ProductLed Podcast

Welcome back to our PLG False Starts Series. In this episode, host Mario Araujo interviews Leah Tharin, a fearless product leader who candidly discusses her "spectacular failures" at Smallpdf, a platform with over 50 million active users. Leah shares two specific failures that emphasize the importance of testing assumptions and considering all variables in product development. She reflects on her confident yet ill-fated decision to launch an untested idea, despite investing significant time and effort. Additionally, she reveals the intricacies of a partnership with Miro, an industry rising star, which went astray due to oversight and misalignment. Throughout this insightful conversation, Leah generously imparts her experiences, insights, and invaluable lessons learned from these failures. Tune in for a candid exploration of the highs and lows of product development. Key Takeaways: [0:10] Introduction to the podcast and guest Leah Tharin [2:03] Leah’s past experiences and failures [3:21] Failure 1: An experiment on improving technology for document conversion at Smallpdf [4:40] Clarifying the experiment's goal and the assumption of improved technology leading to success [6:24] Lesson learned about not being overconfident and the importance of testing [8:34] Failure 2: Discussing the team's excitement and the collaboration discussions, but ultimately receiving a rejection from Miro [12:57] The mistake of not understanding Miro's priorities and feeling personally responsible for the failure [14:32] Emotional impact of the failure and the importance of being specific and vulnerable in sharing failures [15:19] Discussing Smallpdf culture and how leadership and the ecosystem reacted to failures [15:51] The importance of trust and how their team stood behind them [16:27] The fear of admitting failure and the importance of overcoming it  [17:08] Acknowledging imperfection is crucial [18:28] The impact of embracing failure [19:18] The hierarchical perspective while growing [20:26] Understanding customer needs and market dynamics are crucial [23:48] Shift from passion to factual analysis in managing ideas [25:05] Ask questions to investigate the context behind ideas [28:00] Impact of empathetic and nurturing leadership [33:31] Pressure and challenges faced by growth leaders About Leah Tharin: Leah Tharin is a tech veteran with over 20 years of experience, having founded four startups, including two with notable setbacks. As the Head of Product at Jua, Leah drives end-to-end Machine Learning in Weather solutions. Notably, Leah led the scaling of Smallpdf's core product, amassing 50 million monthly active users in just three years. Specializing in B2B product-led growth, Leah offers straightforward, actionable insights to fellow industry professionals. Links: Leah Tharin | LinkedIn  Leah’s AI-Tea blog

Wes Bush, founder of the ProductLed Institute, shares insights on scaling self-serve revenue using the ProductLed Method™️. He discusses the rise of product-led growth in the SaaS industry and the importance of vision, user, and model. The three components of the growth engine, offer, experience, and pricing, are highlighted. Wes introduces phase three of the method, focusing on exponential growth and scaling. The podcast also mentions Wes Bush's new book on scaling a SaaS business.

Open source software is freely available to use, modify, and distribute. By learning how to integrate it with your product-led growth (PLG) strategy, you’ll unlock innovation and success for your business. In this episode, we are joined by Nikhil Nandagopal, a co-founder of Appsmith, who imparts his insights and experiences in building team tools with open source.  Nikhil delves into the hurdles associated with growing a PLG business, open source technology, and the delicate task of balancing the requirements of both the vocal minority and the silent majority. Key Takeaways: [2:00] How security and data are core parts of open source software [3:30] The importance of having a core product or market insight to base your PLG strategy on  [5:45] Advice on integrating open source into your PLG strategy [7:30] Benefits of open source [8:15] How to make open source easy for developers to try out and use your product [10:00] Leveraging your community to drive growth and how to measure success in open source  [12:30] The future of open source and PLG [15:00] How open source will continue to play a role in PLG and how it will evolve in the future About Nikhil Nandagopal: Nikhil Nandagopal is a co-founder of Appsmith, the first open-source low-code platform for developers. He is a software engineer and entrepreneur with 10 years of experience building apps.  Links:  Nikhil Nandagopal’s LinkedIn https://www.appsmith.com/

In this episode of the #howigothere series, Maja Voje and TK Kader discuss the different GTM strategies, with an emphasis on growing your business organically. They discuss the importance of understanding the math behind generating revenue, messaging, and personas, and the concept of an early majority. You’ll learn how to create a content strategy that resonates with your target persona, and why building relationships is an essential part of the process. You’ll also hear about the SaaS flywheel of acquisition, activation, retention, conversion, and re-engagement, as well as the law of averages.  Key Takeaways:  [02:30]: The importance of understanding your target audience and creating a buyer persona   [05:15] How to create a content strategy that resonates with your audience   [09:00] The role of social media in growing your audience organically   [12:45] The importance of building relationships with your audience and creating a community  [16:20] How to measure the success of your go-to-market strategy and make adjustments as needed  About TK Kader TK Kader was a Founder of ToutApp and SVP of Strategy of Marketo where he worked on go-to-market strategies. He now runs Unstoppable, where he works with SaaS Founders on their GTM. TK also wrote an Amazon best-selling book Unstoppable- Performance Blueprint for Unstoppable CEOs & Founders. Links: TK Kader’s LinkedIn https://www.tkkader.com TK Kader’s YouTube

Transitioning to Product-Led Growth involves continuous iteration and learning. While successful case studies and impactful experiments are often highlighted, it's essential to acknowledge the behind-the-scenes reality.  Behind each success story, there are often multiple failed attempts. In our "PLG False Starts" series, we uncover the untold stories and failures behind Product-Led Growth implementations, offering valuable insights. Today, we have Kyle from OpenView joining us to share his learnings. Kyle is an accomplished professional dedicated to helping OpenView's portfolio companies achieve exceptional growth and establish themselves as market leaders. Key Takeaways [0:57] The two most common pitfalls when attempting to incorporate your PLP concept. [5:28] Kyle provides an explanation of the role of the operating partner at OpenView. [7:50] What are Kyle's observations on the shortcomings of PLG and their reasons? [11:05] Why is it detrimental for representatives to label every free user, and what approaches can companies take instead? [18:25] The recommended Playbook by Kyle for companies in their early stages. [22:39] How sales can be utilized to discover and expand into other teams within an organization, boosting business growth. [34:19] Does Kyle believe in implementing custom tiers to facilitate strategic and more meaningful conversations with sales? About Kyle Poyar Kyle Poyar's dedication to helping companies achieve product-led growth, optimize pricing and packaging, and develop effective go-to-market strategies has solidified his position as a trusted advisor and industry influencer. His contributions to the tech ecosystem have helped numerous companies unlock their true potential and establish themselves as leaders in their respective markets. Profile OpenView Kyle Poyar’s LinkedIn Kyle’s Newsletter

Get ready for an exciting twist today as we dive into a reverse interview featuring Mariam and Wes. This episode is a real treat as Wes takes on the role of the guest, chatting with Mariam, the CEO of Softr.  Here's the big question: what ties all of these “no code” tools and AI together? Throughout this episode, we'll unlock the connections between these categories, uncovering the common threads and patterns that bring them together. By understanding their similarities, you'll gain valuable insights on how to adapt to these trends and seize the many opportunities they present. Key Takeaways [3:52] ProductLed represents the future of purchasing, shaping how people will make their transactions. [7:01] The engagement factor brings about significant transformations within companies, altering their culture in the process. [8:22] Key questions to consider before implementing product-led growth as a strategic approach. [14:54] It's crucial to align your business model with the success of your users. [18:41] How can you effectively segment your users and empower them to achieve success? [26:12] Your success is intertwined with the success of your users. [27:35] The transition from traditional to modern tools within the organization. [31:25] What’s ProductLed going to look like for the next ten years? About Wes Bush Wes Bush is an exceptional entrepreneur, renowned bestselling author, and the unparalleled authority on product-led growth. With an unwavering dedication to his craft, Wes has transformed the lives of over 500,000 individuals worldwide, captivating them through his groundbreaking books, captivating podcast, and influential thought leadership on the subject of product-led growth. Profile  ProductLed Wes Bush on LinkedIn

As the AI sphere continues to gain momentum, many companies are quick to join the bandwagon for convenience, often neglecting the quality of their branding in the process. Although AI software is a great tool that can help, we should not tolerate “creative procrastination” in terms of content marketing. Instead, we must strive for creative solutions that enhance our company's performance. In this episode, Maja and Alex take a deep dive into the realm of realistic expectations when building organic channels. They explore how you can seamlessly incorporate ProductLed content into your brand and product, fostering organic growth and engagement. Key Takeaways [2:33] Getting your entrepreneurial engine revved up [5:37] Managing realistic expectations for organic channels [9:41] Enhancing content strategy and research tools optimization [14:52] Prioritizing quality over quick results [19:47] Uncovering the crucial "who" behind content, instead of relying solely on AI tools and accepting creative procrastination [27:43] Fueling your content's success with ambition and passion for SEO [31:25] Identifying key indicators of organic trends [43:55] Combining manual reviews and AI tools for improved speed and accuracy About Alex Birkett Alex Birkett is a prominent figure in the field of content marketing and search engine optimization (SEO). As the co-founder of Omniscient Digital, a highly regarded content marketing and SEO agency, Alex has helped numerous businesses establish a strong online presence and achieve remarkable growth. Profile Omniscient Digital Alex's website

In this exciting episode, we are thrilled to introduce to you a groundbreaking initiative that we have been developing. Get ready to dive into our brand-new Founder Community, a dynamic platform designed to connect ambitious and experienced founders within the industry. Whether you're just starting out or have already achieved great success, this community is tailor-made to provide you with invaluable connections and insights. Join us as Laura, Director of Content at ProductLed, and our host, Wes, take the stage to share all the exciting details and opportunities this community holds. Get ready to embark on a transformative journey fueled by the expertise and experiences of fellow founders in this thriving ecosystem.   Key Takeaways [1:24] Why did we choose to establish a dedicated community specifically for ProductLed founders? [2:34] Observing the imbalance between valuable information and noise within the PLG Slack Community [3:00] Establishing a unique space exclusively for founders to share and connect with each other [4:42] Emphasizing the significant impact on building a ProductLed business by focusing on founders [9:48] Grasping the fundamental objective behind the Founder Community [14:47] Collaboratively shaping and cultivating the community [17:14] The three qualifications that make you eligible to join the Founder Community About Laura Kluz Laura Kluz is a highly accomplished professional serving as the Director of Content at ProductLed, a leading company specializing in product-led growth strategies. With a passion for empowering businesses through effective content strategies, Laura has made a significant impact in the field of product-led growth. Links ProductLed Growth Slack Community ProducLed Growth on LinkedIn ProductLed Website

Today we are pleased to invite Heidi Gibson for the PLG False Start series with Mario Araujo. Heidi shares some untold stories about the successes and failures of PLG implementations, and we dive deep into phenomenal failures and learnings from Heidi and her team.  Besides that, Heidi explores how they tackled the challenge of dealing with a broken revenue channel, how they successfully rebounded from a 25% drop in revenue, and how they transitioned from a free trial to a freemium model after three years in the making. Don't miss this insightful and valuable episode! Key Takeaways [3:33] Growth entails enabling more customers to derive greater value from their chosen products. [5:00] Heidi's success story and her journey through both successes and failures across her career. [8:49] Discovering the right customers and achieving goals were accomplished by Heidi and her team. [12:49] As a product manager, you lead your team, regardless of whether your team members report to you or not. [15:51] When customers are pleased with your product, it results in higher conversion rates. [20:00] Acknowledging your errors and taking responsibility for them is a powerful way to build trust. [29:39] In the long run, Freemium business models will outperform Free Trial models. [32:18] It takes approximately six months to determine whether your conversion rates will eventually reach break-even point. [38:06] Heidi shares her top three takeaways/lessons learned. About Heidi Gibson Heidi Gibson is a multifaceted leader passionate about entrepreneurship, small business advocacy, and building high-performing teams. As an experienced product and growth team leader, she is dedicated to creating products that customers love to use and fostering a positive work environment where team members thrive. Heidi's commitment to sharing her knowledge and experience is evident in her involvement with Reforge, Product School, and the Product Talk podcast from Products That Count. She is passionate about educating students and followers on the valuable lessons she has learned throughout her career. Profile Heidi Gibson’s LinkedIn BILL The Product Talk Podcast Reforge

Looking to learn how to effectively lead and operationalize product-led growth (PLG)? If so, you're in the right place! In this episode, Ari Schapiro from Okta/Auth0 will guide you through the process of doubling down on a self-serve product and leveraging it to achieve massive growth through PLG.  By following his insights, you'll learn how to build a team with the right strategies and support to propel your product forward, and gain valuable insights into his company's experiences and the tactics they've used to operationalize their team and break down their process. Key Takeaways [1:29] How do you lead and operationalize Product Growth in one of the fastest growing companies? [2:03] How Okta brought their way to becoming product led [14:29] The beginning of how they establish self-served in their company [17:25] How to build a healthy pipeline for sales? [24:23] Difference between "activation" and "engaged" [28:14] How do they define activation as a team? [33:03] What are the steps that they had to consider to get to their leverage point [40:35] What structure did they change throughout the years?  [43:33] Explaining the core values of their business About Ari Schapiro Schapiro is responsible for leading Okta's mergers and acquisitions, partnerships, and strategic planning initiatives. He has been instrumental in driving Okta's growth and expansion into new markets through strategic acquisitions, such as the acquisitions of Auth0 and Azuqua. Profile Ari Schapiro in LinkedIn Okta Auth0