Educating the Market Starts With a Need

Educating the market is hard enough as is, but there is one thing without which you cannot succeed. There has to be an unmet need that you can answer. And yes, even Facebook had one.

The Four Components of Product Success

Strategic product thinking is hard. Especially when done as an afterthought – when the product is already in the market – it is nearly impossible to rise above specific features and metrics. Here is a framework that will help you do just that.

The Right Questions To Ask Your Customers

The strategic process requires you to interview potential customers to better understand what they need. Talking to customers is important also on an ongoing basis, to make sure you are staying in touch with the market. But what do you need to ask in these interviews? There are a few common pitfalls to avoid, so here is a quick guide.

The Product Cannot Be Your Only Tool

When you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail. As a product leader, other people, and maybe you as well, will lead every conversation with you towards features and product capabilities. While this is where your direct ownership is, as a product leader you don’t have the luxury to focus only on that.

3 Ways Your Metrics Can Help You Even if You Never Use Them

Fully applying a data-driven approach to your product is hard. You need to invest a lot in building the infrastructure that will allow you to measure everything you want, see it clearly in a dashboard, and take action based on it. But metrics are a very powerful tool that you don’t want to give up on, even if you will never measure anything.

How To Be Strategic Even if You Can’t Set the Tone

When the CEO sets the strategy, what is your role as a product leader? How can you be strategic when the strategy is set by someone else? Surprisingly, there is no contradiction there, and in most cases, there is more room for you than you think. You just have to know where to look for it.

Who Owns the Technical Debt?

Technical debt is always a hot discussion topic between product managers and engineers. It is not always clear how to handle it right, and who is the decision-maker. My recommendation is that product managers own it like they own any other feature. But beware – with great power comes great responsibility. Are you ready for it?

The Sales Funnel Isn’t Really a Funnel

A good product strategy helps you to acquire happy customers and retain them over time. On your way there, there are many potential weak links that can prevent it from happening. Here is how product strategy helps you overcome them.

The Magical Tool You Are Not Using Enough

How well can you tell your product’s story? Is it a great one to tell? Make sure you use this very powerful tool correctly, to get the most out of it.

The Major Pitfalls of Lean Startup

Lean is a great methodology, but like any other methodology, it can be abused if not deeply understood. In my work with startups I noticed two common pitfalls – opposite sides of lean taken to the extreme without staying true to its core principles. The pitfalls are listed below, as well as how to avoid them.

What Is Your COVID-19? and Are You Ready?

COVID-19 caught us all by surprise, and had a dramatic effect on various industries and a huge number of companies. Even if your industry or company is only mildly impacted, it is a good opportunity to stop and think about what an equivalent crisis would be in your case. Preparation goes a long way, here is how you can prepare for the worst.

Not Everyone Has to Be Your Customer

I’m sure you all know that, but knowing and doing are very different things. Here is a quick guide on when and how to let go.