Pradeep Sharma’s Post

Exciting News: New Beginnings as a Product Manager! 🚀 Hey LinkedIn family! 👋 I am thrilled to share with you my recent transition into a new role as a Product Manager, bringing with me a wealth of experiences gained in the dynamic world of startups. Having navigated the startup landscape, I've observed a common thread that often separates the thriving ventures from the ones that face challenges – the approach to understanding and prioritizing user needs. In the startup hustle, it's easy to fall into the trap of assuming we know what users want without truly engaging with them. This assumption can lead to a misalignment between the product and user expectations, a misstep that I've witnessed firsthand. 🌟 The Solution: A User-Centric Revolution! * Thorough User Research: Let's dive deep into the world of our users, leaving no stone unturned. User research isn't just a one-time affair – it's an ongoing dialogue that unveils evolving needs and aspirations. * Continuous Feedback Loops: Genuine user feedback is the North Star guiding product development. Embracing regular feedback loops ensures that our products not only meet but exceed user expectations. * Data-Driven Decision Making: Let's leverage the power of data analytics to make informed decisions. Data isn't just numbers; it tells the story of user behavior, guiding us toward features that truly matter. * Agile Adaptability: The startup journey is a rollercoaster, and we need to be agile in our approach. Quickly adapting to user feedback and market dynamics keeps our products on the cutting edge. Join me on this exciting journey as we redefine product excellence, one user-centric innovation at a time! ✨ Let's connect, collaborate, and make waves in the product management realm.

I want to talk about how building a product differs when you're a founder vs. when you're working as a product manager. After wearing both hats, I've realized it's like comparing skydiving to piloting a commercial airliner. Same sky, vastly different altitudes. 🚀 As a founder, you're jumping out of the plane with nothing but an idea and a parachute. 👨✈️ As a product manager, you're navigating a pre-built aircraft with a destination in mind. Let's break it down: Risk Tolerance: Founders: "What's the worst that could happen? Total failure? Bring it on!" PMs: "Let's A/B test this feature before full rollout." Resource Management: Founders: "Ramen diet it is! Every penny goes to the product." PMs: "Let's allocate our Q3 budget to optimize user onboarding." Decision Making: Founders: "My gut says this is the next big thing. Let's pivot!" PMs: "The data suggests users prefer feature X. Let's prioritize it." Time Horizon: Founders: "We're building the future here. It might take years, but we'll change the world!" PMs: "We need to hit our OKRs this quarter. What can we ship in 6 weeks?" Stakeholder Management: Founders: "I need to convince investors that this idea is worth millions." PMs: "I need to align engineering, design, and marketing on this roadmap." Personal Investment: Founders: "This is my baby. I'll work 24/7 if that's what it takes." PMs: "I'm passionate about this product, but I also value work-life balance." Both approaches have their merits. Founders often innovate radically, while PMs excel at sustainable growth and optimization. What's your take? Are you a skydiving founder or an expert pilot PM? Or have you experienced both? Share your stories below! 👇 #ProductDevelopment #Entrepreneurship #StartupLife #ProductManagement

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by all the success templates and roadmaps laid out by others? 🤯 Discovering that the most fulfilling and effective path is the one you create for yourself has truly opened my eyes. 🛤️ In my adventures through product management, full-stack engineering, and nurturing a green tech startup, the most significant leaps came from embracing simple ideas, quick experimentation, genuine curiosity, and really listening to what people need. 🌱 These principles didn't just apply to projects; they shaped my career and personal growth. So, here's to making our own rules. 🚀 What's an approach you've taken recently that felt authentically 'you'? Let's inspire each other! 💡 #productmanagement #careergrowth #digitaltransformation #learning #userexperience

For a while now, I’ve been trying to navigate my way around product management, and I’m so glad to have access to the right resources. I intend to take a bold step this year #2024 towards building my skill as a “product manager” I understand the journey may take a while, but I’m willing to put in the work. A wise man once said “Yard by yard, life is hard. Incih by inch life is a cinch” #productmanagement #productinnovation #productdevelopment #productmanagers

"modern product management" is mostly about being like a start-up. While having 1800 employees. True agility --> start-up pivoting mid-week Product Trios --> founder team Experimentation --> 0 to 1 start-ups Building stuff (and failing) is the only thing that has helped me learn how to do "product". Most of my projects have failed. Yet I've learned so much by building and shipping things. And I quit my 9-5 to have even more time to build. Now, as for Product Management, we've covered "product". But then there is "management". Part of the job. Got to learn it in a bigger organization. My hunch is: (product) 'management' is almost like a mosquito bite. The more you focus on it, the worse it gets. The best product leads and ICs have spoken the least about 'management'. And focused on building great products. Like start-ups do. -------- I'm Niko 👨🏼🚀 I post 5x a week here in an attempt to get 1000 companies to do weekly Product Discovery. I'm at 21/1000. Which is more than four weeks ago. Follow along to see if I make it before turning 90. 👾 Want to have more interviews with your users? Juttu automates recruiting and scheduling. So you can focus on making product decisions. Like this post? Like 👍 | Comment ✍ | Repost ♻️

I've gained over 10k followers since I last introduced myself (not something I'm good at) But for those who don't know... Hi 👋 I'm Ant. I'm a Product Coach in Sydney Australia and the Founder of Product Pathways. I work with companies to help them become more product-centric so they can drive better outcomes for their customers and business. This ranges from in house coaching, advisory, consulting and running training/workshops. I've worked with some awesome companies from scaling startups to large enterprises... As well as worked 1:1 with product leaders all over the world from companies such as Miro, Stack Overflow and Tripadvisor to name a few. Product Pathways is my new venture, which is all about scaling my mission to help build better products by helping product people master their craft 🚀 Product Pathways is an accessible way to learn product. It currently features deep dive courses into specific topics such as Prioritisation and Stakeholder Management, but my vision for it is to be much more (watch this space!) And for those who know me, they'll tell you that you can reach out to me any time if you have a question, need help or anything. I'm always happy to help where I can for those who need it. And if you are looking to shift to a more product-oriented OS. Happy to chat and even just lend advice (no strings attached!)

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

Day 2 of The Product Folks program tackled the intriguing question: Startup vs. Big Company PM roles, which is better? Interactive learning: A fun quiz kicked things off, prompting us to consider key product design factors. Rishi Bhargava, Descope co-founder, shed light on: PM vs. Product Marketing: Understanding the distinction is crucial. Continuous learning: The best PMs are lifelong learners. PM roles encompass various disciplines: From product definition to go-to-market strategies. Intriguing goal: Building products for acquisition. Challenging question: How can a PM create a 5-year roadmap in a rapidly changing world? Product discovery: Ask unbiased questions: Identify customer pain points without personal agendas. Be a good listener. Focus on widespread and urgent customer needs. Build for specific personas, not everyone. Feature prioritization: Prioritize features that advance your product vision and close deals. Start small, iterate, and learn: Don't boil the ocean. Gather user feedback to understand which features are truly needed. Remember: Users drive brand growth, which attracts buyers. Focus on understanding user problems, not just desired features. Explore alternative solutions beyond your product. In early-stage startups, constantly challenge your assumptions. Big company vs. startup PM roles: Big company: Data-driven, analytical, process-oriented (consensus can be a hurdle). Startup: Data-informed, instinctive, driven by "happy chaos" and vibe (time and bandwidth are limitations). Lessons from Big Company PMs: Define pricing and packaging for long-term scalability. Implement customer release notes and communication strategies. Why PMs make great founders: Skilled at finding clarity in ambiguity and solutions to user pain points. Adept at switching contexts between internal and external teams. Make customer-centricity and ownership second nature. Believe in "team first, idea second." Key ingredients for PM success: Right attitude, aptitude, and skills. Passion for learning and commitment to self-improvement. Measuring PM effectiveness: Product success, usage, adoption, and user feedback. Finding your fit as a founder: Great PMs can be good founders, but are they ready for rejection? Overall, this session with The Product Folks was invaluable, equipping me with the knowledge and mindset to navigate product development, management, and marketing in my upcoming startup journey. Thank you, The Product Folks team! #insurjowithTPF @theproductfolks #founder

«Ideal Product Management» Skills — Insights from 25 mentoring sessions Recently, I've had several sessions with product managers (thanks to Meander). And there was a recurring topic in most of the sessions — identifying the essential skills of a product manager. Whether you're looking to move into a new role or improve your current position, the question remains: — what skills are companies looking for? — what do I need to know to land a new job? 🔎 MythBusters Time — there is no universal skill set for product managers The spectrum is dramatic — from a B2B startup focused on a specific niche to a B2C giant with millions of customers. The skill requirements in these contexts are quite different. So what? "there's no silver bullet" approach might be helpful. And yet the question remains the same — what skills should I have to land a new job? Here's a structured approach: 1️⃣ List target companies — clearly define the companies and roles that you’re interested in. 2️⃣ Do your homework — get in touch with PMs and hiring managers in these companies, talk to them and learn about their needs. They may be looking for domain experience (quite rare), hands-on experience of running hundreds of A/B tests, or customer development skills to pick the right problem to solve. 3️⃣ Self-assessment — evaluate your skills and build a detailed «as-is» picture 4️⃣ Learn what’s missing — that’s pretty straightforward btw, I'm open to anyone who needs help with product management topics. Feel free to request a session 👉