I once advised a startup serving SMBs like salons and parlours. Their original pitch was straightforward: 𥠓We offer marketing services as a product for $200/month, making it affordable for small businesses that canât pay $500â$1000/month to agencies. We have high margins and strong growth due to our low-cost structure (product first
Why do some stories get remembered and some donât? These are the broad patterns that I see in memorable stories that leaders can learn from – a) Evoking strong emotions – Stories that evoke excitement, compassion (or even outrage) are more likely to be remembered than ones that donât. This is why
“Stop telling storiesâJust get me the data!” Product managers hear/use this quite often, donât we? Some of us hesitate to use storytelling because we associate the word âstoryâ with âfictionâ or even âlies.â However, the best leaders I know recognise that data alone is not enough. Storytelling is a crucial toolâespecially when:
ICE (Impact, Confidence, Effort) is a great friend to product managers. It helps cut through differing opinions and provides an objective way to order a product roadmap. But, like every framework, ICE has its limitations. Some situations just don’t fit easily into it. đ Moonshot Initiatives (Low Confidence [C in ICE] isn’t
I was once discussing with a friend – âLet us pick a startup every week and write in public why it won’t succeed. We will be right 9 out of 10 times. Even for Series A, B, or C startups, we can still be right 7 out of 10 times. We might
đđđ¶ââïž A friend recently shared his â2024 in numbersâ: * 16 books, ~3400 pages read * 7 countries, 20 cities visited * 1723 km walked * 3 summits hiked Impressive, isnât it? But being a product manager, I couldnât stop myself from asking him – âFantastic. But these are input metrics, where
During my initial years as a Product Manager, I faced a dilemmaâshould I continue as an Experience PM or shift to a Platform PM role? Since platform roles were fewer (at that time), and I loved working on user-centric work, I continued the path of experience PM. Looking back, there is a
Have you ever wondered why established companies suddenly announce projects around trending buzzwords like blockchain, metaverse, IoT, or AI? Often, these arenât driven by genuine innovation but by what I call “market insurance initiatives”âreactive moves to hedge against being left behind in a trend. These initiatives are fueled by statements like: *
Every once in a while, a new-age startup disrupts the established giants even though the giant has great management talent. Why does this happen? Often, itâs the “Innovatorâs Dilemma” at play. Hereâs what trips incumbents: 1. They donât invest in products outside what core customers want. 2. They shy away from areas
Mid to Senior on performance and communication Then(Before you got into leadership role) Now(You are in the leaderâs shoes now) Your manager got you promoted. In addition to your manager, your peer group and other stakeholders have a say in your growth and promotion. Your work spoke for itself. You communicate and
