Zeitgeist: Entrepreneurship in the AI Age

In just 6 days, Mari transformed from VC to founder by "vibe coding" her first SaaS product, PitchKit - proving that speed and intuition can trump traditional startup methodologies.

Key insights from her remarkable journey:

🔹 Embrace the "fast fashion" of software: Build quickly, ship rapidly, monetize, then move on 

🔹 Coding isn't about perfection - it's about momentum and learning 

🔹 Domain expertise matters, but curiosity matters more 

🔹 Build in public, stay authentic, and don't fear negative feedback

Her approach challenges traditional startup wisdom: No elaborate plans, just pure execution and rapid iteration.

The tech world is changing, and creators like Mari are leading the charge. 

If you are a founder, try Pitchkit, it's the only tool built like a VC thinks. https://pitchkit.net/

Connect with Mari: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariluukkainen/

Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zihan-wang-757247152/

Today, I’m joined by Sara McCabe and Catarina Haber, co-founders of Business Casual, a consultancy that help leaders & teams work better together by improving their systems and behaviours

We chatted about building a strong co-founder relationship, core values that guide their work, and the transition from employment to entrepreneurship. 

Connect with the guests:

• Sara’s linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-mccabe-11381387/ 
• Cat’s linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catarinahaber/ 
• Website: ​​https://www.businesscasual.ca/
• Substack Newsletter Circle Back (https://thecircleback.substack.com/) 
• Business Casual Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/dobusinesscasual)

Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zihan-wang-757247152/

Today, I’m excited to welcome Antonia, a product operations coach and consultant who’s all about leaning into the discomfort of growth.

She believes that “either you win or you learn” and has never let self-doubt stop her from sharing her experiences. Antonia approaches her work with both passion and humility, sharing insights that resonate deeply with her clients and the product community. She’s here to talk about her journey, the power of self-reflection, and how she navigates the balance between relentless dedication and maintaining objectivity.

Relevant info:

• Antonia’s Website: www.antonialandi.com/ 
• Antonia’s Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/landiantonia/
• Antonia on Henry’s show: How to become a solopreneur through personal branding
• Product Operations Manifesto: www.productopsmanifesto.org/ 
• Speeches at conferences:
  - La Product Conf Madrid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Dr1KqtTruI 
• Leading the Product Sydney (behind paywall) https://www.leadingtheproduct.com/seasonpass/ 
• Article recommendation: The Arc of the Practical Creator

Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zihan-wang-757247152/

Anamaria has a passion for people, learning, and community building. Her journey started with a background in psychology and human resources, which later led her to pivot into learning and development in the fast-paced world of startups. Today, she’s a full-time consultant, community builder, and the co-founder of the L&D Shakers community, which has over 5000 members.

Anamaria’s path reflects her love for collective experiences and her drive to create spaces where people can learn and grow together. With experience building a product community at Butter and launching her own consulting business, she’s now running experiments, writing a newsletter, co-hosting a podcast, and embracing the freedom that comes with her portfolio career.

It was really inspiring to hear about her passion for learning experience design, her take on balancing passion projects with full-time work, and how she’s crafting a career that’s as multi-dimensional as she is!

Anamaria on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anamariadorgo/

Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zihan-wang-757247152/

In this episode, I chat with Bianca about her journey from founder to coach, exploring the importance of emotional mastery in leadership. We dive into:

• Recognizing and addressing founder burnout
• The need for a new leadership paradigm
• The mind-body connection in entrepreneurship
• Embracing intuition and gut feelings
• Creating safe spaces for emotional exploration
• Moving away from fear and embracing vulnerability
• The role of coaching in emotional and embodied leadership

Books mentioned:

• Becoming Supernatural
• The Body Keeps the Score

More book recommendations on emotional mastery and mental wellbeing:

• When the Body Says No : The Cost of Hidden Stress 
• Feel-Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters to You
• Feel to Heal - Breathwork book

Connect with Bianca:
Bianca on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/biancagfrei/
Website: biancagfrei.com 

Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zihan-wang-757247152/

Connecting with Phil:

• Website: https://www.forproductpeople.com/
• Podcast: https://www.talkingroadmaps.com/ 
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philhornby/ 

Phil left the corporate world in 2018 to start his own product coaching business called “For Product People,” focusing on product leadership coaching.

Unlike many coaches who sell sessions by the hour, Phil offers a subscription model with three intensity tiers, depending on how much support you need.

“If we get to the end of a session and feel like we haven't finished, we might book another one the next week, just to make progress. The core of coaching is being there to help, not counting hours.”

I find this approach incredibly inspiring. In our conversation, we also dived into:

• Building Credibility and Expertise
• Passion for Business and Coaching
• The Role of Coaching in Product Management
• Complementary Services: Workshops, Consulting, and Self-Paced Learning
• The Importance of Building and Nurturing a Network
• Following Your Passion and Seizing Opportunities in Entrepreneurship

Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zihan-wang-757247152/

Büsra is a product coach for senior product leaders. In 2020, she left her role as Lead Product Manager at Doodle to start her own business, Producteer. Her coaching now focuses on product metrics and analytics.

This episode is esp. relevant  for anyone exploring the field of product coaching or considering the choice between a leadership role and starting their own business.

We delved into: 

• Balancing taking action and overthinking
• The seemingly crowded product coaching space and its future
• What’s so exciting about coaching
• Setting a yearly focus - “This year it’s all about X.”
• Overcoming nervousness in public speaking
• Building a personal brand
• Managing multiple ideas and projects

Connect with Büsra:

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/busra-coskuner/ 
• Website: https://www.busra.co/ 
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@busra_co 

Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zihan-wang-757247152/

This episode is highly tactical with lots of actionable advice on pricing, growth channel and business operation.

My guest Daniel Hebert is the founder of SalesMVP Lab and a growth leader in B2B SaaS. He runs his coaching service like a bootstrapped tech startup. We discussed:

• Focus on metrics like MRR
• Create different assets for each stage of the sales funnel
• Design product offerings that grow with the customers
• Charges early and fairly

Connect with Daniel on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielghebert/
Check out his coaching at SalesMVP Lab: https://www.salesmvplab.com/

Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zihan-wang-757247152/

In this conversation, Stef shares his experiences openly. As a lead generation expert, he’s seen the highs of making his client’s first million and the lows of needing to take a break and refund his clients.

This episode is the most therapeutic one yet. We delve into 

• Motivation
• Discovering true passion
• Ikigai
• Getting ego out of the way
• Building honest relationships with clients
• Finding joy in small things like Kazu Don (yummy!)
• Building a solid support system.

Check out Stef's service on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stef-curcio/ 

Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zihan-wang-757247152/

Niko's been on his solopreneur journey for 2.5 years. He's a product coach creating a SaaS tool to help product teams with continuous discovery.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Overcome the fear to start freelancing
• From selling service to selling a product
• The revenue fluctuation as a freelancer
• Stay in the game during tough times
• Personal runway counter

Reach Niko on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/niko-noll/
Check out Juttu: juttu.co

Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zihan-wang-757247152/