ep4: Launching startups to product-market fit w/ Ian O'Donnell (Director of Design & Validation @Menlo Labs)

ep4: Launching startups to product-market fit w/ Ian O'Donnell (Director of Design & Validation @Menlo Labs)

Listen now on Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep4-launching-startups-to-product-market-fit-w-ian/id1784291890?i=1000699568773], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/1cIUTebcabfbS4xCZ2cpAu?si=8ue6GWFyS9ugVixDidugtg] and Youtube [https://youtu.be/B1pXT1cLUTU]. Every startup wants to get to the elusive product-market fit. But unlike PMs at established companies, startup founders often have an extra layer of ambiguity to navigate — zeroing in on the target customer. In this episode, Ian O’Donnell (Director of Design & Validation at Menlo Labs) shares his practical process to help startup founders get to product-market fit. He shares how he conducts product discovery calls and quantitative ad testing alongside founders to hone in on the target industry, user and buyer. All of Ian’s advice is grounded in first-hand startup stories, in which he’s helped to shape their trajectory. Chapters: 00:00Introduction to Product Discovery and Ian O'Donnell 01:56Ian's Journey into Design and Innovation 09:02The Role of Qualitative and Quantitative Research 10:41Case Study: Squint's Journey in Manufacturing 24:02Deep Dive into Manufacturing Needs and Insights 34:31Adoption Challenges and the Role of AI 36:49Squint's Journey to Success 37:55The Menlo Labs Experience 43:56Challenges in Manager Training 47:10Exploring New Directions 55:06Navigating Customer Discovery 01:01:56Advice for Founders Where to find Ian: * Menlo Labs [https://menlovc.com/menlo-labs/] * Menlo Labs’ Fellows Program [https://menlovc.com/menlo-fellowship/] * Ian’s LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianodonn/] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.jingjingtan.com [https://www.jingjingtan.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Ep3: Making dying more fun in product development w/ Aakash Gupta (founder @product-growth.com)

Listen now on Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep3-making-dying-more-fun-in-product-development-w/id1784291890?i=1000685327344], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/3kraQpOftAS5yoann5riKp?si=b3bffe76eaeb47f7], and YouTube [https://youtu.be/n-T9O4snu8M]. What can product management learn from video games? How to make dying more fun. In this episode, we talk to a household name in tech that you might already know — Aakash Gupta, founder of product-growth.com [http://product-growth.com]. Aakash has done it all: from founding his own companies, to working in game development, to becoming VP of product at a unicorn. He shares several case studies on how to do low-lift product discovery both as a founder and as an established PM. Because he knows what PMs are going through, Aakash has pragmatic advice on how to talk to customers as an overburdened, burnt out PM. :) We also talk about how we can apply video game psychology (e.g. dying gameplay) to everyday product development. Take a listen! Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Product Discovery and Akash Gupta 01:36 Akash's Journey into Product Management 05:03 Defining Moments in Akash's Product Leadership 09:09 User-Centric Product Discovery at Rap to Beats 18:23 Impactful Features and Gamification in Product Development 31:43 Insights from Epic Games and the Psychology of Gaming 40:50 Enhancing Player Experience through AI and Matchmaking 43:52 The Psychology of Failure and Game Design 47:29 The Importance of Playtesting in Game Development 51:04 Navigating User Research in Large Organizations 54:13 Leveraging Data for Product Discovery 58:21 Building Effective Customer Feedback Loops 01:01:43 The Role of Research in Product Management 01:05:01 Democratizing User Research for Product Managers 01:09:18 Balancing Analytics and Customer Conversations 01:13:49 Creating a Continuous Feedback Loop with Customers Where to find Aakash: * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/aagupta/] * Aakash’s newsletter at Product-growth.com [https://www.news.aakashg.com/] * Aakash’s podcast [https://www.news.aakashg.com/s/product-growth-podcast] * Book: The Ultimate Guide to Getting a PM Job [https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Guide-Getting-Job-Management/dp/B0C91FFJ4Z] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.jingjingtan.com [https://www.jingjingtan.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Ep2: How a $20M ARR product was built (then failed) with Stacey Feero, Director of Product @AgencyAnalytics

Listen now on Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/ep2-how-a-%2420m-arr-product-was-built-then-failed/id1784291890?i=1000682336214], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/0PtiUlb4R8hntD5xqUOeP0?si=bf999a9a7c9e4c6c], and YouTube [https://youtu.be/f1C2D5qbv30]. Sometimes you can play all your cards right, and the product will still fail. We kick off 2025 with a New Years episode of the Product Discovery Show. In this episode, Stacey Feero, Director of Product at AgencyAnalytics, talks about a 0-to-1 product she built for Canada’s largest retailer. Stacey walks through how she identified the cause behind the product not taking off (spoiler alert: user insights), how she iterated on it, how it got to $20M ARR, and how it still got shut down. She shares valuable lessons throughout that journey on managing stakeholder expectations and matching the product to user mental models. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Product Leadership 06:05 Transitioning into Product Management 13:03 Challenges in User Experience and Market Fit 19:59 Adapting to User Needs and Market Changes 25:48 Strategic Marketing and Product Positioning 31:39 Navigating Product Development Timelines 36:53 The Importance of Timing in Product Success 44:25 Transforming User Mindsets for Product Success 50:00 Lessons from Product Launch Failures 56:46 The Role of Curiosity in Product Management Where to find Stacey: * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/staceyfeero/] * No Fear Product Leadership - Coaching [https://www.nofearproductleadership.com/] * Stacey’s Substack newsletter [https://nofearproductleadership.substack.com/] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.jingjingtan.com [https://www.jingjingtan.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Ep1: Counter-Intuitive User Growth Insights with Maria Cuasay (Director of Product @Ancestry)

Summary What do you mean, that adding screens sometimes drives more user growth? In this episode of the Product Discovery Show, Maria Cuasay, Director of Product at Ancestry, shares how she did product discovery to discover why her growth experiments weren't working. Maria shares several case studies: one where she optimized the checkout flow at Ancestry and adding more screens actually solved more user pain points. She also shares an immersive way of de-risking physical mail marketing at Opencare. Throughout the episode, she shares practical tips for those looking to launch successful products. Chapters: 00:00Introduction to Product Discovery 01:10Maria's Evolution as a Product Leader 03:17Defining Moments in Maria's Career 07:44Building vs. Scaling: Maria's Preference 09:47The Role of Product Discovery at Ancestry 10:37Understanding Ancestry's Business Model 11:29Optimizing the Checkout Flow 12:55The Importance of Qualitative Insights 19:14Transforming Insights into Action 27:23Lessons Learned from Experimentation 28:57Reducing Mental Friction for Better Conversion 30:36Building Reputation and Expanding Remit 31:50Innovative User Insights at OpenCare 34:58De-risking Direct Mail Marketing 39:15Rapid Iteration in User Research 42:33The Importance of Clear Copywriting 46:05Combining Quantitative and Qualitative Data 50:59Structuring Insights with Opportunity Solution Tree 54:45The Balance of Discovery and Execution This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.jingjingtan.com [https://www.jingjingtan.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]