How to start doing anything at a startup (as a product manager)

Let’s say you are trying to learn or do something new. Whether it’s at a startup, specifically in product management, or anything related. How do you get started?

Let’s go into four steps you can take. This is a must-read for all startup operators and future entrepreneurs.

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Be on the offense, not the defense 🏈

You need to be able to move. When you do move, you need to move fast. When you move fast: you will be surprised how quickly you can think, how efficiently you will execute.

What do I mean by that?

Opportunities are found not by waiting on the sidelines. They are found by getting into the game.

As a product manager, you cannot wait for direction from your manager or other stakeholders.

You do need to balance requests from your stakeholders, but you need to define the priorities and align it with what your customers need — as well as what the business needs.

This means talking to customers and talking to the business leaders to understand, as well as define, what’s important. Why do this?

Ultimately this is to do three things:

• Grow the startup quicker

• Solve important problems for your customers

• Generate revenue for the company

Manage up 🆙

When you do figure out what to do, you should keep your stakeholders posted.

Aligning on priorities is important: with your manager, the CEO (if time permits), or any other relevant stakeholders.

One secret of product management and startup EQ is communicating.

Listen and communicate. Communicate early and communicate often.

Your teams may have a preference over calls, over Slack, or another platform. Tailor your communication to what they prefer.

Execution > Strategy 🌱

Often, I hear that you need to define a strategy before diving in. Decide on a set of 4-5 (or more) higher level priorities or principles.

But your strategy will change over time as you execute.

I have defined roadmaps before, and I have seen other CEOs/product managers define roadmaps— only to have them change over time.

At startups, you almost have to figure it out on the go. You have to keep trying new things.

Until you find something that works, you keep executing on different things. Once you find what works, you double down on that.

Once you determine “what works,” then it makes sense to strategically define a strategy around that. Until then, keep trying new things alongside a set of 4-5 higher-level priorities or principles.

Ask this question instead 🔎

Stop asking "can I get what I want?" and start asking "how can I get there?"

If something has been done before (or something similar), it can likely get done again — in the context of startups.

You do need to understand feasibility of what you work on, but once you decide what is important to you, your customers, and the business, you can always figure out a solution.

Your “how” is the important part.

Your “how” comes through trusting your team members to execute. It means trusting yourself to execute and lead.

There’s no right or wrong way to do it. There’s no one framework that will get you there.

You take one step, then another, and so on. Iterate on feedback. Mistakes and challenges are part of the process. Keep moving. That’s it.

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