LaunchPod | Product Management Podcast

Steve Nash, Director of Product at GumGum and an early team member at Playground XYZ, shares insights on managing product-centricity in a challenging environment. He discusses strategies for effectively communicating with CEOs when disagreements arise, without jeopardizing your job. Nash reveals how Playground’s shift to a product-focused culture fueled innovation and led to its acquisition by GumGum. Additionally, he delves into the evolution of attention tracking in advertising and the critical role that design plays in improving user engagement.

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.

When it comes to challenging the status quo in SaaS and product strategy, you can’t fundamentally disrupt an industry without failing fast and pushing boundaries. On today’s episode of LaunchPod, we’re talking with Dane Molter, VP of Product and Strategy at Navan, an all-in-one travel and expense app for corporate travelers. In this episode, Dane talks about: His framework for driving product teams to “be brave,” ship faster, and attain huge goals Why perfect is actually the enemy of progress, and when good enough is actually good enough How to exceed the perceived boundaries of any solution, and deliver product that really disrupts the world Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dane-molter-6b937231/ Navan: https://navan.com/ Resources (Ethically) cheat your way to $250M+ | Mikal Lewis, Product Exec. (Whole Foods, Nordstrom): https://youtu.be/5txeT2U_YQo Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:06 Dane Molter’s Journey From Amex to Grubhub 01:44 The Grubhub Experience: Embracing Imperfection 04:08 The Push for Hypergrowth in Product 05:19 Lessons in Product Risk and Innovation 06:59 The Bigger Picture: Product Beyond Technology 09:30 Focusing on Bravery in Product Innovation 12:12 Applying Product Lessons at Navan 17:50 Enterprise Travel Challenges and AI Solutions 19:53 Business Outcomes and Accountability 20:13 Learning Business Mechanics at Amex 26:15 The Importance of Small Tests in Product Testing 34:27 Navigating AI and Emerging Technologies 37:45 Outro Follow LaunchPod on YouTube We have a new YouTube page! Watch full episodes of our interviews with PM leaders and subscribe! 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: Dane Molter.

Today, we’re talking with Eric Metelka, Head of Product at Eppo, a next-gen A/B experimentation platform for product teams. With a background in A/B testing and data science, Eric has worked in building product at companies like Cameo, SpotHero, and G2. In this episode, Eric talks about: The process he used to cold start G2’s review product and turn it into a self-sustaining flywheel His secrets to running great A/B tests that can really prove your impact on product growth How he recovered from Cameo’s Engineering Director telling his entire exec team that all Eric’s test data was incorrect and what he learned from that Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericmetelka/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/eric3000 BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/eric3000.bsky.social Eppo: https://www.geteppo.com/ Build Product like Linear | Nan Yu, Head of Product (Linear, Everlane, BOA): https://youtu.be/7ISWLoQtNOc Chapters 00:00 Intro 03:01 Strategies for Gathering Reviews 05:19 Automating the Review Process 07:54 Scaling and Growth at G2 16:38 Transition to Power Reviews 20:48 Challenges in Competing with Shopify 22:51 Product Lessons from Implementation Processes 24:03 Importance of Institutional Knowledge 25:05 Navigating Leadership and Learning 26:04 Understanding Revenue Recognition 27:56 Effective A/B Testing Strategies with Data Science 28:39 Product Experimentation Pitfalls at Cameo 38:33 Improving Digital User Experience at Cameo 41:52 Outro Follow LaunchPod on YouTube We have a new YouTube page! Watch full episodes of our interviews with PM leaders and subscribe! 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: Eric Metelka.

Today, we’re talking with Mikal Lewis, a Digital Product Executive at Whole Foods who drove hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue over the course of his career. In this episode, Mikal talks about: Why you should absolutely (ethically) cheat to get outsized results for your product His framework that drove a quarter of a billion dollars in additional revenue for Nordstrom’s online store How to use four types of luck to optimize for opportunity And, how to build a quiet portfolio so that you can choose your own career moves Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikalfm/ How Google Works by Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg: https://www.amazon.com/How-Google-Works-Eric-Schmidt/dp/1455582328 The Law of Shitty Clickthroughs by Andrew Chen: https://andrewchen.com/the-law-of-shitty-clickthroughs/ Pretentiousness: Why it Matters by Dan Fox: https://www.amazon.com/Pretentiousness-Why-Matters-Dan-Fox/dp/156689428X Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:02 Learning Product from Windows to Whole Foods 03:53 The Four Types of Luck by Eric Schmidt 07:30 Applying Type Four Luck to Product 16:53 Breaking into Product Management at Microsoft 22:58 Transforming Nordstrom's Digital Product Experience 34:23 Professional vs. Non-Professional Product Management 37:06 Outro Follow LaunchPod on YouTube We have a new YouTube page! Watch full episodes of our interviews with PM leaders and subscribe! 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: Mikal Lewis.

Today, we’re talking with Kevin Wang, Chief Product Officer at Braze, a platform that enables businesses to build meaningful, personalized relationships with their customers across multiple channels. In this episode, Kevin talks about: How you can pair high-velocity market innovation with a long-term, consistent vision to beat competition year after year Why you should build durable teams, over agile org structures, to drive long-term success And, a process to partner with early adopters to get the best market insights for your product Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-wang-96131916/ Chapters 00:00 Intro 00:56 Kevin Wang’s Career at Braze 03:11 Understanding Selling to Marketers in SaaS 03:37 Braze's Customer Engagement Platform 08:03 The Evolution of Marketing Teams’ Product Needs 13:25 Braze's Future-Forward Product Vision and Strategy 37:04 The Role of Durable Teams in Startups 39:07 AI and the Future of Customer Engagement 44:12 Outro Follow LaunchPod on YouTube We have a new YouTube page! Watch full episodes of our interviews with PM leaders and subscribe! 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, we’re talking with Adam Schoenfeld, CEO at Keyplay, a SaaS solution to help B2B marketers make GTM more efficient. In this episode, Adam talks about: How he built 3 startups to over $1m ARR His process that’s allowed him to reliably reach Product Market Fit again and again And the critical mistakes founders always make...and how you can avoid them Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamschoenfeld/ Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:19 Adam Schoenfeld's Journey to Keyplay 01:59 How to Build A Startup 02:33 Building a Product Audience and Discovering Problems 02:50 From PeerSignal to Keyplay 03:17 Monetizing the Discovery Process 04:05 Finding Product Market Fit 07:11 The Role of Design Partners 13:36 Early Product Traction and Validation 17:49 Challenges in Scaling 19:12 Challenges of Founding a SaaS Company 21:34 Adapting Sales Processes and Proving Value 23:29 Understanding Market Changes and Effective Marketing 28:59 Lessons from Past Ventures and Scaling Challenges 34:19 Insights on Product Market Fit and Distribution 36:57 Navigating Acquisitions and Future Outlook Follow LaunchPod on YouTube We have a new YouTube page! Watch full episodes of our interviews with PM leaders and subscribe! 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: Adam Schoenfeld.

Today, we’re talking with Andy Boyd, CPO of Appfire, which provides a portfolio of over 100 collaboration solutions. In this episode, Andy details: His no-fail growth formula from driving product-led growth (PLG) at IBM Watson Learn from Andy's product-lead growth examples from his book, Enterprise Growth Playbook The ways he uses data to drive experimentation velocity and avoid decision paralysis How he’s slingshotted his career by focusing on working with great people, rather than chasing titles or compensation - and why you should too! Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyfboyd/ Website: https://andyfboyd.com/ Appfire: https://appfire.com/ Enterprise Growth Playbook: https://andyfboyd.com/enterprise-growth-playbook/ Chapters 00:00 The Data Dilemma: Product Decision-Making 00:15 Intro 01:16 The Introduction of Product-Led Growth at IBM Watson 02:19 Driving Monthly Active Users: Strategies and Successes 03:16 Understanding Growth: Product vs. Marketing 04:01 The Early Days of PLG at IBM 05:20 From Developer to Product Manager 08:13 Launching Growth Teams Across IBM 11:39 Key Learnings from Developer-Focused Projects 14:51 The Power of Simplicity in Growth Strategies 16:46 Writing the Enterprise Growth Playbook 20:21 The Silver Bullet Myth in Growth Strategies 21:22 The Magic of Compounding Growth 22:31 Data-Driven Decision Making 26:29 Transitioning to Appfire 28:23 Scaling and Hypergrowth at Appfire 31:42 Effective Customer Feedback Mechanisms 35:31 Career Advice: From IBM to Appfire 40:23 Outro Follow LaunchPod on YouTube We have a new YouTube page! Watch full episodes of our interviews with PM leaders and subscribe! 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: Andy Boyd.

On today’s episode of LaunchPod, Jeff Wharton talks to Sean Lorenz, Senior Director of Product at Altoida, using augmented reality and AI to radically improve neurologic diagnostics In this episode, we talked about: How to adapt product to find viable markets The importance of matching product capabilities with market timing and realistic go-to-market strategies How to deal with a product that is ahead of market readiness Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thenanyu/ Twitter: https://x.com/thenanyu?lang=en Chapters 00:00 Intro 02:09 Essential Tools for Product Managers 03:19 Career Highlights and Organizational Design 03:49 The Heirloom Tomato Analogy 04:18 Conway's Law and Communication Structures 06:11 Focus and Prioritization in Startups 06:53 Lessons from Everlane 13:23 Challenges in Organizational Design 24:02 The Dangers of Learned Helplessness in Engineering Teams 25:19 High Output Management: Key Principles 27:32 Team Structure and Soft Boundaries 31:07 The Aladdin Principle: Breaking Social Boundaries 31:49 Balancing Core Business and Checkbox Requirements 34:45 Linear's Unique Approach to Project Management 43:42 The Concept of Work Trials at Linear 47:00 Outro Follow LaunchPod on YouTube We have a new YouTube page! Watch full episodes of our interviews with PM leaders and subscribe! 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, LogRocket’s VP of Marketing, Jeff Wharton, talks to Elizabeth Van Bergen, who leads product experience at Phillips, a global high-end auction house. In this episode we talked about: Creating a product experience for both tech novices and early adopters “One of our big things is always creating parity between experiences. We always want to create the journey for the client, we want to show people what they can do, not force them. We've really been able to also bring that online and offer them the digital space from a product standpoint. Some people just always prefer that personal high touch. But the idea for us is to be able to create an experience where for 80% of the clients it’s not necessary. So the 20% of the market that we're looking towards, the ultra-high net worth individuals, we will always be able to service them. But by being able to solve for the 80%, it gives our team the bandwidth and ability to focus on the ultra-high net worth individuals, whereas our tools help those early adopters." How the traditional auction industry went digital overnight “[The pandemic] was a reckoning for the whole world, but I think for an industry that is so rooted in tradition, like the auction world, it was the catalyst that drove everyone to really be interested in the change. It wasn't that people didn't know that it needed to happen, that we didn't need to change our digital offerings; it just wasn't the core of what we were doing. Changing something within the auction world can sometimes be like trying to move a mountain. You're trying to explain something that is maybe very foreign to what our specialists are used to doing; this is how we've done it for 20, 30 years. So the pandemic was great because it changed everybody's minds and it rerouted how people were thinking about things like 'What can I do for this client or what can I offer them digitally?'” And why the digital experience is as important as the functionality itself “Relationships within our industry are key. So you want people to keep coming back because, whether someone is a consigner or a buyer, both are clients. Either way, the company is making money and it's important to service both of those clients. So you always want people to be coming back. If you have a happy buyer, they come back, let's say maybe five, 10 years later and they sell, you have a happy consigner. So you also develop a brand loyalty and that trust is really key. So even though some of what we do is still, and will always be, in person, that digital aspect of it, if someone's trying to WhatsApp someone after a meeting and now all of a sudden that share option isn't providing the correct metadata that's supposed to be there, that can be really frustrating, and can also not always look as nice, and sometimes it just needs to look nice too." Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethvanbergen/ Chapters 00:00 Intro 00:54 Elizabeth Van Bergen's Background and Career Journey 02:15 The Art of Productizing Taste 03:22 Digital Transformation in the Auction Industry 05:17 Creating Seamless Digital Experiences 12:10 Navigating the Pandemic and Embracing Change 16:29 Leveraging Social Media and Data 21:36 Balancing Functionality and Experience 28:27 Collaborative Efforts and Future Directions 32:09 Outro Follow LaunchPod on YouTube We have a new YouTube page! Watch full episodes of our interviews with PM leaders and subscribe! 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: Elizabeth Van Bergen.