Rocketship.fm

In this episode of Rocketship.FM, we dive deep into the inspiring story of Findaway, a Cleveland-based tech company that went from a small startup to a $123 million acquisition by Spotify. Host Mike Belsito, one of Findaway's early employees, sits down with Mitch Kroll, co-founder and longtime CEO, to discuss the company's 18-year journey through various phases of growth and innovation. Kroll shares valuable insights on entrepreneurship, product evolution, and building a successful tech company outside of traditional tech hubs. He discusses Findaway's pivots from retail to institutional markets, its expansion into digital distribution, and the development of a strategically integrated business model that ultimately attracted Spotify's interest. This episode offers a wealth of lessons for product managers and leaders on resilience, adaptability, and the importance of focusing on the journey rather than just the destination. This episode is sponsored by: Virtual Edition of INDUSTRY: The Product Conference: Joi

In this captivating episode of Rocketship.FM, host Mike Belsito sits down with Rahul Vohra, founder and CEO of Superhuman, to explore the company's groundbreaking journey into AI-powered email. Vohra shares insights on how Superhuman recognized the potential of AI early on and made the bold decision to pivot their entire product strategy. He details the challenges of integrating AI features, from assembling the right team to developing a new "theta mode" of operation that accelerated their innovation process. Product managers and leaders will gain valuable lessons on prioritizing emerging technologies, balancing existing product roadmaps with disruptive innovation, and measuring the success of AI features. Vohra's candid discussion about Superhuman's three-phase approach to AI implementation - from on-demand features to always-on capabilities and agentic AI - provides a roadmap for product teams looking to harness the power of artificial intelligence in their own offerings. This episode is a must-listen for

In this episode of Rocketship.fm, host Mike Belsito dives deep into the challenging world of tech job hunting with Phyl Terry, author of "Never Search Alone: The Job Seeker's Playbook." With nearly half of US tech workers looking for new roles in 2024, this timely discussion offers invaluable insights for navigating the current job market. Phyl shares the three big ideas behind the book and "Never Search Alone" movement: understanding your candidate market fit, the power of job search councils, and mastering collaborative interviewing and negotiation. Listeners will gain practical advice on how to approach their job search strategically, from forming support groups to negotiating beyond just salary. The episode concludes with ten actionable steps listeners can take immediately to enhance their job search, making it a must-listen for anyone in tech considering their next career move. Whether you're a product manager facing unexpected layoffs or simply looking for a change, this episode provides the tools and m

In this insightful episode of Rocketship.fm, host Mike Belsito sits down with Bruce McCarthy and Melissa Appel, co-authors of "Aligned: Stakeholder Management for Product Leaders." The conversation delves into the often challenging world of stakeholder management, offering practical advice for product managers and leaders looking to navigate complex organizational dynamics. Throughout the episode, McCarthy and Appel share valuable strategies from their book, covering topics such as understanding organizational structures, building rapport with stakeholders, and managing roadmap changes. They emphasize the importance of treating stakeholders as individuals, aligning goals, and fostering trust through effective communication and collaboration. This episode provides listeners with actionable insights to enhance their stakeholder management skills and drive product success. This episode is sponsored by: Virtual Edition of INDUSTRY: The Product Conference: Join hundreds of Product Managers and Product Leaders from

In this episode, host Mike Belsito sits down with Elliott Poppel, a product leader who's experienced both sides of the tech world - from managing products at Meta (formerly Facebook) to founding his own startup, General Collaboration. Elliott shares his journey, highlighting the stark contrasts in resources, decision-making processes, and product development approaches between tech giants and startups. Listeners will gain valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities each environment presents for product managers. Elliott discusses how his experiences at Meta shaped his approach to founding General Collaboration, particularly in areas like user research and making calculated bets on product features. Whether you're considering a move from a big tech company to a startup (or vice versa), or simply curious about the differences, this episode offers a wealth of practical advice and real-world perspectives on navigating product management across diverse tech landscapes. INDUSTRY: The Product Conference

In this eye-opening episode, Mike Belsito sits down with Jason Fried, CEO of 37 Signals, to discuss their revolutionary "Once" family of products. Fried explains how 37 Signals is challenging the dominant SaaS model by reviving the concept of paying once to own software forever. The conversation includes the (re-)launch of Campfire, a group chat tool, and Writebook, a simple online book publishing platform, both offered under this unique model of "you host it, you own it." Listeners will gain insights into the rationale behind this bold move, including the technical challenges of self-hosted software and the potential for customers to modify and build upon the products they purchase. Fried also shares his thoughts on software pricing, the importance of business viability, and the luxury of offering free products. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in alternative business models and the future of software distribution. INDUSTRY: The Product Conference: Join hundreds of Product Managers and Pr

In this episode of Rocketship.FM, we dive deep into one of the most monumental tech failures in recent history - the CrowdStrike glitch that brought the world to a standstill. From grounded flights to disrupted emergency services, we explore how a single software update caused chaos on a global scale, affecting millions of people and businesses worldwide. Join host Mike Belsito as he breaks down the incident, featuring recordings of commentary from industry experts and CrowdStrike's own CEO. We'll examine the far-reaching consequences of this digital disaster, discuss the critical importance of robust quality assurance in tech, and extract valuable lessons for product managers and tech leaders. Don't miss this eye-opening exploration of what happens when our reliance on technology meets an unexpected glitch. This podcast is brought to you by: INDUSTRY: The Product Conference: Join hundreds of Product Managers and Product Leaders this September 23-25, 2024 for INDUSTRY. Save $100 when you use the code Rocketsh

In this episode of Rocketship.FM, host Mike Belsito talks through the crucial skill of leading without authority with guest Jocelyn Davis, author of The Art of Quiet Influence. Drawing from ancient Eastern wisdom and modern leadership research, Davis offers invaluable insights for product managers and leaders who must guide teams and influence stakeholders without formal power. The episode explores three key themes: participation, power, and progress, providing practical strategies for building genuine engagement, aligning interests, and maintaining momentum in product development. Listeners will gain a fresh perspective on influence, learning how to convert adversaries to allies, support others' initiatives, and navigate conflicts effectively. Davis challenges traditional notions of authority, emphasizing the power of consistent effort, upstream focus, and engaged presence in driving sustainable progress. This episode is a must-listen for product professionals seeking to enhance their leadership skills and c

In this episode of Rocketship.FM, host Mike Belsito explores the rapid evolution of AI in product development through an engaging conversation with Francois, the Chief Product Officer of Amplitude. Francois shares insights into Amplitude's journey of integrating AI features into their analytics suite, including the challenges and unexpected learnings they encountered along the way. The discussion revolves around the new mantra "move fast and build AI," emphasizing the importance of speed and experimentation in the current AI-driven landscape. Throughout the episode, Francois offers valuable advice for product teams navigating the AI revolution. He stresses the importance of focusing on customer problems rather than being enamored by technology, and encourages a mindset of continuous learning and experimentation. The conversation also touches on the need for calculated risk-taking, the pitfalls of over-reliance on frameworks, and the potential for AI to become an essential ingredient in every product. Francois

In this episode of Rocketship.FM, host Mike Belsito dives into essential career advice for product managers, featuring insights from Jackie Bavaro, co-author of "Cracking the PM Interview" and "Cracking the PM Career." The episode explores strategies for advancing in your product management career, including the importance of finding a balance between being a diligent worker and an overly vocal self-promoter. Jackie emphasizes the need to create a personal career roadmap, partner effectively with your manager, and stay current with emerging technologies like AI. The conversation also covers practical tips for networking, addressing short-lived job experiences during interviews, and navigating career transitions into new industries. Jackie introduces the PEARL framework for discussing challenging work experiences and highlights common career mistakes to avoid. Throughout the episode, Mike and Jackie stress the importance of taking an active role in career development, building strong relationships with manager

In this episode of Rocketship.FM, host Mike Belsito takes listeners behind the scenes of Shopify's latest product launch. Featuring an exclusive interview with Glen Coates, Shopify's VP of Product, the episode explores the company's innovative approach to introducing new features and products through their biannual "Editions" events. Coates shares insights into Shopify's product development process, the challenges of maintaining a startup mentality in a large organization, and the theme of their latest release: "Unified." The conversation also covers the growing impact of AI on e-commerce, with Coates discussing Shopify's integration of AI-powered tools like Shopify Magic and Sidekick. He offers valuable advice for product teams looking to incorporate AI into their own products and services, emphasizing the importance of starting small and focusing on simplifying tasks for users. The episode concludes with Coates' thoughts on the future of AI in commerce and key takeaways for product managers navigating this

In this episode, Mike Belsito sits down with Bob Moesta, one of the early pioneers of the Jobs to Be Done framework, to dive deep into what Jobs to Be Done is all about. Bob shares his wealth of knowledge on how to truly understand your customers by looking at the world through their eyes and examining the progress they are trying to make in their lives when they "hire" a product. From key concepts like struggling moments, pushes, pulls, and anxiety to best practices for conducting in-depth customer interviews, Bob provides a masterclass on Jobs to Be Done. While sharing examples from his work with companies like Basecamp and Intercom, Bob emphasizes that Jobs to Be Done is a powerful tool in the product manager's toolbox for uncovering insights that lead to designing better product experiences. This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to build products that customers will love. This podcast is brought to you by: INDUSTRY: The Product Conference: Join hundreds of Product Managers and Product Leaders t

In this episode, longtime former Google product leader and current Executive Coach to Product Leaders, Ken Norton, shares his wisdom and insights, offering guidance that is essential for anyone working in tech product management. From navigating the early stages of your journey to making strategic decisions that will shape your professional path, Ken's advice is practical, inspiring, and timeless. While this episode is a must-listen for those just starting out in product management, it's also perfect for Product Managers looking to take their careers to the next level -- and even those transitioning into Product Leadership. This podcast is brought to you by: INDUSTRY: The Product Conference: Join hundreds of Product Managers and Product Leaders this September 23-25, 2024 for INDUSTRY. Save $100 when you use the code Rocketship. Gigantic: Upskill your team with real-world, practical video-based training on topics like Product Strategy, Product Leadership, AI for Product Managers, and more. Rocketship is brou

In this episode, we hear the origin story of DoWhatWorks from it's Co-Founder and CEO, Andres Glusman. The conversation unravels the journey from initial struggles to pivotal moments of success, illustrating how the founders' commitment to experimentation and customer feedback led to a groundbreaking product. Discover how DoWhatWorks transitioned from a backyard idea to a company that helps businesses optimize their online experiences using a vast dataset of experiments. With a vision to become the "Grammarly for UX," Andres discusses strategic decisions, the importance of running towards challenges, and the lessons learned from previous ventures, including Meetup. This episode is packed with insights for entrepreneurs and product managers on navigating the path to product-market fit, scaling up, and the critical role of customer-centric innovation. This podcast is brought to you by: INDUSTRY: The Product Conference: Join hundreds of Product Managers and Product Leaders this September 23-25, 2024 for INDUSTR

In November 2014, Brian Crofts prepared for a crucial meeting with two top-level executives at Intuit. One was CeCe Morken, his boss, overseeing Intuit’s Professional Tax (ProTax) business—a $422 million enterprise selling tax preparation software to accountants. The other was Sasan Goodarzi, in charge of Intuit’s $1.8 billion TurboTax division, providing software directly to consumers. Crofts had spent three years developing a new product, TurboTax PersonalPro, bridging the gap between these two business lines. Company leadership had decided it was time for a major launch, making the November meeting pivotal for finalizing a go-to-market plan. However, not all launches yield exponential growth. Discover the untold story behind the scenes of the turbulent rollout of TurboTax PersonalPro, leading to its initial setback. This podcast is brought to you by: Go to http://porkbun.com/RocketshipFM24 to get $1 off your next desired domain name at Porkbun! Miro: Go to Miro.com/podcast and get your first three Miro boa

You will be treated to the fascinating beginnings of Pendo, a product experience platform company now valued at over two and a half billion dollars. We'll highlight Pendo's growth from an initial sponsor to a prominent supporter of product conferences. Todd Olson, Pendo's CEO, joins to recount his journey prior to Pendo at Rally Software and the subsequent challenges that inspired the creation of Pendo. Todd delves into the significance of the close-knit founding team and their collective decision to secure funding to capitalize on the perceived urgency of the business opportunity. We'll also reflect on Pendo's pivot from an attempted viral strategy to a focus on larger companies and the inclusion of sales, a move that significantly streamlined the company's growth trajectory. Speaker C also addresses Pendo's cultural constants despite a decade of transformation; the company's core values—such as work-life balance and a bias to act—remain as pivotal to Pendo's identity as they were at its inception. Looking a

In this episode of Rocketship.fm, hosts Michael Sacca and Mike Belsito take listeners through an in-depth examination of the pivotal business concept known as product market fit. They begin by acknowledging that, despite frequently using the term, they haven't fully dissected its meaning in previous episodes. They outline the importance of product market fit, describing it as a critical transition point that can propel a startup from uncertainty to being a market leader or at least demonstrating market alignment. They emphasize how this fit can indicate a growing customer base and stronger ties between the product and its users, and discuss the continuous process of iterating a product based on customer feedback and evolving market demands. Throughout the episode, we'll dissect the idea of product market fit, explaining it as a kind of complex puzzle where each piece represents an aspect of the product's journey towards market acceptance. They identify the key components of achieving product market fit: a qua

Are you keeping up with the TikTok saga? The tides are shifting yet again, and this time the app faces a significant crossroad in the United States. Join us on the latest episode of Rocketship.fm as we delve into the complexities surrounding TikTok's potential ban and what it could mean for the tech industry and beyond. This podcast is brought to you by: Go to http://porkbun.com/RocketshipFM24 to get $1 off your next desired domain name at Porkbun! Miro: Go to Miro.com/podcast and get your first three Miro boards free forever. Hubspot: Listen to The Science of Scaling wherever you get your podcasts. Gigantic: Learn more about Gigantic's Product Leadership course, Generative AI, Product Management course, Executive Leadership course & Web3 for Marketing course, AI Product Management Course, and Customer Research and Discovery Course at Gigantic.is Leadpages: The Easiest Way to Grow Your Sales. Check out their landing page templates today. Rocketship is brought to you by The Podglomerate. *** Previous Guests i

In this episode, Michael Sacca and Michael Belsito drop some major news before diving into the latest developments in the AI space. They discuss the tempered expectations surrounding generative AI and its impact on tech giants and consumers alike. Amidst the AI hype, companies are cautious about investing in new AI services due to high costs and questionable productivity gains. Later, they explore the product-market fit journey of Sprig, a product research platform, with CEO Ryan Glasglow. Glasglow shares his insights into identifying and validating critical problems faced by users, emphasizing the importance of understanding customer willingness to pay and the value proposition within existing software budgets. The episode also delves into Sprig's differentiation in a crowded market and their early customer acquisition strategy. Tune in for a deep dive into AI realities and product validation strategies in the tech world. This podcast is brought to you by: Go to http://porkbun.com/RocketshipFM24 to get $1 of

In this episode, join us as we revisit the predictions made last year and assess their impact on the tech landscape. The forecast of an impending recession, particularly hitting the tech sector first, has proven true, with notable companies facing multiple rounds of layoffs. The unsettling trend of stocks rising amidst job cuts continues to raise eyebrows, painting a complex economic picture. On a brighter note, the prediction that AI is here to stay is reaffirmed. Far from being a passing fad, AI remains the talk of the town, creating new job opportunities and enhancing existing roles. As the technological revolution continues, AI proves to be an invaluable asset to our professional lives. Social media dynamics are shifting, with a projection that more individuals will bid farewell to Twitter, making way for Facebook to take center stage. Explore the evolving landscape of online platforms and the factors influencing user preferences. In the realm of cryptocurrency, the anticipated rebound remains elusive. In