Rob Litterst from HubSpot media discusses ethical pricing practices in SaaS, employee-generated content, quality newsletters, and unethical pricing strategies. They explore dark patterns, fake discounts, and the importance of transparency in pricing. Discover top newsletters for tech, personal development, and pop culture insights.

Matt Woods, ex-Coda Product Leader, discusses collaboration between PMs and designers, product activation strategies, balancing quick wins with big projects for growth, and leadership development insights in this informative podcast.

Welcome to Growthmates — the place to connect with inspiring leaders to help you grow yourself and your product. Here you can learn how companies like Dropbox, Adobe, Amplitude, Canva, and many more are building excellent products and growth culture. Subscribe to get all episodes right to your inbox on katesyuma.substack.com.Listen now and subscribe on your favorite platforms — Apple, Spotify, or watch on YouTube (new!).Exciting announcement! If you're keen on Mastering Product Growth and User onboarding, join the upcoming course in April. You will get personal guidance to create a stellar onboarding experience and frameworks to turn it into live. Get a 10% discount before 15 March.Learn more and get early access → https://maven.com/growth-course/self-serve-onboardingThis time we talked to Emily Wang, CEO of Bento, previously Product Manager on Growth Team at Intercom.  Emily shared her authentic story of becoming a founder, the role of leadership, creating a company culture, and building a strong team. Our conversation went beyond that, and we also discussed: * What’s The Right Time to Introduce Experimentation* Why Killing Features is necessary to grow and evolve your product * Why the PLG model sometimes is not the right fit, and what we all should be aware of in the current market landscape If you find our show valuable, please share it with your colleagues and friends, and leave us a good review.Follow Growthmates updates on:* Substack Newsletter (for instant inbox delivery): https://katesyuma.substack.com/podcast* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/growthmates-podcast/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growthmates_/Where to find Emily Wang, CEO of Bento:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilyyidanwang/ * Website: https://www.trybento.co/Where to find Kate Syuma, Growth Advisor (ex-Miro):* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterina-syuma/* Newsletter: https://katesyuma.substack.com* X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/kate_syumaWhere to find Oscar Torres, Product Designer at Miro:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oscartorrestryme/* Website: https://www.oscartorres.me/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oscar_towers_/What we’ve covered in this episode:00:00 Emily's Mission to Start Bento03:46 Emily's Personal Mental Model Shift05:00 The Importance of Building a Company10:00 Understanding Different Parts of a Company12:14 The Right Time to Introduce Experimentation15:00 The Role of Leadership in Company Building16:44 Killing Features and Simplifying the Product17:12 Balancing Product and Design Team Priorities20:00 Creating a Company Culture22:32 Product-Led Growth and Finding the Right Fit25:00 Building a Strong Team30:00 Effective Communication within a Company34:47 Shifts in the Macro Environment and Impact on Product Growth40:00 Balancing Short-Term and Long-Term Goals47:33 Onboarding vs Everboarding45:00 Conclusion51:03 Where to Connect with EmilyResources referenced:* Get a 10% discount for the Maven course on Onboarding and Activation before 15th March: https://maven.com/growth-course/self-serve-onboarding* Behind the Cloud, Mark Benioff: https://www.amazon.com/Behind-Cloud-Salesforce-com-Billion-Dollar-Company/* Leadership and Self-Deception, The Arbinger Institute: https://www.amazon.com/Leadership-Self-Deception-Getting-Out-Box/If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to share it with your colleagues and like-minded friends. For sponsorship and other inquiries reach out to ekaterinasyuma@gmail.com.Subscribe to get more episodes right in your inbox: katesyuma.substack.comThanks for reading Kate's Syuma Newsletter & Growthmates! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Get full access to Growthmates with Kate Syuma at www.growthmates.news/subscribe

Exciting announcement! If you're keen on Mastering Product Growth and User onboarding, join the upcoming course in April. You will get personal guidance to create a stellar onboarding experience and frameworks to turn it into live. Get a 15% discount for your team (most value for PM + Product Designer together). Learn more and get early access → https://maven.com/forms/2c51ccWelcome to Growthmates — the place to connect with inspiring leaders to help you grow yourself and your product. Here you can learn how companies like Dropbox, Adobe, Amplitude, Canva, and many more are building excellent products and growth culture. Subscribe to get all episodes right to your inbox on katesyuma.substack.com.Listen now on Apple, Spotify, or watch on YouTube (new!).In this conversation, we invited Phil Vander Broek, Co-Founder at Dopt, previously Head of Growth and Business Platform Design at Dropbox. We decided to talk about User Onboarding and unpack all the truth we know about it. From this episode, you can learn: * How Dropbox approached User Onboarding and what they learned from experimenting with that* How Growth and Core teams collaboration looked at Dropbox* What Rituals can help in building a Growth Culture* and Best practices for User Onboarding from research with more than 80 companies. Beyond the Dropbox story, Phill shared his transition to becoming a Co-Founder at Dopt,  and how his design background helped him play a founder role. If you find it valuable, please share it with your network and leave us a good review. Follow Growthmates podcast updates on:* Substack Newsletter (for instant inbox delivery): https://katesyuma.substack.com/podcast* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/growthmates-podcast/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growthmates_/Where to find Phil Vander Broek, Co-Founder at Dopt:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipvanderbroek/ * Website: https://www.dopt.com/Where to find Kate Syuma, Growth Advisor (ex-Miro):* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterina-syuma/* Newsletter: https://katesyuma.substack.com* X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/kate_syumaWhere to find Oscar Torres, Product Designer at Miro:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oscartorrestryme/* Website: https://www.oscartorres.me/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oscar_towers_/What we’ve covered in this episode:01:20 Approach to User Onboarding at Dropbox04:12 Surprising Behavioral Insights from User Onboarding Experiments11:57 Collaboration between Growth and Core Teams13:23 Rituals for Alignment and Building a Growth Culture21:44 Industry Trends in User Onboarding34:05 Transition to Entrepreneurship and Creating DOPT44:07 Insights and Learnings as a Founder46:28 The Connection Between AI and User Onboarding47:16 Favorite Example of User Onboarding47:29 Interactive Guides50:10 Tooltips vs Checklists51:10 Recommended Resources53:08 ConclusionResources referenced:* Product Led Onboarding playbook: https://blog.dopt.com/product-led-onboarding-playbook * The State of User Onboarding — report from 80+ companies: https://onboard.report/* The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick: https://www.momtestbook.com/* How to determine your activation metric from Lenny Rachitsky* I bet you are doing product activation all wrong from Elena Verna * Mike Maples playbook: https://www.joincolossus.com/episodes/61719/maples-a-playbook-for-startups?tab=transcript * Get early access to the Maven course on Onboarding and Activation (15% discount for teams): https://maven.com/forms/2c51cc If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to share it with your colleagues and like-minded friends. For sponsorship and other inquiries reach out to ekaterinasyuma@gmail.com.Subscribe to get more episodes right in your inbox: katesyuma.substack.comThanks for reading Kate's Syuma Newsletter & Growthmates! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Get full access to Growthmates with Kate Syuma at www.growthmates.news/subscribe

Design Director at Intercom, Thomas Rimmer, discusses design-led culture, transparent roadmaps, AI integration, and the importance of mentorship in personal and professional growth. Topics include product-led growth strategies, experimentation, and optimizing customer service using AI.

We’re happy to welcome you on the Season 2 of the Growthmates podcast where we will dive into insightful conversations with leaders from Amplitude, Canva, Intercom, Coda, HubSpot, and more to come. If you enjoy our show — subscribe to get all episodes right to your inbox on katesyuma.substack.com. Listen now on Apple, Spotify, or watch on YouTube (new!).In this episode, Iain Dowling, Growth Design Leader at Canva, shares insights into his career path and the culture at Canva. He discusses the growth of Canva and the significant changes he has witnessed during his 6 years at the company. Iain also explains the transition from individual contributor to manager and the importance of coaching at Canva. He highlights the 4 pillars of Canva's growth and development framework and the training provided to coaches. Iain discusses the influence of designers on Canva's culture and the role of the “Vibe Team” in creating a positive work environment. He also shares insights into hiring for growth teams and the importance of effective one-on-one meetings. In this conversation, Iain discusses the importance of effective communication and provides valuable insights on building strong relationships, active listening, non-verbal communication, and overcoming communication challenges.Some Takeaways:* Canva has experienced significant growth over the years, but has maintained its core values and culture.* Coaching is an integral part of Canva's leadership approach, focusing on the growth and development of team members.* Canva's growth team is organized around key metrics, such as monthly active users (MAU) and annualized recurring revenue (ARR).* The “Vibe Team” at Canva plays a crucial role in creating and maintaining a positive and engaging work culture.* Hiring for growth teams requires individuals with a data mindset, an interest in user flows, and a focus on impact and iteration. Effective communication is crucial for personal and professional success.* Building strong relationships requires open and honest communication.* Active listening and empathy are essential skills for effective communication.* Non-verbal communication plays a significant role in conveying messages.* Overcoming communication challenges requires patience, understanding, and adaptability.Follow Growthmates podcast updates on:* Substack Newsletter (for instant inbox delivery): https://katesyuma.substack.com/* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/growthmates-podcast/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growthmates_/Where to find Iain Dowling, Growth Design Lead at Canva:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/idowling/Where to find Kate Syuma, Growth Advisor (ex-Miro):* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterina-syuma/* Newsletter: https://katesyuma.substack.com/* X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/kate_syumaWhere to find Oscar Torres, Product Designer at Miro:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oscartorrestryme/* Website: https://www.oscartorres.me/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oscar_towers_/What we’ve covered in this episode:00:00 Introduction and Background01:20 Becoming a Growth Design Leader at Canva02:26 The Growth of Canva04:41 Transitioning from Individual Contributor to Manager06:21 The Role of Coaching at Canva08:30 The Four Pillars of Canva's Growth and Development Framework09:25 Training for Coaches at Canva10:41 The Influence of Designers on Canva's Culture15:59 The Growth of Canva18:36 Establishing the Growth Team at Canva21:55 Organizational Structure of the Growth Team25:16 The North Star Metrics for the Growth Team28:10 Introducing Magic Studio and AI at Canva35:19 The Role of the Vibe Team in Creating Canva's Culture38:53 Factors for High-Performing Growth Teams42:56 Recognizing Growth Talent and Hiring for Growth Teams47:51 Effective One-on-One Meetings and Team Bonding51:36 Favorite Book on Team Culture54:12 Closing Remarks and Contact Information02:30 The Importance of Effective Communication10:00 Building Strong Relationships20:00 Active Listening and Empathy30:00 Non-Verbal Communication40:00 Overcoming Communication Challenges50:00 ConclusionResources referenced:* Simon Sinek, “Leaders Eat Last”: https://simonsinek.com/books/leaders-eat-last/ * Sam Harris’s “Waking Up” app: https://www.wakingup.com/* "Growth and Development 12 Skills" framework — coming soon in a follow-up article! If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to share it with your colleagues and like-minded friends. For sponsorship and other inquiries reach out to ekaterinasyuma@gmail.comSubscribe to get more episodes right in your inbox: katesyuma.substack.comThanks for reading Kate's Syuma Newsletter & Growthmates! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Get full access to Growthmates with Kate Syuma at www.growthmates.news/subscribe

We’re happy to welcome you on the Season 2 of the Growthmates podcast where we will dive into insightful conversations with leaders from Amplitude, Canva, Intercom, Coda, HubSpot, and more to come. If you enjoy our show — subscribe to get all episodes right to your inbox on katesyuma.substack.com.—In this episode, I talked to Jenny Chang, interim Head of Design at Amplitude, who shared her insights and experiences on transitioning from an individual contributor to a manager and the mindset shifts required to become a leader. In the first part of the conversation, we discussed the key challenges we encountered while transitioning from IC to a Manager and emphasized on the importance of maintaining well-being during career growth. Later in our conversation, we discussed the role of data in decision-making, the need for a data-informed culture, and the collaboration between stakeholders and data teams. Jenny also provides tips for making data meetings engaging and suggests questions that designers should ask their data analysts to build a more informed user experience. Jenny concludes by recommending books and resources for further exploration that you can find below in the episode description.Some Takeaways:* Transitioning from an individual contributor to a manager requires a mindset shift and the ability to let go of hands-on work.* Maintaining well-being is crucial during career growth, and prioritizing health can lead to better career outcomes.* Data should be used by everyone in a product team, not just data analysts, and collaboration between stakeholders and data teams is essential.* Engaging data meetings can be achieved by incorporating visualizations, session replay tools, and creating a collaborative environment.* Designers should ask data analysts about the most engaged users and their actions within the product to better inform the user journeys. Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. Follow the podcast updates on: * Substack Newsletter (for instant inbox delivery): https://katesyuma.substack.com/* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/growthmates-podcast/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growthmates_/Where to find Jenny Chng, interim Head of Design (Amplitude):* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thejennychang/ Where to find Kate Syuma, Growth Advisor (ex-Miro):* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterina-syuma/* Newsletter: https://katesyuma.substack.com/* X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/kate_syuma Where to find Oscar Torres, Product Designer at Miro:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oscartorrestryme/* Website: https://www.oscartorres.me/ * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oscar_towers_/What we’ve covered in this episode: 00:00 Introduction and Background06:11 Transitioning from IC to Manager14:20 Mindset Shifts for Becoming a Leader18:12 Maintaining Well-being During Career Growth25:13 Data-Informed Culture and Who Should Use Data29:22 Collaboration Between Stakeholders and Data Teams36:00 Engaging Data Meetings46:24 Data Questions for Designers49:22 Surprising Data Insights51:36 Recommended Resources51:53 Conclusion and Contact InformationResources referenced: * Julie Zhuo Zhou, “The Making of a Manager”: https://www.amazon.com/Making-Manager-What-Everyone-Looks/dp/0735219567* Scott Belsky, “The Messy Middle”: https://www.amazon.com/Messy-Middle-Finding-Through-Hardest/dp/0735218072/* C. Pam Zhang, “Land of Milk and Honey”: https://www.amazon.com/Land-Milk-Honey-Pam-Zhang/dp/0593538242/If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to share it with your colleagues and like-minded friends. For sponsorship and other inquiries reach out to ekaterinasyuma@gmail.com Subscribe to get more episodes right in your inbox: katesyuma.substack.comThanks for reading Kate's Syuma Newsletter & Growthmates! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and get all new episodes right in your inbox. Get full access to Growthmates with Kate Syuma at www.growthmates.news/subscribe

About a year ago, we launched Growthmates to connect with like-minded folks and share personal and professional growth stories. Since then, we published 10+ episodes with fantastic leaders from Dropbox, Miro, Pinterest, Adobe, Atlassian, and season 2 is coming in January 2024!As we wrap up this year, we created a special episode where Oscar and I dive into a genuine, reflective conversation — something we've never done before on the podcast. We'll spill the details on:* who we are today* how 2023 transformed us personally and professionally * new habits we've adopted to support wellbeing* reflection on my last 6 years at Miro* my move from Miro to a solo journey* and our aspirations for 2024.It's a raw, open dialogue that I believe is crucial to carry into the next year and the future of our podcast. After the holidays, we'll be back with Season 2, featuring fantastic leaders from Amplitude, Canva, Coda, Dropbox, Intercom, HubSpot, and more.Where to find Kate Syuma, Growth Advisor (ex-Miro):* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterina-syuma/* Website: https://katesyuma.substack.com/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katusyuma/Where to find Oscar Torres, Product Designer at Miro:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oscartorrestryme/* Website: https://www.oscartorres.me/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oscar_towers_/If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to share it with your colleagues and like-minded friends.Subscribe to get more episodes right in your inbox: katesyuma.substack.comThanks for reading Kate's Syuma Newsletter & Growthmates! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Get full access to Growthmates with Kate Syuma at www.growthmates.news/subscribe

Discover how Atlassian balances velocity and quality in digital product design with the 'Good, Better, Best' framework. Learn about personal growth frameworks and career development insights shared by Adam Furness. Stay tuned for Season 2 of Growthmates coming in September!

Today we had a very deep and balanced conversation Verna Bhargava, Senior Experience Design Manager at Growth in Adobe. We unpacked the topic of vulnerability for leaders and individuals who are constantly trying to achieve high results for themselves and their companiesJoin this conversation to hear about how Growth is organised at Adobe, what frameworks help to find space for innovation, and how vulnerability can help you build a stronger team culture.If you enjoy this episode, don't forget to share it with your friends and give us a good review.Resources mentioned:* The Emergence of a Growth Designer: https://adobe.design/stories/leading-design/the-emergence-of-the-growth-designer* Radical Candor, Kim Scott* The Making of a Manager, Julie Zhuo* Dare to Lead, Brene Brown* Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert* The Artist's Way, Julia CameronWhere to find Verna Bhargava, Sr. Experience Design manager, Growth at Adobe express:* Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/verna-bhargava/Where to find Kate Syuma, Head of Growth Design at Miro:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterina-syuma/* Blog: https://medium.com/@kate_syuma* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katusyuma/* Website: https://katesyuma.com/Where to find Oscar Torres, Product Designer at Miro:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oscartorrestryme/* Website: https://www.oscartorres.me/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oscar_towers_/If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to share it with your colleagues and like-minded friends, and give us a good review or send us your feedback to growthmates@substack.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit growthmates.substack.com Get full access to Growthmates with Kate Syuma at www.growthmates.news/subscribe