Takeaways: How a great founder becomes a great CEO

Key takeaways from Lenny's podcast: "How a great founder becomes a great CEO | Jonathan Lowenhar"
Most founders struggle to make this distinction. The instincts and drive that help you launch a business aren't enough to scale it. That's why the best leaders lean into building the craft of being a CEO.
Here's what I learned about how founders can do just that:
Trust your intuition - but only when it's quiet.That “quiet voice” inside you often know... read more

The Most Important Skill for Product Managers

As my product management career has progressed, my perspective on the most important skill has changed. Early on, I thought it was all about speed - getting things done fast. Later, I believed strategy was the ultimate priority. But now, I'm increasingly convinced that the most important skill for a PM is clarity - and the key to achieving clarity is strong communication.
It doesn't matter how brilliant your product strategy is or how strong your... read more

Takeaways: Identify your bullseye customer in one day

Key takeaways from Lenny's podcast: "Identify your bullseye customer in one day | Michael Margolis"
That's the promise of the Bullseye Customer Sprint, a framework shared by Michael Margolis (UX Research Partner at GV). It's all about focusing on the right customer at the start of your journey - avoiding wasted effort and accelerating clarity for your team.
Instead of chasing broad customer profiles, Margolis advises narrowing down to a small, sp... read more

Culture is shaped by the people within it. Sometimes, one person is all it takes to spark positive change.

An employee who offers genuine encouragement, lends a hand to solve a problem or suggests small but meaningful improvements can transform a team's energy - one action at a time.

This is the quiet yet powerful force of influence.

Amplify their voices.
Support them.
Elevate them.

Let their impact ripple further.

Silos.

Break them whenever you see them.

Silos keep teams from seeing the whole market picture.

Silos risk losing sight of the customer, prioritising internal goals and creating a fragmented experience.

Silos slow everything down - teams hold onto information, delaying solutions.

Silos leave teams blind to risks outside their scope.

Expertise vs open-mindedness.

Sometimes it's hard to tell if someone's perspective is genuinely the best approach or if they're just anchored in familiar thinking. What if they don't even know what “awesome” could look like?

On the other hand, knowing when to hold your ground versus when to let things go can be even trickier. What if I don't know what “awesome” feels like and am just comfortable with my usual approach?

Define who's making the call before a debate starts.

That person takes in everyone's input but in the end they own the final decision.

It cuts down on endless debates and helps the team align around a single direction - even if not everyone agrees at first.

A short post about unstoppable teams.

Weathering the Torpedoes

All teams will face this moment sooner or later.

Torpedoes hit and chaos erupts. This feels like the end.

You see those who freeze and are lost in analysis or despair. Others grab buckets, extinguish fires and patch the holes. Those who can't handle the shitstorm often leave or, worse, switch off - but the team that stays learns.

Each crisis builds resilience and over time, the screams fade, the paralysis lessens and the team grows steady.

One day, the torpedo hits again but nobody panics. Everyone acts, shoulders the load and trusts each other to hold the line.

That's the moment you know your team is unstoppable.

Lead with Problems, Not Solutions

Sharing problems doesn't mean solving them.

Early in a product management career, it's tempting to package every problem with a solution. It feels efficient and helpful but it can limit your team's creativity. Presenting ready-made answers shifts focus from understanding the problem to critiquing your idea. This shortcut skips the messy, collaborative process where the best solutions often emerge.

Teams thrive when they tackle challenges together. Give them the problem - leave space for their brilliance.

Agile Isn’t Chaos

Agility is misunderstood. True agility adapts to change without succumbing to chaos. It's never about rushing decisions.

The best teams balance flexibility and structure. Agility thrives on collaboration, iterative progress and responsiveness - anchored by clear direction. Without this balance, chaos replaces speed and quality falls victim to a mirage of progress.

Agile isn't a strategy. It's how strategies breathe.

Agile vs Strategy

Using no-reply emails puts up a barrier and can leave customers feeling ignored.

Instead, businesses should use email addresses that invite replies and ensure responses. It's a simple way to build stronger relationships and gather valuable feedback.

PMs, Step Back to Move Forward

When PMs and PDs overlap, clarity saves teams.

PMs and PDs often talk to customers, pitch ideas and think about UX. Overlap is natural but not all tasks require both voices. If PDs excel at crafting intuitive experiences, PMs should step back and refocus. Their time is better spent refining strategy and building cross-team alignment.

Stepping back isn't losing control - it's enabling brilliance.

Scaling Skills in Small Teams

Working at a small tech business shapes your career differently.

You'll juggle strategy, customer service, product development and beyond. The small team demands versatility, immersing you in every aspect of the business. This hands-on experience accelerates learning and builds skills quicker than larger organisations ever could.

For ambitious minds craving growth and variety, nothing compares.

Broken Isn’t Always Yours

Not everything broken is yours to fix. But recognising and communicating the problem? That's on you.

Taking responsibility doesn't mean solving every issue yourself. It means speaking up, sharing the truth and ensuring others are aware. Ignoring the cracks won't make them disappear.

You can't fix what you refuse to see - or refuse to say.

QA Isn’t the Fix

Dedicated QA creates more problems than it solves.

When a dev team owns quality, accountability stays in the right hands. Bugs are fewer, fixes are faster and processes tighten.

Introducing dedicated QA shifts that balance.

Developers grow complacent, relying on testers to catch mistakes. Tools diverge, creating inefficiencies. QA often duplicates what devs should already handle.

Quality isn't a separate role. It's a shared responsibility embedded in every line of code.

10 Insights from "Lessons Learned from 1,000+ YC Startups with Dalton Caldwell"

I recently listened to Lenny's podcast, where he spoke to Dalton Caldwell, Managing Director at Y Combinator, and discovered a few interesting insights. Here are 10 of them:
To succeed in a startup keep going, try new things and believe in your idea.
Airbnb faced multiple challenges and setbacks before achieving success, including the possibility of shutting down several times prior to entering Y Combinator. The founders of Airbnb, Brian Chesky, ... read more

SCQA Framework: Examples and How to Use It

The SCQA (Situation, Complication, Question, and Answer) framework, also known as the Minto Pyramid Principle, is a communication and problem-solving tool that breaks down complex ideas into simpler, more manageable parts.
SCQA is often used in a business context where time is limited and decision-makers have to quickly grasp important information.
The SCQA format has four components:

Here are some of the benefits that you can enjoy by using th... read more

Changes at Basecamp

Basecamp went big this week!
There's a lot of hate and negative vibes around the recent Basecamp's corporate policy changes. See the announcement “No more societal and political discussions on our company Basecamp account”. People were quick to accuse DHH and Jason Fried of eliminating freedom of speech.
I'd like to share four points.
I respect DHH and Jason for being very clear on what they believe the right thing for Basecamp is. There's nothi... read more

Product Management FAQs

Product managers decide what to build next. They are accountable for the overall success of the product.
Product Managers drive the vision, product strategy, user experience, execution, and success of the product or one of its areas. Product Managers are trusted by the organisation to make prioritisation calls.
Product Managers and their teams work on a product or feature that impacts the wider business, from customer support to finance. They mus... read more