LaunchPod | Product Management Podcast cover image

LaunchPod | Product Management Podcast

How to build for customers— not stakeholders | Jonathan Sussman, CPO (Jebbit) | LaunchPod

Mar 4, 2025
Join Jonathan Sussman, CPO at Jebbit, as he delves into the complexities of product management, sharing insights from his experience in the ad tech industry. He discusses the importance of focusing on customer needs over internal problems, revealing how that misstep almost led to a failed launch. Jonathan also highlights how leveraging professional services can drive product innovation and long-term growth, advocating for a balance between tech debt and customer satisfaction in product development.
31:03

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Product managers must cultivate T-shaped skills to effectively collaborate across teams and address real customer pain points.
  • Leveraging managed services can drive product innovation by revealing recurring customer needs that inform future developments.

Deep dives

Startup Challenges and Learning from Failure

Startups often present a challenging environment for those who prioritize consistent wins, as they frequently encounter failures and lessons learned from them. Jonathan Sussman emphasizes the importance of adaptability and learning rather than solely focusing on victories, especially in roles within product management. A significant lesson emerged from Jebit when an attempt to create an internal ROI dashboard failed due to lack of user engagement, illustrating the risks of prioritizing internal processes over customer needs. This experience highlighted the need for regular collaboration with engineering teams to ensure product viability and to align product developments with real customer pain points.

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