Product Coffee

This episode is packed with insights from Nick McEvily, who takes us on a journey from his studies in human-centered design to founding and leading multiple startups. 🚀

Nick drops wisdom on how to build customer-focused products, explaining core principles like empathy in design, the Jobs-to-be-Done framework, and how to nail those all-important customer interviews. He also shares stories from his work with Mode Mobile and Relivable, giving us a behind-the-scenes look at both the wins and the lessons learned. 💡

To cap it all off, Nick discusses his current role as a fractional product leader and dishes out practical advice on turning customer insights into actionable strategies. You won’t want to miss his tips on building the right product-market fit muscle or his heartfelt take on balancing fatherhood with leadership. 👨‍👧‍👦

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Grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and enjoy this caffeinated dose of product! ☕

Check out our website @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠productcoffeepodcast.com⁠ ☕️

In this episode, Kevin chats with Rani Al Hajji, a seasoned expert in consumer goods and marketing, about the importance of staying focused on the end user. Rani shares insights from his career at L'Oreal and Colgate, emphasizing the importance of understanding consumer needs and maintaining a balance between product obsession and customer feedback. He also discusses his transition to advising startups, helping them define and articulate their value propositions. The conversation touches on the art and science of innovation, the significance of diverse perspectives, and practical steps for founders and product managers to stay customer-obsessed in their development process.

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Check out our website @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠productcoffeepodcast.com⁠ ☕️

Kevin chats with the amazing ✨ Jason Fraser ✨, a well-known author and advisor, about his journey from linguistics to product management. Jason shares leadership tips from his popular book 'Farther, Faster, and Far Less Drama,' co-authored with his wife Janice. He talks about team transformation, creating a software lab for the Air Force, and the importance of feeling safe at work. Jason also covers key ideas from his book like being honest, focusing on results, using team skills, and making lasting decisions. The episode ends with advice on staying well in tough times. If you're into leadership and product management, you'll get great tips from this chat.

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Check out our website @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠productcoffeepodcast.com⁠ ☕️

Kevin Gentry welcomes back David Pereira, who shares insights about his new book Untrapping Product Teams. They delve into David's journey from a software engineer in Brazil to a leadership role in Germany, touching on his experiences and learnings in product management. David discusses the core themes of his book, including facing reality, overcoming dangerous traps, and remaining untrapped. He also shares practical advice on writing, leadership, and team management, offering valuable perspectives for product leaders and managers.

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Check out our website @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠productcoffeepodcast.com⁠ ☕️

This week on Product Coffee ☕️, Kevin chats with guests Leslie Kee and Paul Ballenger about their journey in building businesses like Auctus Security and Ally Assist. They cover military and business leadership, work-life balance, adaptability, and teamwork in high-stress environments. Leslie and Paul share tips on planning, delegation, and work-life balance for new entrepreneurs and product pros.

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Check out our website @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠productcoffeepodcast.com⁠ ☕️

This week on Product Coffee, Kevin Gentry talks with Matt LeMay, a product leader, consultant, and author known for his work with Google, Mailchimp, Spotify, and Bitly. Matt shares his journey from musician and music journalist to product management, highlighting how his communication and team-building skills from his music career translated into tech. They discuss the importance of goal clarity, embracing facilitative roles in product management, and balancing creative work with business needs. Matt also previews his upcoming book on 'Impact First Product Teams,' offering advice on setting high impact, high specificity goals to drive team success. The episode ends with Matt reflecting on the challenges and joys of writing his new book and his broader views on maintaining balance between professional and personal creative projects.

Episode Resources:

Timeline:

00:23 Meet Matt LeMay: Product Leader & Author

02:00 Matt's Journey into Product Management

03:25 From Musician to Product Manager

09:20 Career Growth & Key Lessons

12:25 Embracing Facilitative Work in Product Management

21:07 Challenges & Insights in Agile Transformation

28:00 Resource Allocation & Team Collaboration

28:09 High Specificity in Goal Setting

28:51 Consulting Insights on High Impact Goals

30:42 Challenges of Innovation Teams

32:39 The Importance of Specific Goals

34:11 Project-Based vs. Team-Based Approaches

41:58 Writing Process & Creative Work

48:09 Balancing Work & Creativity

51:04 Homework & Plugs

Check out our website @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠productcoffeepodcast.com⁠ ☕️

Kevin Gentry chats with Phil Hornby, a product leader and coach with over 20 years of experience. Phil shares insights on collaboration, context-driven leadership, and the significance of coaching workshops. He discusses his journey from an engineer to a product manager and leader and provides valuable advice on effective decision-making, team empowerment, and organization design. Phil also reveals details about his upcoming book, tentatively titled 'It Depends,' which focuses on improving product decision-making. The conversation covers practical tips for building better product teams, addressing common challenges in product management, and enhancing leadership techniques to foster high-impact outcomes.

Find out more:

Timeline:

00:26 Introducing Phil Hornby

01:16 Phil's Journey from Engineer to Product Leader

06:50 Challenges in Product Management

08:57 Phil's Coaching Approach

19:22 Workshops & Practical Examples

22:56 Analyzing Competitor Strategies

23:29 Measuring Success & Compromises

24:25 Effective Workshop Techniques

25:20 Empowered vs. Entitlement Culture

30:41 Hiring for Product Skills Over Domain Knowledge

33:38 Small Teams vs. Large Enterprise Teams

38:16 Aligning Teams for Success

47:02 The Importance of Product Coaching

48:25 Conclusion & Final Thoughts

Check out our website @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠productcoffeepodcast.com⁠ ☕️

This week on Product Coffee, Kevin interviews Ian Cairns, CEO & Co-Founder of Freeplay, a company that helps product teams with generative AI. Ian talks about his career journey, challenges of using AI in product development, evolving product management roles, and the importance of hands-on experimentation. He also explains how Freeplay supports teams in building AI-driven products, and provides amazing advice for product managers and leaders in AI.

Episode Resources:

Timeline:

00:00 Introduction

00:27 Meet Ian Cairns: CEO and Co-Founder of Freeplay

00:56 Ian's Journey in Product Management

17:04 The Inspiration Behind Freeplay

20:47 Challenges and Innovations in Generative AI

23:36 Exploring Dimensions of Quality in AI

23:51 Operational Workflows and Non-Engineers in AI

24:14 Understanding FreePlay's Customer Base

24:31 FreePlay's Product and Features

25:27 AI Integration Examples and Challenges

27:53 The Promise and Complexity of Multi-Step AI

28:42 Building and Learning in Generative AI

29:11 FreePlay's Approach to Product Development

29:48 The Evolution of Data Handling and AI

32:16 FreePlay's Vision for the Future

32:28 Current State and Market Fit of FreePlay

34:53 Team Dynamics and Operational Models

41:10 Homework and Plugs

Check out our website @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠productcoffeepodcast.com⁠ ☕️

This week, we are welcoming, Hannah Clark! A renowned content strategist and host of The Product Manager Podcast. Hannah shares her unconventional career journey from tech to content, and how she combined both worlds at her current tech-focused media company. They delve into Hannah's experiences with startups, discussing the challenges of scaling teams, managing pivots, and mitigating the risks of burnout. Key topics include the importance of transparent communication, active recovery, building strong leadership relationships, and the impacts of organizational stress on individual contributors. Practical advice is offered for both leaders and team members on maintaining engagement and actively managing stress in fast-paced environments.

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Timeline:

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:15 Hannah Clark's Background and Career Journey

01:05 Life in Winnipeg and Personal Background

01:52 Startup Experiences and Challenges

04:03 Current Role and Company Structure

06:27 Discussing Burnout and Motivation

08:10 Strategies for Managing Stress and Burnout

12:39 Building Relationships and Communication

19:06 Practical Tips for Personal and Professional Growth

40:33 Final Thoughts and Homework

Check out our website @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠productcoffeepodcast.com⁠ ☕️

In this episode of Product Coffee, Kevin Gentry sits down with Elliott Poppel, a seasoned entrepreneur with a diverse background in venture capital, ad tech, and product management. Elliott shares his career trajectory, highlighting pivotal moments from his early days at a VC firm, his leadership role in pivoting App.io to a successful acquisition, to founding his own startups like RobinHealth. He delves into the lessons learned from both successes and failures, emphasizing the importance of adaptability and continuous learning. The discussion also covers his time at Facebook, where he navigated the complexities of working in a large corporate environment and contributed to innovative projects like the Portal device. Elliott offers valuable insights into go-to-market strategies, user research, and the significance of being open to change, providing listeners with actionable advice to elevate their product management careers.

Dive in more:

00:00 Introduction to Product Coffee Podcast

00:28 Guest Introduction: Elliot Popple

00:58 Elliot's Career Beginnings in Venture Capital

01:17 First Startup Experience and Pivot to Enterprise SaaS

01:37 Founding Robin Health: An On-Demand Pharmacy

02:02 Joining Facebook and Founding General Collaboration

02:27 Early Career and Education: From Boston to San Francisco

03:05 Networking into Venture Capital

04:33 Challenges and Successes in Ad Tech

06:46 Pivoting to Customer Support Software

08:07 Lessons from Leading a Startup

09:41 Exploring New Business Models and User Research

13:21 The Reality of Startup Failures and Learning from Mistakes

18:13 Fractional Work and Modern Startup Strategies

20:39 Reflecting on Robin Health's Missed Opportunities

24:51 Transition to Facebook

25:01 Challenges and Learning at Facebook

27:01 Dynamic Ads and Team Dynamics

27:41 Navigating Facebook's Corporate Environment

32:20 Building 8 and Hardware Innovations

34:51 Founding General Collaboration

38:35 Product Development and Market Positioning

48:31 Final Thoughts and Advice

Check out our website @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠productcoffeepodcast.com⁠ ☕️