Back when I worked in venture capital, I learned a couple folk knowledge “lessons” that were passed down from partners to associates as basic truths. …

It’s hard to pinpoint KPIs to measure product teams without introducing twisted incentives. You could measure output, and teams will just churn out features that are easy, but not needle moving. You could measure completion, and teams will focus on finishing projects in time regardless of quality. …

I get it. Revenue is important. You need customers to start paying before you can truly say that you’re providing enough value to build a sustainable business. …

Whoo! Loaded topic this week. If you get a bunch of product managers in the same room, you’re guaranteed to hear about their love-hate relationship with engineers. Of course, we depend on the engineering team to turn an idea into reality, but gosh, sometimes it can be SO DIFFICULT! Now…

Most people who join early stage startups are ok with chaos. Startups are constantly changing, risky, and straight up crazy all day long! So when you’re iterating quickly and your team is full of risk-takers, it’s easy to throw process out the window. Who cares about product specs, customer interviews…

Everyone likes to talk about how important it is to have product vision. We talk about it as if it’s a mythical skill — some have it and some don’t, and you need it to level up and become an “executive”. The thing is, having product vision is obviously critical…

I’m now on startup #4 and a lesson I continue to re-learn over and over again is how critical team is to startup success. …

As product managers, it’s easy to focus on what we think lies squarely in “product.” Roadmapping, features, customer interviews, bugs… But one thing I’ve observed throughout the various startups I’ve worked at is that having a product that aligns well with your messaging drives better adoption. …

Micro-interactions are often ignored by startups as they seem like nice-to-haves. A micro-interaction is a small interaction that provides feedback when a user engages with your product. As product managers, it’s easy to say no to the micro-interactions your design team proposes, and it’s often right to do so. …