This is a classic trap. For many startups I fell into this a couple of times. Founders study the market. It’s usually filled with solutions. Many solutions. Same or similar problem. There is overlap, but nothing does it alone. Or hardly anyone seems to be. Grand strategy is unveiled. Be the one-stop-shop. Unfortunately, it’s a […]
Yearly Archives: 2021
Just keep doing it
There is big difference between knowing and doing. For instance, everybody knows this. If you want stay healthy: Eat right Sleep enough Exercise regularly Simple, right? But how many do it? Everyone wants to, but most struggle. Billions are spent on solutions for each of those steps. We see the same thing. When it comes […]
Welcome to Firestarter for Intrapreneurs
What’s cooler? Being an entrepreneur or an intrapreneur? Both require ideas and execution. Both require initiative and creativity. Founders may have to do more with less. Intrapreneurs may have more. But they also need to manage a lot more. And still find ways to do it all. We certainly had the opportunity to meet and […]
The art of customer listening
You will often come across this ‘wisdom’. If you are a founder or CEO you must always be selling. But this is a trap. Especially when you are building a new product. Or service. I fell in to this one myself. When I started my consulting business, it was all about me. It was all […]
Giving your product the edge
10 out of 10 tech CEOs and startup founders say this. When asked what do they want to achieve. They want to grow. They want more customers. They want more revenue. If you ask what will it take to achieve that? 8 out of 10 will say: Better GTM. More leads. More sales people. If […]
A Fresh(works) shot in the arm
It was a delight to read about the Freshworks IPO and listing on Nasdaq. For many SaaS founders and startups this will be a shot in the arm. Same for the India product ecosystem. Someone has actually been there and done that now. Incredible feat indeed by Girish Mathrubootham and team. It is also one […]
Not all open source is equal
Could this be a case of “penny wise, pound foolish”? This is a far too common startup trap. Even smart people seem to fall into it. They want to sell software to others. But they don’t want to pay others for software. Technologists and engineers fall into this trap. This often is case of tech […]
How much of the story is the grind?
Storytelling is a wonderful thing. But sometimes it can be a bad thing. Stories of product success. Stories of startup success. These come with an extra dose of “special effects”. Unfortunately, such stories can be misleading. And sometimes, misdirect those who are building. Usually what’s missing from these stories is the grind. Just like Bollywood […]
Never judge a (product) book by its cover
Lot of great books on product thinking and product management continue to come out of the US, especially Silicon Valley. They paint a picture of highly evolved product teams and companies. Capabilities and intent are high and it’s easy to get inspired by the world described in them. Unfortunately for people building products in evolving […]
Making standard PMs turn super
To build great products you need a capable team, product thinking and excellent product managers. Product Manager is now one of the hottest jobs in tech with starting salaries over 10L p.a. More experienced employees are making on average 20-30L. People in product leadership roles can make over 50L or even over 1cr in some […]