One Knight in Product

Andy Budd, a designer and venture partner, shares his insights on early-stage startup growth. He discusses the pivotal components of his "Growth Equation," highlighting how to optimize driving factors like audience motivation and value delivery while minimizing friction. Budd warns against founders overestimating their MVPs, stressing the need for quick market testing. He also emphasizes tailoring messaging to resonate with target audiences, illustrating the importance of aligning with customer language for successful product/market fit.

Jas Shah, a fintech product consultant in London, shares his candid insights on the often misunderstood world of product management. He reveals that the role is far from glamorous, highlighting the invisible labor involved in team coordination and balancing competing interests. Jas challenges the romanticized narratives by emphasizing the demanding nature of the job, the lack of authority, and the importance of genuine value delivery. He also touches on fintech innovations, including exciting concepts like gamified banking for children.

Victoria Sakal, a growth and go-to-market expert at Wonder, shares her insights on the costs of uninformed decision-making, introducing the concepts of 'research tax' and 'stupid tax.' She emphasizes finding the right balance between speed and quality in user research, drawing parallels from aviation and the Olympics. Victoria also explores how AI is transforming research, highlighting the importance of human expertise in interpreting data. Ultimately, she advocates for efficient strategies that leverage technology without sacrificing insight.

Boluwaji Alepaye is a product manager who works for Moniepoint, a Nigerian fintech firm that aims to power financial dreams in emerging markets. He's also an active mentor, aiming to help Nigerian product managers thrive. His hot take? That the classic product management advice that comes out of the US and Western Europe just doesn't apply to Nigeria, where market dynamics mean that you have to make very different product decisions, and even the local training courses are dominated by Western voices. Find Boluwaji on LinkedIn. If you'd like to appear on Hot Takes, please grab a time! Related episodes you should like: Supporting Product Managers & Standing Up for the Value of Product Management (Princess Akari, Founder "People in Product") Building Disruptive Products by Harnessing Power Users (Moustapha Seck, Founder @ Fluid) Making our Product Teams Stronger through Building Communities of Practice (Petra Wille, Author "Strong Product People" and "Strong Product Communities") From Physiotherapist to Product Manager (Samuel Ogunkoya, Product Manager @ ProducteevTech) Challenges & Opportunities for Africans Making Products for Africans (Abisoye Falabi, Senior Product Manager @ TradeDepot) Product Management in Africa & Dreams of an African Silicon Valley (Layo Ogunbanwo, Founder @ Practical Product) Product Processes & the Importance of Work / Life Balance (Busayomi Omotosho, Product Manager @ Softcom) Transforming your Organisation to the Product Operating Model (Marty Cagan, Author "Inspired", "Empowered" and "Transformed")

Danielle Barnes, CEO of Women Talk Design, and Christina Wodtke, renowned author and co-founder of the same platform, dive into the art of public speaking. They emphasize the power of authenticity and storytelling, encouraging speakers to embrace their unique voices. The duo discusses overcoming stereotypes and finding motivation in sharing personal perspectives. Highlighting the importance of diverse voices, they stress that impactful communication doesn’t require a big audience—just the right one. Tune in for insightful advice on becoming a confident presenter!

Mark Gray, a Senior Product Manager at Nexford University, brings 12 years of expertise in both B2B and B2C sectors. He challenges the traditional 'value divided by effort' prioritization, arguing it hampers innovation and creates a feature factory mindset. Mark advocates for engaging diverse teams in discussions to determine priorities based on desired outcomes. He also discusses the balance between quick wins and high-impact projects, emphasizing the need for intentional decision-making and collaborative dialogue in product management.

Jordan Dalladay, a product strategist at inherent ventures, shares his unconventional take on product roadmapping. He argues for a focus on risks instead of just features, promoting a risk-based product strategy. Dalladay emphasizes validating assumptions and conducting experiments to enhance product development success. He discusses navigating the challenges of implementing risk management in organizations and the importance of clear communication and documentation in prioritizing risk assessment for effective decision-making.

Chris Butler is a "Chaotic Good Product Manager" who has worked for companies like Microsoft, Google and Facebook. He's currently Staff Product Operations Manager at GitHub, and current running an online course on AI Product Design Patterns. His hot take? That product managers don't need to be technical and that it might even be a net negative to their relationship with the engineering team. Find Chris on LinkedIn and remember to check out his AI product course, "AI Product Design Patterns" . If you'd like to appear on Hot Takes, please grab a time! A message from this episode's sponsor - Leadfeeder This episode is sponsored by Leadfeeder. No more not knowing who’s coming to your website, convert more leads and get a free trial at Leadfeeder.com: Check out Leadfeeder here. Related episodes you should like: Survive the Feature Factory by Applying Product Thinking to Product Thinking (John Cutler, Product Evangelist & Coach @ Amplitude) The Five Dysfunctions of Product Management Teams (Saeed Khan, Founder @ Transformation Labs) Practice Makes Perfect: Embracing the Messy Reality of Product Management (Matt LeMay, Product Management Consultant & Author "Product Management in Practice") May Wong's Hot Take - Product Management is a Team Sport (May Wong, Product Operations Consultant & Coach) Dean Peters' Hot Take - There's More to be Said About the Instagram-ification of Product Management (Dean Peters, Principal Consultant & Trainer @ Productside) Applying Product Management Principles to Life (Miloš Belčević, Author "Build Your Way") Product Processes & the Importance of Work / Life Balance (Busayomi Omotosho, Product Manager @ Softcom) Jeremy Kirouac's Hot Take - Founders Need Product Management Training (Jeremy Kirouac, Fractional Product Leader)

Jeremy Kirouac is a "Pan-Canadian" product leader and former startup founder who has thrown himself headlong into the world of fractional product leadership, as well as helping advise companies in all things product-related. His hot take? That startup founders live in information bubbles that concentrate solely on revenue and don't spend enough time teaching them good product management fundamentals. This impacts their chances of building a good product company and impacts their relationship with product management teams as they scale. Find Jeremy all over Canada, or on LinkedIn. If you'd like to appear on Hot Takes, please grab a time! Related episodes you should like: Moving Beyond Founder-Led Product Development & Setting PMs up for Success (Jennifer Yang-Wong, VP of Product @ Contrary) Build Products Businesses Want with the Lean B2B Pyramid (Étienne Garbugli, Author "Lean B2B", "Find your Market" and "Solving Product") Your Product is a Joke - How to use Improv Comedy Principles in Product Management (Amogh Sarda, Co-founder @ Eesel) Chris Locke's Hot Take - Product Leaders Need to Adopt a VC Mindset (Chris Locke, CEO @ Aspire) Upping Your Odds of BEATING the LinkedIn Algorithm (Ivana Todorovic, CEO @ AuthoredUp) Greg Prickril's Hot Take - AI is going to change everything for Product Managers (Greg Prickril, B2B Product Management Coach, Consultant & Trainer) May Wong's Hot Take - Product Management is a Team Sport (May Wong, Product Operations Consultant & Coach) Dean Peters' Hot Take - There's More to be Said About the Instagram-ification of Product Management (Dean Peters, Principal Consultant & Trainer @ Productside)

Chris Locke is a long-time product leader who has taken his passion for educating product managers into his agency, Aspire, with which he aims to help product teams bridge the skills gap and equip them with the skills and resources to build products customers love. His hot take? That product leaders need to adopt the mindset of Venture Capitalists to truly drive growth through their product initiatives; placing a series of bets, backed by data, with clear stage gates for decision-making and adopting a portfolio approach to product prioritisation. Find Chris on LinkedIn and remember to check out his training company, Aspire. If you'd like to appear on Hot Takes, please grab a time! A message from this episode's sponsor - Leadfeeder This episode is sponsored by Leadfeeder. No more not knowing who’s coming to your website, convert more leads and get a free trial at Leadfeeder.com: Check out Leadfeeder here. Related episodes you should like: Moving Beyond Founder-Led Product Development & Setting PMs up for Success (Jennifer Yang-Wong, VP of Product @ Contrary) Paying Off Your Organisation's Human Debt Through Agility & Psychological Safety (Duena Blomstrom, Founder & CEO @ People Not Tech) Fearlessly Defeating the Four Horsemen of a Product-Friendly Culture (Eisha Armstrong, Co-founder @ Vecteris & Author "Productize" & "Fearless") Greg Prickril's Hot Take - AI is going to change everything for Product Managers (Greg Prickril, B2B Product Management Coach, Consultant & Trainer) May Wong's Hot Take - Product Management is a Team Sport (May Wong, Product Operations Consultant & Coach) Dean Peters' Hot Take - There's More to be Said About the Instagram-ification of Product Management (Dean Peters, Principal Consultant & Trainer @ Productside) Build Better Products at Scale with Product Operations (Melissa Perri & Denise Tilles, Product Consultants & Co-authors "Product Operations") Applying Product Management Principles to Life (Miloš Belčević, Author "Build Your Way")