Behind The Product

We've got Dawn x2 on this episode!

Dawn Lively, CEO of FullStack PEO, joins the show as our guest and Dawn Bunting, Director of HR at SEP, joins us as a co-host.

Both Dawns share their perspectives on the challenges employees are facing today, how to best care for them, and how companies are responding to the current labor market. We also discuss the need to provide flexibility, the pros and cons of remote work, and how to support people in the transition back into the office.

You can find more information about this podcast at sep.com/podcast and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening!

We're giving you a sampling of several of our favorite snippets from our last 20+ shows. Think of it like a flight of drinks, giving you a taste of several flavors, but in podcast form.

Host Zac Darnell and Guest Host David Mathew share four excerpts from the podcast so far. If any of the clips piqued your interest, you can find the full episodes here:

• Ryan Larcom - Avoiding Innovation Theatre
• Rik Sansone - Delta Faucet
• Duane Musser - Engineering More Than Just Products
• SEP: A Peek Behind Our Walls

You can find more information about this podcast at sep.com/podcast and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening!

We all know what a product is. We buy and use them all the time. But, what does it mean where you work? Why is there so much resistance to creating great products where you work?

Jeff's talk focuses on how to recognize the mindset that gets in the way of effective product design and development. He shares how to know when you, your leadership and the processes you use have slipped into anti-product mode, and gives you tips to fight it.

This episode is a re-broadcast of a talk from Jeff Patton, author of the bestselling book User Story Mapping. Jeff uses drawings throughout the talk, so if you'd like to see the sketches he mentions, you can find the video replay of the event here.

You can find more information about this podcast at sep.com/podcast and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening!

Marty Draper, COO of Vibenomics, joins us to dive into the concept of being human first at work.

Marty has been a leader in technology at different companies and has great insights on how things have changed over time, hopefully for the better. No one is perfect, but Marty has found that if you have good intentions, you can build a thriving organization that cares deeply.

You can find more information about this podcast at sep.com/podcast and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening!

We're doing something a little different for this episode - giving you a peek behind the scenes at SEP. We asked three of our peers at SEP (SEPeers, if you will) to share their perspectives on how we work:

• Jon Fuller, Director of Software Engineering
• Giuliana Taylor, Senior Software Engineer
• Chris Atkinson, Vice President of Engineering

We aren't perfect by any stretch, but we want to share what works well for us in hopes that it helps you.

If you have any questions or thoughts about what we share in this episode, reach out to us at [email protected] or find host Zac Darnell on social media at @zacdarnell.

You can find more information about this podcast at sep.com/podcast and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening!

Tim Lancaster of Indigo BioAutomation and Mark Perkins of The Binding Site join us to share how they're bringing artificial intelligence and mass spectrometry together to make significant improvements in the world of multiple myeloma.

Mark's team saw a massive opportunity to improve multiple myeloma diagnostics, but they knew they needed a software partner. Tim's team at Indigo Bioautomation proved to be the perfect fit. Mark and Tim share about their powerful partnership and their journey from turning an idea to a tool that will change patients' lives.

You can find more information about this podcast at sep.com/podcast and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening!

UX is critical to creating usable, enjoyable products, but not everyone is aware of it or convinced of UX's value. Rik Sansone, User Experience & Designer - CW at Delta Faucet, joins us to share how he's been a UX evangelist throughout his career.

We discuss how to handle conflicts of interest between the business and UX by sharing information to align user and business goals. Rik compares UX to the planning and setup of a Broadway show or an amusement park. The whole experience is intricately designed to meet user (or visitor) goals as well as business stakeholder goals.

We also dig into learning from failure, staying objective, and uncovering root problems.

You can find more information about this podcast at sep.com/podcast and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening!

Whether you're a crime show binger or more of an inspirational pep talk listener, you've probably listened to your fair share of podcasts. While the medium started primarily in the entertainment and education space, it's made its way into the B2B world - and it's thriving. Adam Patarino, Co-Founder and CPO at Casted, joins us to discuss how his team is developing podcasting to help companies reach their audiences in a meaningful way.

Adam discusses how the human element of podcasting makes it such an effective medium for B2B marketing. He introduces the concept of amplified marketing and explains the ways Casted helps their customers implement it in their businesses.

We take a look at where podcasting has come from, where it is now, and where we think it's headed.

Adam also shares a few of Casted's unique approaches to product management that keep the whole team aligned and allow them to quickly solve customer problems.

You can find more information about this podcast at sep.com/podcast and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening!

Anyone who's built a product or company knows that growth requires making hard decisions. Chris Keaney of Vibenomics joins us to share how his team has navigated tough choices as they evolve. While the specifics are context-dependent, Chris is sure about his overarching strategy: you have to stay laser-focused on your mission and make decisions that will clearly move it forward.

Not only is Vibenomics scaling their business, they're also blazing the trail for a new industry category. Chris and his team saw the value in the brick and mortar experience and saw a way to create more value in it: digital audio out-of-home advertising. Chris explains this new category and shares how Vibenomics transformed a legacy experience into a dynamic opportunity.

We also explore Vibenomics' evolution from SaaS to advertising and from self-service to managed services. Chris shares how Vibenomics is adapting to changes in their primary use cases and simplifying a complex process to minimize cognitive load on users.

You can find more information about this podcast at sep.com/podcast and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening!

Some people fall into product management, but other people have to work their way into it. Diana Nolting, VP of Product at SkuVault, joins us for this episode to share what she's learned from fighting her way into product management.

Diana began her career in journalism, giving her a unique perspective on the world of product. Throughout our conversation, she emphasizes the importance of asking good questions, getting to the "story behind the story," and building relationships with the people you're serving. She shares her tips for successful user interviews, her go-to tool in product management.

We also talk about the importance of bringing everyone together to solve problems cross-functionally. Diana shares an analogy that she uses with her team: we're all rowing together. Continuous conversations and remembering that your team is working toward a unified goal are critical for success in product.

We wrap up with advice from Diana and our co-host, Dave Mathew, for people interested in moving into product management. Dave shares why he believes asking good questions is the key skill for people in product. Diana advises people interested in product to ask questions and be willing to be wrong.

You can find more information about this podcast at sep.com/podcast and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening!