Builders

In this episode, I sit down with Sudipt, the visionary founder behind Digital of Things and UserQ. From leaving a stable corporate career to building a UX research powerhouse in the Middle East, Sudipt shares his inspiring entrepreneurial journey. He discusses the importance of user experience, the cultural nuances of building digital products in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and the strategies behind launching two successful ventures.This conversation is packed with actionable insights on building partnerships, conducting effective user research, and creating products that resonate across diverse markets. Whether you're a product manager, an aspiring entrepreneur, or a UX professional, this episode is brimming with valuable lessons.🔗 Learn More About Digital of Things: https://www.digitalofthings.com🔗 Explore UserQ: https://www.userq.com🔗 Connect with Sudipt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sud18/If you enjoyed the episode, don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more insightful interviews!Timeline:00:00 – Introduction to the Episode00:05 – Sudipt's Corporate Journey and the Leap into Entrepreneurship02:05 – What is Digital of Things and its Core Offerings?04:01 – Key Steps to Localizing a Product in the Middle East06:04 – The Strategic Planning Behind Digital of Things’ Launch09:01 – Building a Partner Network for Business Growth13:06 – The Role of Usability Labs in UX Research19:00 – Real-World Insights from Usability Testing22:31 – Why Invest in a Usability Lab as a Startup?23:42 – Cultural Differences Between UAE, Saudi Arabia, and the UK26:38 – Common Mistakes Companies Make in User Research30:50 – How to Influence Stakeholders with Research Insights35:02 – The Birth of UserQ: From Service to Product Business39:13 – Key Differentiators of UserQ in the Market42:12 – Ensuring Quality in User Testing Participants44:19 – Building a Passionate and Mission-Driven Team50:47 – The Reality Behind UX Salaries and Market Adjustments54:45 – Why UAE is a Global Hub for UX and Product Talent57:16 – Surviving the Pandemic: Challenges and Lessons Learned1:02:20 – The Hardest Decisions as a Founder1:04:41 – Sudipt’s Passion for Teaching UX in the Region1:07:03 – Key Lessons for B2C Companies About UX1:09:57 – Why Inclusivity in Design Matters1:13:31 – How a Diverse Team Elevates UX Research1:14:26 – How to Work with Digital of Things and UserQ

In this in-depth conversation, I sit down with Roman Pichler—author of "Strategize" and a leading expert in Agile product management—to uncover what truly separates a grand product vision from a clear, actionable product strategy. We delve into Roman’s proven four-part framework that seamlessly connects your overarching product vision with practical roadmaps and backlogs, ensuring every step you take is value-driven.Discover how to validate your product strategy with real-world data before investing heavily, identify when it’s time to pivot, and recognize the right moment to push ahead or cut your losses. We also discuss differentiating business strategy from product strategy, working with outcome-based roadmaps, and how continuous review can keep your product thriving in dynamic markets.What You’ll Learn:- How to define a strong product strategy distinct from vision, roadmap, and backlog.- The importance of testing assumptions and validating market needs early.- Using quarterly reviews and outcome-based roadmaps to drive continuous alignment.- Strategies for knowing when to pivot, persevere, or even kill a product initiative.- Best practices for balancing desirability, feasibility, viability, and ethicality in product decisions.Get More From Roman Pichler:🚀 Attend training courses: https://www.romanpichler.com/training-courses/📖 Read Roman's book STRATEGIZE: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0993499244➡︎ CONNECT with Roman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/romanpichler/https://x.com/romanpichler If you enjoy this episode, please like, share, and subscribe for more deep dives into product strategy and Agile product management.Keywords: product strategy, product vision, Agile product management, product validation, product roadmap, Roman Pichler, pivoting strategies, Lean Startup, product portfolio, business strategy, OKRs, outcome-based roadmapsSuggested Timeline / Chapters:00:00 – Intro: From Dating Sites to Video Sharing – How Companies Pivot Their Products01:02 – Defining Product Strategy: Difference Between Vision, Strategy, Roadmap & Backlog03:08 – Vision vs. Strategy: How a Grand Vision Translates into a Practical Strategy05:01 – Strategy to Roadmap: Making Outcomes and Goals Actionable07:05 – Why Create Strategy Templates: The Birth of Roman’s Product Vision Board & Roadmap Tools10:00 – Business Strategy vs. Product Strategy: Understanding Their Distinct Roles13:00 – Scaling Strategies: When Products Become Portfolios and Need Portfolio Strategies17:00 – Choosing the Right Framework: Roger Martin’s Business Strategy vs. Product-Level Strategy19:30 – Common Struggles in Articulating Strategy: Empowerment, Knowledge, and Stakeholder Alignment22:00 – Communicating Strategy Effectively: Involving Teams and Stakeholders Collaboratively25:00 – Avoiding Design by Committee: Balancing Collaboration with Clear Decision-Making Authority26:30 – Building Evidence-Based Strategies: Market Discovery, Validation, and Iteration30:00 – Validating Your Strategy: Identifying and Testing Key Assumptions and Risks33:00 – When to Pivot or Persevere: Using Data to Guide Strategic Decisions40:00 – Product, Feature, or Portfolio?: Differentiating and Strategizing at the Right Level45:00 – Continuous Strategizing: Quarterly Reviews, Staying Ahead of Trends & Competition50:00 – Real-World Pivots: YouTube, Flickr, and the Apple Watch as Case Studies54:00 – Ethicality in Products: Ensuring No Harm to Users, Society, or the Planet58:00 – Outcome-Based Roadmaps: The Advantages of Goals Over Features1:05:00 – Integrating OKRs & Strategic Outcomes: Aligning Roadmaps with Organizational Goals1:10:00 – Closing Advice: Courage, Focus, and Continuous Validation in Strategy Work1:20:00 – Wrap-Up & Where to Find Roman: Learn More Through Roman’s Website, Book, and Resources

In this episode, we dive deep into the world of growth hacking with Sean Ellis, the entrepreneur who coined the term and helped scale companies like Dropbox and Eventbrite. Learn what growth hacking really means, how it differs from traditional marketing, and why product-market fit is essential before you grow. Sean shares actionable frameworks, data-driven experimentation techniques, and insider tips on activation, retention, and building a culture of continuous improvement. Whether you’re a startup founder, marketer, or product manager, this interview is packed with insights to help you drive sustainable growth.Where to find Sean Ellis:• X: https://x.com/seanellis• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanellis/• Website: https://www.seanellis.me/• Substack: https://substack.com/@seanellisKey Topics:- Growth hacking vs. traditional marketing- Achieving product-market fit- The "aha" moment & activation- Running effective experiments- Building a cross-functional growth teamTimestamps (Clickable Chapters):0:00 – Introduction & Defining Growth Hacking2:05 – Key Components of a Successful Growth Strategy4:07 – Cohort Analysis & Measuring Product-Market Fit5:24 – The Sean Ellis Test for Product-Market Fit9:59 – Who to Survey & Sample Size Guidelines12:16 – Using Product-Market Fit Insights to Drive Growth14:48 – Prioritizing Growth Opportunities with Limited Resources18:06 – Activation: The Critical Funnel Step Most Overlook23:30 – Generating & Ranking Growth Experiment Ideas26:57 – Common Mistakes When Starting Growth Hacking Efforts32:58 – Real-World Example: LogMeIn’s 10x Activation Improvement37:07 – Network Effects, Referral Loops, & When to Scale41:00 – Cross-Functional Collaboration for Growth Teams47:02 – Implementing Growth Hacking in Established Companies55:58 – Survey Questions for Understanding & Improving Your Product1:02:00 – Identifying Your North Star Metric1:13:00 – Surprising Applications of the Sean Ellis Test (NuBank, TikTok)1:20:00 – Closing Thoughts, Recommended Resources, & How to Connect with Sean

Join us as Neil Patel, digital marketing legend, reveals his bold strategies for scaling businesses in competitive markets. Discover why he believes common advice like “riches in niches” is misleading, and hear the story behind his $8.6M “experiment” that changed the game. Packed with insights on branding, SEO, and risk-taking, this episode challenges traditional business wisdom and offers practical tips for entrepreneurs, product managers, and marketers.Timeline:0:00 – Introduction and welcome to Neil Patel0:20 – Neil’s thoughts on Dubai and surprising observations1:39 – Neil’s contrarian view on market research and product-market fit2:04 – Entering competitive markets: why Neil copies competitors and adds his spin3:00 – The "niches" myth debunked: Why big markets matter more3:38 – The UberSuggest story: $8.6M experiment and lessons learned8:44 – Buying "Answer the Public" and turning it into a profitable asset10:59 – Neil on branding: How long it really takes to build a brand12:34 – Key SEO changes and what matters most now13:52 – Clickbait done right: Creating curiosity while delivering value15:11 – Personal vs. corporate brand: Why corporate brands generate more revenue19:44 – The truth about viral content: Why Neil doesn’t chase views24:46 – Managing a growing business: Neil’s view on leadership and "getting in the trenches"29:58 – Challenges of being a CEO: Why Neil prefers flexibility over titles32:04 – Reputation and customer service: Why every client interaction matters38:14 – How Neil prioritizes long-term opportunities over short-term gains46:39 – Advice for entrepreneurs in the Middle East market49:12 – Closing thoughts: How to stay objective and data-driven in business

In this riveting episode, Muhammad Chbib, one of the MENA region's most accomplished entrepreneurs, shares his incredible journey from a $25M deal collapse to building billion-dollar startups. Starting his entrepreneurial path at age 12, Muhammad delves into lessons learned from failure, insights into leadership, and his vision for empowering the MENA startup ecosystem. Don't miss this episode packed with inspiration, practical tips, and fascinating stories!💡 What you'll learn:How to pivot after setbacksBuilding impactful businesses in MENALeadership lessons from startup to scale📌 Chapters:00:00 - Introduction02:15 - Starting a Business at Age 12: Muhammad’s Early Days06:30 - The $25M Deal Collapse and What It Taught Him10:40 - Lessons from the Plastic Industry Startup Failure16:20 - Pivoting and Resilience: Moving Beyond Failure21:45 - Joining McKinsey: Leadership and Humility27:30 - The Role of Vision in Building Startups34:00 - Scaling AlMosafer to $1B in Sales40:15 - Key Leadership Traits for Entrepreneurs46:10 - Building the MENA Startup Ecosystem50:20 - The Role of Culture in Startup Success55:45 - How to Recruit and Retain Top Talent01:01:10 - The Power of Followership in Leadership01:05:00 - Muhammad’s Vision for a Global Middle Eastern Brand01:10:20 - Closing Thoughts: Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs✨ Enjoyed the episode? Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more insights from top entrepreneurs!

Ever wondered how to set product goals that drive rapid growth? 🚀 In this episode, we dive deep with Andrey, a product growth expert with over 19 years of experience and former VP of Product at Flo Health. Andrey has a knack for transforming good products into industry leaders, and today he shares the secrets behind:- Setting effective product goals aligned with business metrics- Creating seamless feedback loops within product teams- Real-life examples from his consulting experience- Strategies to avoid common goal-setting mistakes- Whether you're a product manager, business leader, or just passionate about product growth, this conversation is packed with actionable insights you can't miss! 🎯📅 Timeline:00:00 - Intro to Andrey and his background01:15 - Common mistakes in setting product goals03:50 - Connecting product goals with business metrics07:30 - The importance of feedback loops in product teams12:10 - Real-life examples from Andrey’s consulting experience18:40 - Key OKRs for tracking progress23:50 - How Flo Health monetized in a competitive market32:00 - Launch strategies and experiments for product success39:50 - Advanced growth strategies and experimentation52:00 - Jobs to be Done framework and how to apply it1:10:00 - Onboarding-driven product development explained1:17:00 - Web-to-web funnels and their effectiveness1:24:30 - Closing thoughts and where to find Andrey🔗 Follow Andrey on LinkedIn: https://cy.linkedin.com/in/mikhaylyuk🔗 Check out Andrey's website: https://amgrowth.top/If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to like, subscribe, and share! 💡#ProductManagement #GrowthStrategy #AndreInterview #ProductGoals #BusinessMetrics #Podcast

In this episode, I sit down with David Fradin, a former product manager at Apple who succeeded Steve Jobs and even managed Steve Wozniak. With over 50 years of experience, David has built 75+ products and founded 11 startups. He is also the author of How to Build Insanely Great Products.🔑 What You'll Learn:How to build products customers loveUnderstanding your unique value propositionMastering stakeholder managementThe truth behind the myth: Did Steve Jobs ignore user research?The 16 areas of innovation every product manager should knowJoin us as we uncover the secrets behind insanely great products and much more!David Fradin Books: https://www.amazon.com/Books-David-Fradin/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3ADavid+FradinDavid Fradin Website: https://spicecatalyst.com/Timestamps:0:00 – Intro: David’s journey at Apple and HP1:01 – How to build insanely great products2:36 – Why customers don’t know what they want (the Henry Ford story)5:00 – How to define your product market strategy8:03 – Stakeholder management tips from David9:43 – Unveiling the myth: Did Steve Jobs do user research?12:22 – The 16 areas of innovation for product managers15:00 – How David transitioned into product management at HP and Apple30:00 – Lessons from managing Apple’s iconic product launchesJoin my newsletter: https://mahmoudkhodor.com/

In this insightful episode, I sit down with Chris Jones, a partner at Silicon Valley Product Group and co-author of Empowered and Transformed with Marty Cagan. With over 30 years of experience, Chris has led product teams at both startups and Fortune 500 companies. We dive deep into the product operating model and explore how the best product-driven companies operate today. Chris shares valuable insights into transforming teams from shipping features to solving real problems, coaching product managers to take ownership, and navigating the common pitfalls of transitioning to a product-led organization.Topics Discussed:- The role of outcomes in product management- Shifting from features to outcomes- Building empowered product teams- Common pitfalls in product transformation- The role of leadership, especially the CEO, in driving change- How product managers, designers, and tech leads thrive in a product-driven companyKey Takeaways:- The significance of product discovery and the impact of shifting toward an empowered product model- How to effectively scale the product operating model across teams and departments- Coaching and building ownership in product managersChris's Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisjonessvpg/https://www.svpg.com/team/chris-jones/Timeline: 0:00 - Introduction0:42 - Who is Chris Jones?2:05 - What is the product operating model?5:10 - Shifting from features to outcomes9:00 - The three dimensions of product transformation12:50 - Common pitfalls in transforming to a product-led organization17:00 - The role of the CEO in product transformation20:20 - How product leaders can build credibility and influence24:00 - Team topology: How to organize product teams effectively29:15 - Coaching ownership in product managers33:10 - Lessons from Chris’s mentors38:00 - Why building teams is more important than building products43:30 - Key competencies for product managers, designers, and tech leads48:55 - Role of tech leads in product discovery52:50 - Transitioning from feature teams to empowered product teams58:00 - Outcome-based roadmaps and scaling the product operating model1:06:00 - Ensuring customer-centric transformation1:10:00 - Lessons learned from companies that struggled with transformation1:12:00 - Conclusion and where to find Chris JonesSubscribe for more practical tips from product leaders around the world!https://mahmoudkhodor.com/

In this episode of the podcast, I speak with Christian Idiodi, a renowned product leader and partner at Silicon Valley Product Group. Christian shares how he helped launch a product that generated $32 million in just 90 days — using a technique far more powerful than user stories, PRDs, or acceptance criteria. He has worked with companies like Starbucks and McDonald's, helping them turn complex problems into successful products.We discuss the real role of a product manager, how to tackle customer discovery, and the importance of team collaboration in solving real problems. Christian also shares his thoughts on breaking into product management, even when junior roles are scarce.Key Topics:- The core responsibilities of a product manager- Why many companies don't need product managers- The difference between feature teams and empowered product teams- How to transition from delivering projects to solving real problems- Advice for breaking into product management in tough job marketsConnect with Christian Idiodi:LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cidiodiInnovate Africa Foundation - https://www.innovateafricafoundation.org/Timestamps: 0:00 – Intro0:07 – Christian’s $32M product launch story2:03 – The true role of a product manager5:02 – Feature teams vs. product teams9:05 – Solving the real problem, not just delivering features17:07 – The reference customer technique22:16 – Finding early adopters and building the right product35:40 – Case study: McDonald's & Starbucks hiring solution52:26 – Advice for aspiring product managers in difficult markets1:00:10 – Coaching and building great teams1:12:30 – Breaking into product management in the UAE & KSA1:20:00 – Christian’s work in Africa and how you can help

In this episode, I sit down with Lea Tharin, an experienced product leader and interim CPO, to discuss the secrets of Product-Led Growth (PLG) and how it can transform your business. With a wealth of experience from Microsoft, Smallpdf, and Gutfoto, Lea shares insights on how to create products that attract and retain customers while reducing marketing costs and boosting loyalty. We dive into the key benefits of PLG, the importance of interactive demos, and the one thing that can get product managers promoted—or fired!Whether you're new to Product-Led Growth or looking for actionable tactics to improve your product strategy, this conversation is packed with valuable lessons. Stay tuned till the end to hear Lea’s top tips for navigating PLG in a B2B world.Leah Tharin Newsletter - https://www.leahtharin.comLeah Tharin Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/leahtharinTimeline:0:00 - Introduction: Lea Tharin’s background0:07 - The truth about NPS as a metric0:25 - What is Product-Led Growth?1:02 - Understanding distribution frameworks in PLG2:24 - PLG benefits for small and enterprise companies3:43 - How PLG helps in testing and data collection5:42 - Expanding into enterprise value with PLG6:58 - Using interactive demos in Product-Led Growth8:53 - How free versions help in building advocacy10:03 - Creating a freemium model that works12:08 - The importance of data in product iteration14:03 - Identifying ‘aha moments’ in product usage16:20 - When to use sales-led growth vs. PLG21:55 - How cultural differences affect sales and PLG26:07 - The mistakes product managers make with PLG27:48 - How to manage up as a product manager30:10 - Understanding business case creation in PLG39:00 - The real metrics you should be tracking instead of NPS42:35 - Customer effort score and its importance47:15 - Lea’s final advice for product managersSubscribe to my newsletter for weekly insights around product management https://www.mahmoudkhodor.com