The Skip Podcast

Ready to start a startup? | Shreyas Doshi (Former PM leader at Stripe, Twitter, Google)


Listen Later

I'm joined by product leader turned founder Shreyas Doshi to discuss the founder's journey and when starting a company might be the right move for you. We challenge common startup wisdom and explore why traditional career advice often misses the mark for aspiring founders.

Key topics:

  • Which PMs are secretly great founder material
  • Red flags: when founding isn't for you
  • The right time to start your company
  • Key skills that set you up for success
  • Thriving in ambiguity
  • Debunking the "venture scale or bust" mindset
  • The counterintuitive way to avoid burnout
  • Much more

Referenced:

  • 4 questions Shreyas wished he’d asked himself sooner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atS060bNpE0&t=698s
  • Avoiding burnout for high achievers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Iwymgai-ZM
  • Crafting a compelling career story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Reh9wTUIYc&t=928s
  • Improving your product sense: https://maven.com/shreyas-doshi/product-sense
  • Is my next job at a startup or big tech?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H59CRHQ6va0&t=2053s
  • Managing your PM career in 2025 and beyond: https://maven.com/shreyas-doshi/product-management-career?utm_source=lenny
  • Nikhyl’s career advice highlights at Lenny’s Summit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rujK7HvD6es&t=124s
  • Stage of Company: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H59CRHQ6va0&t=2053s

Where to find Shreyas:

  • Twitter/X
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube

Where to find Nikhyl:

  • Twitter/X
  • LinkedIn

Find The Skip:

  • Website
  • Substack
  • YouTube
  • Spotify
  • Apple Podcasts
  • TikTok

Don't forget to subscribe to The Skip to hear me coach you through timely career lessons. If you’re interested in joining me on a future call, send me a note on LinkedIn, Threads, or Twitter. You can also email me at [email protected]

Timestamps

(00:00) Teaser: Why average PMs can make great founders

(01:17) Introduction

(02:34) The essential first step before founding

(06:21) Successful founder traits

(10:48) Managing at scale vs managing uncertainty

(18:25) Thriving in ambiguity

(21:29) Red flags: when founding isn't for you

(23:34) The surprising link between average PMs and founding success

(25:51) Building better product sense

(29:35) The right time to start your company

(37:03) Beyond venture scale: rethinking startup success

(44:26) A guide to avoiding burnout

(49:23) The real truth about big tech working hours

(52:27) Why taking a "demotion" might be a good move

(58:45) Learn more: Shreyas' Product Sense course

(63:15) Key takeaways

(65:22) Get in touch with Nikhyl



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theskip.substack.com
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The Skip PodcastBy Nikhyl Singhal

  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5

5

69 ratings


More shows like The Skip Podcast

View all
a16z Podcast by Andreessen Horowitz

a16z Podcast

1,030 Listeners

The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch by Harry Stebbings

The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch

517 Listeners

Equity by TechCrunch, Mary Ann Azevedo, Kell, Theresa Loconsolo, Rebecca Bellan, Kirsten Korosec, Devin Coldewey, Margaux MacColl

Equity

338 Listeners

Masters of Scale by WaitWhat

Masters of Scale

3,995 Listeners

Y Combinator Startup Podcast by Y Combinator

Y Combinator Startup Podcast

217 Listeners

Dwarkesh Podcast by Dwarkesh Patel

Dwarkesh Podcast

389 Listeners

Product Thinking by Melissa Perri

Product Thinking

144 Listeners

ACQ2 by Acquired by Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal

ACQ2 by Acquired

212 Listeners

Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career by Lenny Rachitsky

Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career

1,340 Listeners

No Priors: Artificial Intelligence | Technology | Startups by Conviction

No Priors: Artificial Intelligence | Technology | Startups

121 Listeners

Unsupervised Learning by by Redpoint Ventures

Unsupervised Learning

39 Listeners

Latent Space: The AI Engineer Podcast by swyx + Alessio

Latent Space: The AI Engineer Podcast

75 Listeners

AI + a16z by a16z

AI + a16z

29 Listeners

Lightcone Podcast by Y Combinator

Lightcone Podcast

22 Listeners

Training Data by Sequoia Capital

Training Data

42 Listeners