Why PLG Doesn't Fit All: Experimentation vs Foundation | Emily Wang (CEO at Bento, ex-Intercom)

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This time we talked to Emily Wang, CEO of Bento, previously Product Manager on Growth Team at Intercom.  Emily shared her authentic story of becoming a founder, the role of leadership, creating a company culture, and building a strong team. Our conversation went beyond that, and we also discussed: 

* What’s The Right Time to Introduce Experimentation

* Why Killing Features is necessary to grow and evolve your product 

* Why the PLG model sometimes is not the right fit, and what we all should be aware of in the current market landscape 

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Where to find Emily Wang, CEO of Bento:

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilyyidanwang/

* Website: https://www.trybento.co/

Where to find Kate Syuma, Growth Advisor (ex-Miro):

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterina-syuma/

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Where to find Oscar Torres, Product Designer at Miro:

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oscartorrestryme/

* Website: https://www.oscartorres.me/

* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oscar_towers_/

What we’ve covered in this episode:

00:00 Emily's Mission to Start Bento

03:46 Emily's Personal Mental Model Shift

05:00 The Importance of Building a Company

10:00 Understanding Different Parts of a Company

12:14 The Right Time to Introduce Experimentation

15:00 The Role of Leadership in Company Building

16:44 Killing Features and Simplifying the Product

17:12 Balancing Product and Design Team Priorities

20:00 Creating a Company Culture

22:32 Product-Led Growth and Finding the Right Fit

25:00 Building a Strong Team

30:00 Effective Communication within a Company

34:47 Shifts in the Macro Environment and Impact on Product Growth

40:00 Balancing Short-Term and Long-Term Goals

47:33 Onboarding vs Everboarding

45:00 Conclusion

51:03 Where to Connect with Emily

Resources referenced:

* Get a 10% discount for the Maven course on Onboarding and Activation before 15th March: https://maven.com/growth-course/self-serve-onboarding

* Behind the Cloud, Mark Benioff: https://www.amazon.com/Behind-Cloud-Salesforce-com-Billion-Dollar-Company/

* Leadership and Self-Deception, The Arbinger Institute: https://www.amazon.com/Leadership-Self-Deception-Getting-Out-Box/

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