20 Growth: Viral Loops; How To Create and Sustain Them, Why Interviews for Product and Growth Hires are BS and What To Do Instead, Mastering the Onboarding Process; Structuring the First 90 Days with Adam Fishman, Former Head of Growth @ Lyft
Adam Fishman, a growth expert with a track record at Lyft, Patreon, and Imperfect Foods, dives into the world of growth strategies. He shares his insights on building effective growth loops and why traditional interviews for growth roles often miss the mark. Adam advocates for practical assessments instead, highlighting the importance of effective onboarding. He also discusses the parallels between management and parenting principles, plus common misconceptions about growth teams, providing listeners with a wealth of actionable advice for scaling startups.
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Adam's Career Journey
Adam Fishman's career began in quantitative marketing, transitioning to web analytics and experimentation.
His role at Lyft provided invaluable experience in scaling a business, leading him to product-led growth.
insights INSIGHT
Importance of Speed and Failure
Speed in decision-making and a healthy relationship with failure are crucial for growth.
At Lyft, rapid iteration allowed for quick correction of mistakes, shaping Adam's risk tolerance.
insights INSIGHT
Customer Reverence
Respect for customers is paramount, especially in growth roles.
At Patreon, negative feedback from creators highlighted the importance of considering customer perspectives.
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In 'The First 90 Days,' Michael D. Watkins provides a comprehensive guide for leaders transitioning into new roles. The book emphasizes the importance of self-preparation, accelerating the learning process, achieving early victories, and achieving alignment within the organization. Watkins outlines ten fundamental principles, including preparing oneself for the new role, understanding the organizational architecture, building a high-performance team, and influencing key stakeholders. The book is designed to help leaders avoid common pitfalls and achieve early successes, thereby enhancing their credibility and effectiveness within the organization.
Adam Fishman is one of the leading growth practitioners of the last decade. Most recently, Adam was the Chief Product and Growth Offer at Imperfect Foods, where Adam built a 40-person product and growth organization, responsible for 70% of overall company metrics and growing revenue by 400% in one year to $600M annually. Before Imperfect, Adam spent 4 years as VP of Product and Growth @ Patreon, driving the company pivot and rebrand and helping the company scale to $1BN GMV and $100M in revenue. Finally, before Patreon, Adam was the Head of Growth @ Lyft, Adam was the first growth and marketing employee hired, grew the team to 18 people, and reported directly to the founders.
In Today's Episode with Adam You Will Learn:
1.) Entry into Growth:
How Adam first made his way into the world of growth when "growth" did not exist as a function?
What were Adam's biggest lessons from leading Lyft's growth team? How did that impact his mindset?
What are some of Adam's biggest takeaways from his time at Patreon? What are some of the biggest mistakes he made at Patreon?
2.) The Basics: Growth 101: What and When:
How does Adam define "growth" today? What is it? What is it not?
When is the right time to hire your first growth hires?
Should this first hire be a seasoned growth leader or a more junior growth rep?
What characteristics and skill sets should this growth hire have?
3.) The Hiring Process:
How should founders structure the hiring process for their first growth hire?
What 3 questions should all founders ask in the hiring process for growth?
How can founders use data and case studies to really test the skillsets of growth candidates?
Why does Adam believe that the hiring process for growth and product is so broken?
4.) The Onboarding Process:
What is the right way to structure the onboarding process for new growth hires?
How should growth hires create cross-functional relationships and communication with the rest of the team? What has worked for Adam in the past? What has not?
What are the signs that are new growth hire is not working? How long should they be given?
What are the signs that are a new growth hire is working? What is the sign of "exceptional"?
5.) Adam Fishman: AMA:
What growth decision has Adam made without data? How did it go?
How does Adam define "viral loops"? What makes one better than another? Where do so many make mistakes with viral loops?
Adam led the rebrand for Patreon, what is the secret to a successful rebrand? What are some of the most common pitfalls to avoid?
Items Mentioned in Today's Episode with Adam Fishman
The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch 
