Welcome back to our PLG False Starts Series. In this episode, host Mario Araujo interviews Leah Tharin, a fearless product leader who candidly discusses her "spectacular failures" at Smallpdf, a platform with over 50 million active users.

Leah shares two specific failures that emphasize the importance of testing assumptions and considering all variables in product development. She reflects on her confident yet ill-fated decision to launch an untested idea, despite investing significant time and effort. Additionally, she reveals the intricacies of a partnership with Miro, an industry rising star, which went astray due to oversight and misalignment.

Throughout this insightful conversation, Leah generously imparts her experiences, insights, and invaluable lessons learned from these failures. Tune in for a candid exploration of the highs and lows of product development.

Key Takeaways:

[0:10] Introduction to the podcast and guest Leah Tharin

[2:03] Leah’s past experiences and failures

[3:21] Failure 1: An experiment on improving technology for document conversion at Smallpdf

[4:40] Clarifying the experiment's goal and the assumption of improved technology leading to success

[6:24] Lesson learned about not being overconfident and the importance of testing

[8:34] Failure 2: Discussing the team's excitement and the collaboration discussions, but ultimately receiving a rejection from Miro

[12:57] The mistake of not understanding Miro's priorities and feeling personally responsible for the failure

[14:32] Emotional impact of the failure and the importance of being specific and vulnerable in sharing failures

[15:19] Discussing Smallpdf culture and how leadership and the ecosystem reacted to failures

[15:51] The importance of trust and how their team stood behind them

[16:27] The fear of admitting failure and the importance of overcoming it 

[17:08] Acknowledging imperfection is crucial

[18:28] The impact of embracing failure

[19:18] The hierarchical perspective while growing

[20:26] Understanding customer needs and market dynamics are crucial

[23:48] Shift from passion to factual analysis in managing ideas

[25:05] Ask questions to investigate the context behind ideas

[28:00] Impact of empathetic and nurturing leadership

[33:31] Pressure and challenges faced by growth leaders

About Leah Tharin:

Leah Tharin is a tech veteran with over 20 years of experience, having founded four startups, including two with notable setbacks. As the Head of Product at Jua, Leah drives end-to-end Machine Learning in Weather solutions. Notably, Leah led the scaling of Smallpdf's core product, amassing 50 million monthly active users in just three years. Specializing in B2B product-led growth, Leah offers straightforward, actionable insights to fellow industry professionals.

Links:

Leah Tharin | LinkedIn 

Leah’s AI-Tea blog