Jane Portman - The Harsh Reality of Startup Design
Oct 16, 2023
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Jane Portman, co-founder of Userlist and host of the UI Breakfast podcast, delves into her journey as a founder and the shifting perceptions of design's value. She discusses how ignorance of startup challenges can be beneficial and why a product's marketing site often outweighs the product itself. The conversation highlights the necessity for designers to grasp their financial impact and excel in writing, revealing how effective communication elevates their contributions in the SaaS landscape.
Jane Portman emphasizes the necessity for designers to understand their impact on revenue, showcasing design's role in business success.
She shares her journey of transitioning from a consultant to a founder, highlighting the complexities of marketing and sales in SaaS.
Portman advocates for the importance of content marketing in enhancing brand visibility, illustrating how it provides valuable customer education.
Deep dives
The Evolution of Jane Portman
Jane Portman, co-founder of UserList, shares her journey from an Eastern European upbringing to becoming a prominent name in the design and tech world. Raised by a single mother, Jane experienced a childhood where education was prioritized, influencing her later successes. Her formative years included a pivotal exchange program in the United States, during which she grappled with language barriers, ultimately sparking her interest in design and technology. This foundation set her on a path leading to a diverse career as a consultant, author, and podcast host.
The Importance of Confidence
Confidence is a recurring theme in Jane's narrative, shaped by her early experiences and nurturing upbringing. She emphasizes the impact of her mother's encouragement in pursuing academics, which fostered a love for problem-solving and creative pursuits. Jane reflects on how her confidence has evolved since adopting a name that facilitated her entry into the international consulting scene. This transformation allowed her to express her personality freely and enabled her to thrive in the competitive fields of design and entrepreneurship.
The Role of Design in Business Success
Jane illustrates how good design, while essential for product success, often takes a backseat to overarching business strategies and market demands. In the realm of SaaS and product management, the design improves user experience but does not single-handedly drive sales or growth. She draws attention to the necessity for design to align with the product's value proposition and to address genuine customer pain points, rather than existing as an aesthetic addition. This understanding profoundly shapes her approach to UserList and her consulting work.
The Challenges of Sales and Marketing in SaaS
Transitioning from consulting to founding UserList unveiled the complexities of sales and marketing in a competitive SaaS environment. Jane shares insights on the crucial role of timing in customer acquisition and the uphill battle of establishing credibility for a young startup. She highlights that despite having a strong design foundation, translating that into sales requires a deep understanding of customer needs and a long-term commitment. This journey has underscored the importance of patience and continuous learning in navigating the nuanced landscape of SaaS business.
The Impact of Content Marketing
Content marketing has emerged as a significant asset in Jane's strategy for UserList, evolving from basic SEO efforts to creating thought leadership pieces. Through consistent, high-quality content, Jane aims to bridge the gap between her audience's understanding of email marketing mechanics and the actual solutions provided by UserList. This pivot towards valuable content creation represents a fundamental shift in how she approaches brand visibility and engagement. Ultimately, Jane advocates for a long-term view in both business and marketing strategies, showing that growth is often a gradual process.
Jane Portman shares the twists and turns of becoming a founder, how it has changed her view on design’s value, and the role of writing in career success.
Highlights include:
Why is it best not to know in advance how difficult something is?
What made you realise that UX is not a big part of startup success?
Why is a product’s marketing website more important than the product?
Why do designers need to understand their contribution to revenue?
Why is it important for designers to also be good writers?
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Who is Jane Portman?
Jane is the co-founder of Userlist, an email marketing and in-app messaging platform that’s built with B2B SaaS in mind: enabling companies to onboard, engage, and nurture customers and leads.
Before Userlist, Jane was the founder of Tiny Reminder, a SaaS product that helps busy creatives and consultants to send automated notifications to their clients about the things they need from them.
She is also the founder and host of UI Breakfast, one of the world’s longest running and most successful design podcasts. The show has been on-air since 2014 and boasts over 260 conversations with a wide-range of industry experts.
Given Jane’s talent and track record as a podcaster, it’s no surprise that she hosts another podcast. This one’s called “Better Done than Perfect” and it explores email automation, marketing, content and product strategy for founders and product people.
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