why I write here. I'm not the most eloquent communicator, nor the perfectionist planner. I write here though because I've seen firsthand what works and what doesn't, whether it's my personal experience, or observing other PMs at work. This aims to benefit other aspiring/experienced members with this knowledge and observations. We should always strive to become better. It's important to know the best practices, even if you're not following all of them at the moment due to any reason or difficulty in applying them. I don't religiously follow every tip or advice, but I work hard in trying to incorporate them into my daily routine. Another reason I write, which doesn't always happen, is to spark discussions and debates. I believe building tightly knit communities around startups and product/design/engineering/data will help everyone immensely. This is why I'm trying to build a Slack community around data/product teams integrating (let me know if you'd like to join!) -- If you write on LinkedIn/other channels, what's your goal for sharing your knowledge? #startup #productmanagement

Hello Product Enthusiasts 👋, I'm Eden Adler, a seasoned Product Manager 🎯 and a Co-founder of a thriving startup 🚀. With a passion for innovation 🔍 and building top-notch products 🏆, I have dedicated my professional life to entrepreneurship and mastering the art of product management. Understanding the various roles that contribute to the functioning of an organization is crucial in any line of work. This becomes even more significant when it comes to product management. As product managers, we're tasked with strategising and overseeing the execution of these strategies. But, how can one devise impactful plans without having a comprehensive understanding of the underlying operations? Therefore, I propose an exploration into the realm of User Research 🔬. Allocate a substantial amount of time to delve deep into understanding the roles of your team. Experience a day in their shoes 👞; feel the challenges they face, understand their tasks, and the decisions that they make. This will not only give you a grasp of their responsibilities but also their expectations from a Product Manager. Engage in insightful discussions 💬. Hear their perspectives, accept their criticisms, and consider their suggestions. Understand their requirements and contributions to optimize your product strategy. This journey isn't solely about augmenting our product expertise—it's about evolution 🐛🦋. It's about transforming into a leader our team can look up to. It's about becoming the Most Valued Player in an organizational space that thrives on teamwork. Remember, successful product management is about striking a balance between understanding the market, the product, and your team. Know your team inside out and you're halfway to success! 🏁 Let's embark on this enlightening journey together, and build great products while also fostering a strong team spirit! 🤝 #ProductManagement #UserResearch #TeamBuilding #Entrepreneurship #StartUpLife #ProductStrategy #ProductLifecycle #B2B #SaaS #ProductDevelopment

If you are an aspiring PM or someone who’s super curious and enthusiastic about products, especially in tech, then I have something for you. But before that, let me introduce you to Akshay Pruthi. He's your go-to product and startup guy. A little bit more about him: He’s a serial entrepreneur and Product Growth Consultant for several companies such as Jar, Khabri, Marsplay, OckyPocky, and more. He has successfully scaled multiple products to 100M users, achieving remarkable success. Recently, he sold his last startup with a noteworthy exit, which gave him some free time. Now, he's starting PM - Zero to One. Why & What? After interviewing hundreds of PMs and spotting a gap in understanding, he thought of starting PM - Zero to One. It’s more than a course, it’s a three-month expedition into the heart of product management. I won’t talk about it much, as he has covered everything in the Notion doc (link in the first comment). I have worked with Akshay on a couple of projects. His understanding of product, data, human psychology, and business altogether is commendable. I have been learning a lot from him. I know I have hyped him a lot, but he’s worth the hype :) By the way, he is only selecting 4 product enthusiasts for his 'more than a course' PM experience. Apply now or share it with your PM enthusiast friend. Link in the first comment. P.S. It’s not paid.

There’s a lot of pressure on startup founders to instantly become experts in product management. Nearly half of all startups fail because their product didn’t solve a real need. And yet, many startups wait a year or two, or even three, before hiring their first product manager. But how do you find product-market fit if you don’t have product experience on your team? Here’s where I’ve seen founders without product management experience run into trouble in early startup stages: 1. Asking the wrong questions (and thinking they have found validation) when talking to potential users: Do you like this? Would you buy this? A “yes” to both of those questions does not have much correlation to actual buying behavior. 2. Or worse, taking potential users through their pitch deck instead of talking with them about their needs. 3. Thinking that product/design “taste” is the same skill as defining something from scratch. 4. Focusing on features that might sound cool, but are overly complex/don’t actually solve real problems for their target users. 5. Not having the tools or skills for prioritizing a list of 100 “must have” launch features. 6. Over-reacting to the most recent or loudest input, instead of considering all inputs against the target strategy. These are all things that experienced product managers focus on, to make sure customers will want to use (and pay for) your product. Here’s what I’ve done to sidestep each of these pitfalls: 1. Conducted user interviews with targeted, validated techniques to uncover real insights from each person (plus, found the right people to talk to, even before having users) 2. See #1. 3. Added reliable, repeatable processes for evolving vague ideas into solid product features, combined with light-weight de-risking and validation along the way to make sure the solution is both feasible and desirable. 4. See #3. 5. Developed & implemented strategic outcomes to inform prioritization, while continuing to iterate & learn through ongoing market research. 6. See #5. Which of these challenges have you seen, or experienced? If you’re in the middle of one right now, let me know - I can help!

Here is a nice checklist for anyone thinking of being a PM in a startup. From my experience, if you are not one of the founders, being aligned and working closely with the founders is the key to success. Hence, you are not only picking the product lead but also picking the founder. Interview them closely. You will have to be one with them to succeed. If you have doubts don't do it.