LaunchPod | Product Management Podcast

Today, our guest is Julie Acosta, Director of eComm and Marketing Analytics at NOBULL, a fast-growing Boston-based footwear and apparel brand. For Julie, curiosity has a funny way of making you change course. As she originally set out to avoid numbers by going to university for marketing, but as she began developing her career, she found that understanding and working with data made her more effective at understanding her customer base. It was at AutoZone, where her path really changed, as Julie went from merchandising to building AutoZone’s first eCommerce Analytics team from the ground up. By bridging the digital and in-store experiences, her team altered the company’s understanding of how the two were linked, including how new product lines can grow existing lines and how online customer behavior influences in-store purchases. Other key takeaways: How to balance data with usability and how analytics can’t always tell you everything “I have always had really smart people on my team, like data scientists that were just phenomenal at modeling and just doing some more advanced analytics. That team would be more focused on transactions and the other half of my team was more focused on behavior. And that was leveraging things like Adobe Analytics to go and understand what's going on from a customer journey standpoint. And so there was a lot of reading between the lines and mix of like art and science.” *** How B&M and e-commerce are inextricably linked and by synchronizing the two you can create a cohesive customer journey strategy** “Online was supplemental to our overall business; our true core business was brick and mortar. AutoZone has been very successful at that. Online is, a crucial part because you can't ignore it, but also knowing that from a conversion standpoint, we know a lot of customers are going online and then they're buying in-store.” “You need to cut through all the bullsh*t to get them to their end goal. And the only way to do that is going back to that consumer behavior, really understanding what was their intent of their journey. Do you really understand that as an owner of the website, whether you're a product owner, analytics, or a a merchant, do you understand why your customer is engaging with that product or engaging with that part of your site? If you do, great, make sure you've got a good vision on how to make it the best experience possible.” How to solve perceived customer cannibalization “At the end of the day, what it did show is that there really wasn't cannibalization happening. We were able to show through the numbers, through this additional offering, something that nobody thought something as simple as a lead time would draw up that much business. And it was significant.” Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-acosta-89846b11/ Spotlight interview: https://shorturl.at/Md6SR Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:28 From merchandising to marketing analytics 05:30 Building AutoZone’s e-commerce and analytics team 09:08 Balancing data and leadership 11:30 Understanding customer behavior through data 21:38 Bridging the online and offline customer experience 24:57 Leveraging new product lines to sell legacy products 35:35 Transition to NOBULL 40:35 Outro Follow LogRocket on TikTok! Love LaunchPod and the rest of LogRocket's great content? Follow us on TikTok for interview clips, UX tutorials, and more! What does LogRocket do? LogRocket combines frontend monitoring, product analytics, and session replay to help software teams deliver the ideal product experience. Try LogRocket for free today.Special Guest: Julie Acosta.

Today, we're re-running one of our favorite episodes with Nan Yu, Head of Product at Linear, a purpose-built tool for planning and building products. Prior to working at Linear, Nan worked at Mode, Abstract, Everlane, and Bank of America. On today’s episode, Nan talks to LogRocket’s VP of Marketing, Jeff Wharton, about being intentional with organizational design, prioritizing tasks that make product special while minimizing unnecessary complexity, and what is so important about heirloom tomatoes. Links and references https://www.linkedin.com/in/thenanyu/ https://x.com/thenanyu Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:25 Essential tools for product managers 02:07 Career highlights and organizational design 05:27 Everlane's growth strategy 08:03 Focus and prioritization in startups 11:10 Challenges in organizational setup 15:23 Team dynamics and management 20:30 The importance of hiring based on need 20:52 High output management principles 22:46 Team structure and communication 26:31 Balancing core and non-core tasks 29:13 The Linear approach to project management 33:48 Challenges with legacy project management tools 35:45 The philosophy behind Linear's design 37:40 Work trials at Linear 40:44 Outro What does LogRocket do? LogRocket provides AI-first session replay and analytics that surfaces UX and technical issues impacting user experiences. Understand where your users are struggling by trying it free at LogRocket.com.Special Guest: Nan Yu.

Today, our guest is Isabel Petty, Head of Digital Product at TUSHY, a modern and sustainable bidet company. Isabel received her Masters of Technology Management degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, after which she became a category manager at Walmart and then joined Gritwell, a virtual health clinic, in growth and product development. Before her current role at TUSHY, she served as a senior product manager at Pattern Brands. On today's episode, LogRocket's VP of Marketing, Jeff Wharton, talks to Isabel about: How important digital leadership is in product and the problem-solving strategies she’s employed to grow product How TUSHY uses humor as a marketing strategy to tackle and normalize bathroom taboos and solidify customer trust How TUSHY’s poop-tracking app was created to detect early sins of colon cancer and promote gut health as a way to continue to scale TUSHY’s product offerings. Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isabelpetty/ TUSHY website: https://hellotushy.com/ Isabel Petty’s LogRocket Spotlight interview: https://blog.logrocket.com/product-management/leader-spotlight-isabel-petty/ Poop Tracking App announcement: https://www.tiktok.com/@hellotushy/video/7355545782986018090 Chapters 00:00 Intro 00:08 What is TUSHY 01:38 Isabel’s role as Head of Digital Product at TUSHY 03:59 Going to school for product management 14:51 User feedback and research in product development at TUSHY 17:32 Challenges in customer research around taboo topics at TUSHY 19:14 Market and consumer product education 21:38 Addressing customer product issues and finding solutions at TUSHY 22:27 Growth strategies and product expansion 27:13 Building a poop tracking app 31:37 Balancing humor and health to reach customers and foster loyalty 33:51 Outro Follow LogRocket on TikTok! Love LaunchPod and the rest of LogRocket's great content? Follow us on TikTok for interview clips, UX tutorials, and more! What does LogRocket do? LogRocket combines frontend monitoring, product analytics, and session replay to help software teams deliver the ideal product experience. Try LogRocket for free today.

Today, our guest is Michael Park, Product Coach and Advisor who previously served as CPO of BombBomb, a video messaging software company. Michael began his career in product design at Havoc, where he transitioned into product management and eventually became VP of product. Michael then served in leadership roles at Danielson Designs and Rendi, a customizable frames and signs company. Most recently, he spent nearly nine years at BombBomb, where he oversaw the product life cycle, managed a 20-person product team, and expanded the customer base from SMB to enterprise. On today's episode, LogRocket's VP of Marketing, Jeff Wharton, talks to Michael about his six lessons from scaling product from zero to $25M ARR; the nuance that comes with the “founder mode” discussion in relation to best leadership practices; and what a self-imposed sabbatical taught Michael about product leadership. Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gotothepark/ LogRocket Profile: https://blog.logrocket.com/product-management/leader-spotlight-michael-park/ 6 lessons in scaling a product from zerp to $25M ARR: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/540b2e54e4b029a48854f368/t/6700497bffe76e24dde73b84/1728072060103/6Lessons.pdf Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:40 The challenges of digital product management 04:51 The evolution and popularity of product management 08:27 The importance of focus and consistency in product leadership 13:22 Hiring and team dynamics in product management 17:53 Transitioning from founder to product leader 24:46 Finding the right leadership for scaling 26:21 The Importance of the “bounce back” factor 27:09 Navigating Founder Mode 37:19 Balancing rigid and flexible product roadmaps 45:37 Outro Follow LogRocket on TikTok! Love LaunchPod and the rest of LogRocket's great content? Follow us on TikTok for interview clips, UX tutorials, and more! What does LogRocket do? LogRocket combines frontend monitoring, product analytics, and session replay to help software teams deliver the ideal product experience. Try LogRocket for free today.Special Guest: Michael Park.

Today, our guest is Aakash Gupta, the author of Product Growth, the world's largest newsletter on product growth, with over 140K subscribers. Aakash has held an extensive array of product leader roles, spanning from Director of Growth at threadUp, Lead Product Manager at Epic Games, Head of Product Growth at Affirm, to most recently serving as VP of Product at Apollo.i. On today's episode, LogRocket's VP of Marketing, Jeff Wharton, talks to Aakash about the different archetypes of product leaders and how those leadership types influence the teams around them; what Aakash's three big wake-up calls were throughout his career that drove him to become a better product leader as his career progressed; and how product growth has become an increasingly imperative role within an organization and how to optimize it. Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aagupta/ Product Growth website: https://www.news.aakashg.com/ Substack: https://substack.com/@aakashgupta Medium: https://aakashgupta.medium.com/ Shreyas Doshi on The Three Different Types of Product Leaders and How To Hire Them: https://bit.ly/4eZxvwl Founder Mode by Paul Graham: https://www.paulgraham.com/foundermode.html Law of Shitty Click-Throughs: https://andrewchen.com/the-law-of-shitty-clickthroughs/ Follow LogRocket on TikTok! Love LaunchPod and the rest of LogRocket's great content? Follow us on TikTok for interview clips, UX tutorials, and more! What does LogRocket do? LogRocket combines frontend monitoring, product analytics, and session replay to help software teams deliver the ideal product experience. Try LogRocket for free today.Special Guest: Aakash Gupta.

Today, our guest is Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia, Founder and CEO of Product School. A seasoned startup founder and CEO, Carlos founded NetDay and Floqq before founding Product School in 2014. Since founding Product School, Carlos has grown his product training community to over 2 million product professionals, produces ProductCon, a multi-city product conference hosted every year, wrote the Amazon best-seller, The Product Book, and hosts the Proddys, an annual awards event honoring the best software products. On today's episode, LogRocket's VP of Marketing, Jeff Wharton, talks to Carlos about how he went from a software engineer to successful founder; the changing dynamics of product roles, including strategies for scaling a business and the future potential of AI in product management; and why community engagement and continuous learning is beneficial to success. Links https://www.linkedin.com/in/villaumbrosia/ https://productschool.com/product-leaders/carlos-gonzalez-de-villaumbrosia https://x.com/villaumbrosia https://villaumbrosia.medium.com/ https://x.com/ProductSchool https://productschool.com/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=daily_website-tw_homepagel Follow LogRocket on TikTok! Love LaunchPod and the rest of LogRocket's great content? Follow us on TikTok for interview clips, UX tutorials, and more! What does LogRocket do? LogRocket combines frontend monitoring, product analytics, and session replay to help software teams deliver the ideal product experience. Try LogRocket for free today.Special Guest: Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia.

Today, our guest is David LoPresti, Director of U-Haul Apps at U-Haul. With experience in a wide variety of areas, including operations management, customer service, sales, and marketing, David has grown his career at U-Haul over the past two decades. He began his tenure as a service manager before transitioning to web sales and, later, program management. David then became director of Moving Help, a U-Haul service, before taking over the U-Haul Apps program. On today's episode, LogRocket's VP of Marketing, Jeff Wharton, talks to David about balancing operational excellence and innovation to maintain market leadership, why “founder mode,” coined by Paul Graham, isn't the end-all-be-all of creating the best product or solution, and how he has scaled and innovated multiple U-Haul programs to drive transformation and success as a leader. So here it is, our conversation with David Lopresti. Links https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-lopresti-475224179 https://blog.logrocket.com/product-management/leader-spotlight-david-lopresti/ https://myuhaulstory.com/tag/david-lopresti/ https://paulgraham.com/foundermode.html Follow LogRocket on TikTok! Love LaunchPod and the rest of LogRocket's great content? Follow us on TikTok for interview clips, UX tutorials, and more! What does LogRocket do? LogRocket combines frontend monitoring, product analytics, and session replay to help software teams deliver the ideal product experience. Try LogRocket for free today.

Today, our guest is Rich DiTieri, Senior Director of Digital Product at Education First. Rich has a broad-spanning career from working in tech, founding startups, and managing product. He founded the company Pintley, one of the fastest-growing craft beer communities that was hailed by the New York Times as “the Pandora of Beer.” He continued on to become CEO of the Startup Institute, a professional training and coaching program in Boston, and co-founded Stack Education, a marketplace that promotes more efficient, productive, and speedy clinical trials. On today's episode, LogRocket's VP of Marketing, Jeff Wharton, talks to Rich about the importance of fostering a passionate work culture with the concept of “go slow to go fast”; what he learned founding a successful craft beer startup to address a key market need; and why aligning mission, roles, and teams is critical for career success. Links https://www.linkedin.com/in/richditieri/ Follow LogRocket on TikTok! Love LaunchPod and the rest of LogRocket's great content? Follow us on TikTok for interview clips, UX tutorials, and more! What does LogRocket do? LogRocket combines frontend monitoring, product analytics, and session replay to help software teams deliver the ideal product experience. Try LogRocket for free today.Special Guest: Rich DiTieri.

Today, our guest is Scott Lux, Vice President of Global E-commerce and Technology at Esprit, a retail apparel and fashion company. Scott started his career in financial consulting at Fidelity before transitioning to program and product management at Infospace. From there, Scott moved into product management roles at companies like Chase, VML COMMERCE, L’Oreal, and American Express. Prior to joining Esprit, he led digital marketing and e-commerce initiatives at Diesel, John Varvatos Enterprises, Intermix, VIDEOSHOPS, and Eberjey. On today's episode, LogRocket's VP of Marketing, Jeff Wharton, talks to Scott about the evolution of e-commerce and how it has effected commerce as a whole; how SaaS has both improved e-commerce but has brought with it complexities like site performance and tackling a new user experience; and how to build a cohesive brand in a competitive landscape, underlining the importance of adapting to new customer touchpoints. Links https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottlux/ https://blog.logrocket.com/product-management/leader-spotlight-scott-lux/ Follow LogRocket on TikTok! Love LaunchPod and the rest of LogRocket's great content? Follow us on TikTok for interview clips, UX tutorials, and more! What does LogRocket do? LogRocket combines frontend monitoring, product analytics, and session replay to help software teams deliver the ideal product experience. Try LogRocket for free today.Special Guest: Scott Lux.

Today, our guest is Ben Newell, A product executive who has launched products into B2B and B2C environments for the last 25 years. Ben spent the first 17 years of his career at Sabre, where he started as a software developer and later owned product portfolio strategy. He transitioned to VP product to launch LTK, before moving onto Stitch Fix. His latest role was VP Product at Miovision, a traffic management platform for cities. On today's episode, LogRocket's VP of Marketing, Jeff Wharton, talks to Ben about the importance of psychological safety on product teams, how belief in success creates stronger teams, and how a foundation of solid product management principles is essential before graduating to more complex tactics. Links https://www.linkedin.com/in/bennewelldallas/ https://blog.logrocket.com/product-management/leader-spotlight-ben-newell/ Follow LogRocket on TikTok! Love LaunchPod and the rest of LogRocket's great content? Follow us on TikTok for interview clips, UX tutorials, and more! What does LogRocket do? LogRocket combines frontend monitoring, product analytics, and session replay to help software teams deliver the ideal product experience. Try LogRocket for free today.Special Guest: Ben Newell.