Noise Between Stations

Month: June 2011

  • My Product as an Equation

    One of the most important things I learned when becoming a product manager was being able to see my product as an equation. In the startup phase it’s easy, there’s just costs and they’re often tangible: people, hardware, software. Then you add marketing in various forms each with a different cost/revenue profile, then revenue streams and revenue sharing, then business overhead in myriad forms, and so on.

    Developing a mental model of this equation (particularly the more volatile variables) and designing with that equation in mind is a fun part of managing a product. Maybe writing it down and posting it on the wall would be an educational tool for the team?

  • The 60-Second Startup Pitch

    I’ve been watching founders of small tech startups pitch their companies in 60 seconds. One thing I learned is that a pitch this length must be committed to memory; there’s little room for forgetting a key detail or losing your train of thought.

    The successful pitches hit on these points:

    • Who I/we are
    • What problem we solve
    • How we solve it
    • How we sell it
    • Status of business & funding
    • Our industry experience