Humans of HoneyBook — Meet Carmel Arad

HoneyBook employs some pretty amazing people. They are some of the most talented, driven, and just genuinely kind human beings you’ll ever encounter in tech, and if you ever get the chance to meet any of them, you’ll know exactly what I mean.

We recently sat down with a HoneyBooker that is a mentor to some, and a superwoman to the rest of us. Her name is Carmel Arad, and she’s a Staff Product Manager based out of our Tel Aviv office. Read on to learn more about the work she does at HoneyBook, how she stays connected to the broader product management community, and what her advice is for any product manager out there considering a career at HoneyBook

Tell us about your role at HoneyBook. What does it mean to be a Staff PM here, and as a member of the T2A (trial to activation) team, what type of projects do you get to work on?

At HoneyBook, being a Staff Product Manager is an incredibly strategic and impactful role. My main responsibility is to identify user pain points, product issues, and opportunities to drive significant impact across our key performance indicators. As a member of the T2A team, my focus is on optimizing our funnel from trial to activation, improving conversion rates, and increasing the number of active users.

This role involves extensive collaboration, both with other product teams as well as with cross-functional teams like marketing, support, and education. Since a user’s journey to activation touches many parts of our product, I frequently collaborate with other PMs to find opportunities that can impact both my goals and theirs. This collaboration fosters new learnings and faster execution. I particularly enjoy the broader perspective this role brings, allowing me to utilize tools to work with other cross functional teams, such as marketing and lifecycle or education, to enhance funnel optimization.

What are you working on at HoneyBook presently that you’re most excited about, and why?

One project I’m particularly excited about is a process mapping tool we are currently testing. Traditionally, growth teams focus on the onboarding funnel, but we identified that new users often struggle to understand how HoneyBook fits into their business. This difficulty arises because they aren’t fully aware of their entire client booking process.

To address this, we created a quiz that helps users list out all the steps they take to get a client to book their services. We use their responses to generate a visual map of this process and show them how HoneyBook supports each step. This feature exemplifies my perspective on growth, where aligning user needs with funnel optimization drives meaningful growth. Understanding and addressing the specific needs of users entering the funnel is key to optimizing it.

Thinking beyond HoneyBook, what are some ways in which you stay connected to the PM community in Tel Aviv? Why is this important to you?

I stay connected to the PM community in Tel Aviv by attending various meetups and being part of a PM guild that meets periodically to share professional content on topics like AI, strategy, and more. This connection is crucial because learning from other PMs and their experiences brings new ideas and perspectives. The blend of insights from different companies and my knowledge of our unique challenges often sparks innovative solutions.

You recently gave a talk at a product meetup hosted by Tel Aviv based tech company, Intango. Tell us about it, and how you became involved.

The recent talk at Intango’s Product Meetup was a follow-up to the Product X conference I spoke at in February, which focused on the intersection of product management and data analysis. This meetup provided a deeper dive into some of the topics discussed at the conference.

I learned about the meetup through connections made at the previous conference and was invited to participate because of the positive feedback from my initial presentation. I chose to participate because I believe in the power of community and sharing knowledge. Engaging with other PMs and discussing our challenges and successes helps us all grow and improve.

For those of us who weren’t able to attend, what did your presentation focus on, and what’s one main takeaway or piece of wisdom you hoped to impart on your audience?

In my presentation, I focused on the critical role of user intent in shaping product strategy. I shared practical strategies for adjusting products to align with user intents, guiding users from their initial interaction through to full product adoption. Key themes included the importance of tailoring the onboarding process to meet users’ initial needs, making continuous adjustments throughout the product to reflect user intent, and leveraging user behavior data to personalize experiences. The main takeaway was that understanding and leveraging user’s initial intent when exploring your product, can significantly improve activation rates and user engagement. By aligning our product with what users truly need and want, we create a more compelling and effective user experience, ultimately driving higher retention and promoting comprehensive product adoption.

Were there any insights you walked away with having listened to some of the other speakers on the panel?

All of the talks at the meetup were incredibly insightful and gave me ideas I want to try out. One talk by Benji Azaria particularly caught my attention. He discussed how we can use the data we have and make it visible to our users as a way to increase user’s perceived value of your product. He categorized data insights shared with users into three types:

• Value confirmation — Data that shows your product performed properly and what value it brought the user.
• Actionable data — Data you have on users and can help them understand what their next step should be.
• Overall performance stats- benchmarks on how segments of users behave, so users can understand where they stand compared to their peers.

This distinction is valuable as we look to revamp some of the data dashboards in our system, providing users with a deeper understanding of their business operations and the value we offer.

It sounds like it was a great opportunity to exchange knowledge! Do you have any other talks/presentations lined up elsewhere where PMs might be able to connect with you?

Not currently, but I am always open to opportunities to share knowledge and connect with the PM community.

To wrap up, what might you say to someone who is reading this article and is considering a PM career at HoneyBook but isn’t sure if this is the right place for them?

Joining HoneyBook was one of the best decisions I made in my career. Product managers at HoneyBook play a crucial role and have the freedom to identify and pursue strategic opportunities. We are an impact-driven company, which means we actively work to create an environment that encourages fast execution and openness to new ideas. HoneyBook has a strong growth mindset, providing numerous personal development opportunities for employees. Every challenge I face helps me grow as a PM and as a person, and I always receive the tools, support, and mentorship needed to succeed. If you are passionate about making a meaningful impact and growing in your career, HoneyBook is the right place for you.

We hoped you enjoyed learning about Carmel and that you were inspired by her passion for both sharing and seeking knowledge. She’s just one of the many amazing people, and PMs, you’ll encounter at HoneyBook. If you ever catch her at a meetup, be sure to say hi.

Lastly, if you’re a PM looking for your next move, or simply want to explore what type of opportunities we have available on our product teams, we encourage you to check out our careers page. We’re hiring!