Navigating Career Challenges Through Company Stages

This chapter explores the challenges individuals face throughout their careers in relation to the types of companies they work for. It emphasizes the importance of understanding a company's developmental stage and how that influences job roles, particularly in product management.

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Many product managers focus on brand names or job titles, overlooking a crucial factor: company growth stage.

This episode reveals how a company's phase - from startup to market leader - shapes your work and career path. We explore the four key growth stages, how product management evolves, and how to align your strengths with the right stage.

Featuring insights from seasoned product leaders, learn to identify your ideal company stage and navigate transitions. This episode is your guide to making strategic career moves in product management by leveraging the often-overlooked power of company growth stages.

We also discuss:

The 4 stages of company growth: drunken walk, product market fit, hypergrowth, and established market leader
How PM roles evolve across stages
Matching your skills to each stage
Intentionally choosing your company stage
The value of diverse stage experience for successful PMs
Strategies to gain multi-stage experience

Referenced:

Stage of company, not name of company: https://theskip.substack.com/p/stage-of-company-not-name-of-company
Shadows of your superpowers (Part 1): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZbjvymjabA&t=912s
Shadows of your superpowers (Part 2): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcdb5enbDLE

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Don't forget to subscribe to The Skip to hear me coach you through timely career lessons. If you’re interested in joining me on a future call, send me a note on LinkedIn, Threads, or Twitter.

Timestamps

(00:00) Intentionally choosing your company stage (episode teaser)

(01:25) The importance of company stage

(02:47) 3 common questions from PMs

(05:383) The link between PM and company stages

(07:48) The 4 company stages

(13:45) What’s unique about early-stage PMs

(15:24) How PM evolves when there’s customer traction

(18:00) Product management at a hypergrowth company

(21:50) One example of what changes between the first three stages

(24:49) PM at an established leader

(30:04) How to know which stage is right for you