Products That Count Podcast

Every product manager starts out in a variety of entry points. What does it take to build a long-term career - and most importantly, how do you create value for customers and your business? BioDigital CPO Vivian Chang talks about going from project manager to CPO - along with the importance of being user-focused throughout the product lifecycle and how to scale with revenue-driven products. Click here to read more about Vivian's story: http://bit.ly/2FbTROq

Dating apps have completely turned social interaction upside down - re-engineering how people meet and how we open up to others. How do product managers continue to enhance opportunities for people to find "the one?" Hinge CPO Tim MacGougan talks about the evolution of his product career - leading into the current state of dating apps and what we can expect in the near future. Click here to read more about Tim's story on our blog: http://bit.ly/2Q2P2ru 

With more choices than ever before, it's easy to get lost in the app store. How do you build products that stand out? Ovia Co-Founder Gina Nebesar talks about building customer empathy, creating successful prototypes and how to stay ahead of the competition with growth products.

Every product manager thinks about leadership opportunities - and the first question is, "how do I get there?" Acorns Product Director Paige Conrad talks about how to sell yourself, promoting inclusion in the workplace and what it takes to make great products.

studiored Founder Philip Bourgeois is my guest on this week’s podcast episode. Learn about his processes for developing digital and physical interactions throughout the development process, that have made his firm the leading producer of wearables and bio-tech hardware in Silicon Valley. Learn more at ProductsThatCount.com. 

My guest on this episode is Michael Katz, CEO & Co-Founder of mParticle. He talks about the culture and practices that have allowed him to build product-focused teams that continually execute, deliver value, and leave a legacy.  About the Guest: Michael Katz is Co-Founder of mParticle and serves as its Chief Executive Officer and Director. He is responsible for creating and overseeing the execution of mParticle's vision of becoming the premier mobile data solution. He is formerly the Vice President of Optimization & Analytics at Yahoo via the acquisition of Interclick, a company he founded, organically grew to $140M in revenue, and sold to Yahoo for $270 million in 2011.  Learn more at ProductsThatCount.com     

In this podcast interview, I sit down with security guru Rene Kolga for a chat about building security products. He talks about how it's different from building for any product, yet how it's similar. Learn more at ProductsThatCount.com. 

"Today, our phones and camera are trying to take us into another reality"...and that reality is AR/VR/MR. On this episode, I interviewed Wevr Head of Product Sami Ramly to share with us why and how to build for this new paradigm. Learn the thought-processes Sami uses at Wevr to tackle the world of augmented and virtual reality. 

In order to be nimble, you need to have a great team that grows with your organization's technology and culture. Join Patty Mccord and I on this podcast epsiode about how you should tackle team development and management as a Product Manager.  Patty headed up HR at Netflix for 14 years and helped develop the Netflix Culture Deck, which is still a staple onboarding document for companies today. Her book “Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility,” focuses on how the high-performing culture at Netflix was formed — advocating complete honesty and using challenges as motivation rather than incentives.

Building "products that count" involves more than just developing a great product, it's about creating a memorable user experience from beginning to end. Sure, making sure your infrastructure is technically solid and functioning is integral, but how do you make this process inspiring? How do you create a process that encourages the user to integrate your product into their daily life? and share it with their friends and peers? In this month's podcast episode, I chat with Box CPO Jeetu Patel about how you can begin building the user experience in early development and how you can have the biggest customer impact at scale. 

Why would anyone want to hire a middleman, like someone to get your groceries, especially if you have time to take care of the planning and shopping yourself? On today’s episode, my guest Marina Krakovsky discusses her book The Middleman Economy. Marina shatters old stigmas about middlemen of yesteryear, explaining why some middlemen have disappeared while many others have gained in importance. She offers clear suggestions about what today’s businesses must do to make technological progress work for them, not against them. On the show, you’ll hear Marina’s opinion that despite predictions that the internet would destroy the need for middlemen, she argues they're more valuable than ever though their roles have changed.

How is technology making a difference in your life today? On today’s episode, my guest Selina Tobaccowala discusses her newest startup Gixo and how she plans to help consumers lead healthier lives. You'll hear Selina compare and contrast her experiences with Evite, the company she co-founded; SurveyMonkey, the company she helped grow and scale to 200 million users; and Gixo, her current-day startup that she co-founded with Al Lieb. Selina also shares insight into what makes a great Product Manager and how to take your career to the next level. It starts with carving your own path, a lot of success starts with you taking on more responsibility—be proactive and ask for more from your manager instead of waiting for them to come to you. Selina also tells me that PMs are the glue that makes all the pieces work and it’s important to know the answers to the following: What are the important areas of feedback that helps drive your product? What are the business metrics? What are the strategic goals? How do you make

What are the qualities you look for in a great product manager? Today, my guest David Fradin shares his thoughts on what makes a successful, innovative product leader. David is a classically trained Product Manager, now coach, that worked with Steve Jobs at Apple and worked for David Packard at HP—all in all, he’s been in the product management industry for over 47 years across 27 different organizations and verticals. On the podcast, you’ll hear David’s mnemonic “S.P.I.C.E S.” and you’ll learn the six keys to building insanely great products which stands for: strategy, process, information, customers, employees, and systems & tools David tells me one of the most important things that a product manager should do is to start as a leader to assess the product lifecycle. David Fradin’s Influencers Steven Johnson   Innovation Tools: The most successful techniques to innovate cheaply and effectively    

How can “game thinking” help strengthen long-term engagement with your users? Today, on this episode, my guest Amy Jo Kim discusses how she helps entrepreneurs bring their ideas to life with game thinking to help accelerate early product design.

What are three words you would use to describe yourself to help build your personal brand? On today’s podcast, you’ll hear Dorie Clark discuss her books, what keeps her committed to helping people get their ideas heard, how she uses the 3-word exercise to start the branding process, and much, much more.

Are you telling the big-picture story that’ll influence change? What is the structure of belonging in the digital age? These are just a few questions the CEO and Founder of Get Storied, Michael Margolis, asks on today’s episode. Michael has a background in cultural anthropology, and he works with people who are changing history; people who are doing things that have never been done before. On this episode, you’ll hear his insights on why storytelling is more crucial than ever in our age of disruption and innovation. First and foremost, it’s all about the human experience. Emotion starts first. As consumers, we buy on emotion and justify with logic. On this podcast, you’ll hear about Michael’s story and how he got into his role as a Narrative Strategist and what keeps his passion for storytelling alive. You’ll also hear great advice on why online comes first when it comes to your personal story and brand. Michael mentions how you write your about page and bio is one of the most important skills we don’t get ta

Founder and CEO of Product School, Carlos González de Villaumbrosia, talks about his insights into what makes a great product manager in this episode. Carlos started his career in software development in Spain—but he knew he always wanted to be in Silicon Valley because he was very excited about technology. Carlos mentions to me that in addition to engineering, he also went to business school. Both career paths were great in their own respect—but he wanted to find something in the middle. Engineering, as he recalls, was very low-level and technical and business school was very high-level and strategic. That’s where he found product management—his passion and dream. On the show, you’ll hear how Carlos found the formula with Product School where people can learn the latest and greatest with product management and tech while keeping their life. He also provides advice to companies who are looking to hire for their first product role and beyond. His top three product management qualities to look for in any produc

Founder of Portigal Consulting, Steve Portigal, talks about user research, books, and how much there is to learn about people on today’s episode. Located just outside of San Francisco in Pacifica, CA, you'll find Steve's consultancy. Here, he aims to help companies harness the strategic power of user research. In this episode, Steve provides his expertise and thoughts on how to uncover compelling insights with customers. He mentions how important it is to leave your worldview at the door when you’re studying other people. Steve also explains the “art” of asking the right question and how it’s both a science and art form. Finally, you’ll hear practical product manager career advice to get you to the next level.     Click the link to find out more about Steve’s most recent book Doorbells, Danger, and Dead Batteries: User Research War Stories. Use coupon code: PTCfriends for 20% off at checkout.   To get more user research advice, or to connect with Steve, visit his website http://www.portigal.com/ or find him

Founder and CEO at WorkFusion, Max Yankelevich, talks about his desire to build products people use. Max provides his thoughts on the AI revolution and its future. He also gives advice to entrepreneurs who want to work in the B2B space, provides a glance into a typical day at WorkFusion, and stresses the importance of being a customer-focused business. His advice: don’t postpone the first contact with the customer; be iterative with your product.

On this podcast, I interviewed Adam Lasinky about his bestselling book,“Wild Ride, Inside Uber’s Quest for World Domination“. He discusses why he chose to take a close-up look at Uber's rise as a global tech business phenomenon. Adam reveals his brief stint as an Uber driver and how the drivers have made the company what it is today. He talks about the brilliance of Uber capitalizing on driver's assets (i.e. their cars), why no entrepreneur should try to be Travis Kalanick, and the future of technology.