E66 - How to scale a startup from 0 to N - Top Secrets from CPO

James 👨‍💻, product visionary, reveals his secrets to 🚀 growth from leading product at Microsoft, Slack, and Spendesk. James emphasizes the importance of honing your skills and developing core competencies early in your career at established companies. This will set you up for success later if you want to branch out on your own. James dives into how to identify when you've achieved product-market fit - it's when you have organic pull from users who find inherent value vs. having to push your product through heavy marketing. Highlights: 💡 Building core competencies early on 🔎 Defining product-market fit ⚖️ Startup to scaleup mindset shifts 🎯 User-centered design 🏁 Frictionless onboarding Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction 1:05 - James' background 2:02 - Icebreaker question for James 3:04 - Building core competencies early in your career 4:11 - James' insights on responsible AI 4:30 - Key differences between startup and scaleup 5:02 - Importance of focusing on the problem, not solution as a PM 6:05 - Defining product-market fit 7:04 - Making the transition from startup to scaleup 8:16 - Putting the user at the center of the universe 9:49 - Prioritizing simplification and onboarding 11:19 - Diagnosing issues when taking over an existing team 12:31 - Taking a servant leadership approach 13:39 - Identifying friction points across startup teams 14:02 - Addressing challenges methodically vs all at once 15:00 - PMs as glue between engineering, sales, marketing etc. 15:53 - Building the plane as you're flying it 16:35 - Transitioning from product focus to team focus 17:12 - Onboarding and integrating an acquired startup team 18:41 - Core functions of a tech company 19:06 - Diagnosing your team's needs as a PM 20:28 - Turning product-market fit into a science 21:22 - Using revenue predictability to determine product-market fit 22:46 - Flipping product strategy based on user research 23:33 - Putting the user at the center of the universe 24:43 - Onboarding funnel optimization enabled Slack's growth 25:07 - Solving onboarding before building features 26:58 - Avoiding feature creep as a PM 28:05 - Onboarding as the key to subscription businesses 29:16 - Staying focused on creating end user value 30:00 - Part 2 coming next week! 👉 Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more amazing content every week! Follow us on: Spotify: https://anchor.fm/everythingproduct Learn more about the hosts: Phani - [https://www.linkedin.com/in/phanivuyyuru] Srinath - [https://www.linkedin.com/in/skotela/] Sid: LinkedIn - [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sidsaladi/] Newsletter - [https://sidsaladi.substack.com/] Twitter - [https://mobile.twitter.com/Sidsaladi] 💎 Here are more resources for you 🚀 The Ultimate PM Launch Pad - Blast Off Your Career Now! 🚀 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0KSCr65RCTOupMjArBvrML5VWUGzaKqt 🧰 Master the PM Toolkit - Equip Yourself for Success! 🧰 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0KSCr65RCTM4acJOjQYFvOVMzfiEFlqE ⚡️ Stay Ahead of the Tech Curve - Charge Your Knowledge Now! ⚡️ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0KSCr65RCTMvYe4lAYpfdbDoNdPbA33o