About a year ago, I shared the newsletters I subscribe to. I still think newsletters, in addition to a properly curated Twitter feed, are the best way to both stay up to date on relevant news. They are also a great mechanism to support a continuous growth mindset.

There have never been more high quality newsletters as there are right now. Still, as part of how I put Inbox Zero into practice, I avoid subscribing to any newsletter I won’t be reading thoroughly. I am quick to unsubscribe if I find a newsletter is not providing the right ROI for the time invested to read it. With that bar, the newsletters I’m currently reading are all highly recommended if they line up with your interests or career.

• Stratechery by Ben Thompson (paid version)
• The Diff by Byrne Hobart (paid version)
• Lenny’s Newsletter by Lenny Rachitsky (paid version)
• Not Boring by Packy McCormick
• Money Stuff by Matt Levine
• Alex Danco’s Newsletter

New to the list are Not Boring and Lenny’s Newsletter (the latter I was trying out in June 2020). Anything I should be reading not on the list? Let me know.

Generally, I am not optimistic about the short term future of the US or the world. I’m not writing songs about it, but there are large problems I don’t see a clear path to resolving. Still, as we head into 2021, there are a few areas where I am cautiously optimistic.

Finance

Unlike most FinTech companies that are creating a better UX for the same services of old, companies like Stripe, Affirm, and Pipe are building creative, new solutions. These companies will enable new opportunities for entrepreneurs and consumers. When everything is online, everything is data. Internet-native financial engineers are just getting started making use of this data, and I’m excited for what it could mean. Pipe looks like it could be capital-as-a-service at scale, helping companies grow and founders maintain equity, and Affirm is making it easier for both sides of large transactions. Stripe truly seems to just be getting started building the financial rails of the internet. As similar product offerings mature to become more accessible, I’m optimistic the global impact, especially from supporting or enabling small businesses, will be significant. Stripe’s continued global focus alone is responsible for much of this optimism.

Continue reading “Optimistic Notes Heading Into 2021”

Every product manager needs a detailed understanding of how their product is used. In a desire to be data-driven*, most PMs jump to Google Analytics or its equivalent (I have a problem with how ‘data-driven’ is used when it comes to product management, but that’s another post). To really understand how your product is being used, you can’t just rely on the raw data. You’ll need a framework to understand the data, the right metrics, and anecdotes to paint a fuller picture.

Continue reading “All Usage is Not Created Equal”

Adapted from a presentation originally shared at Yeshiva University’s Katz School of Science and Health.

When starting as a Product Manager, knowing the responsibilities and goals is only the first step. The responsibilities of a PM can vary drastically from team to team or project to project. It is important to have different ways of thinking about the role in order to properly orient yourself. This is a sample of my toolkit that serves as a baseline for how I think about the Product Manager role and any problem, feature request, or new initiative I encounter.

CEO of the Product

One of the common mental models for thinking about product management. Being the CEO of the Product sounds enticing, but it is important to consider what this does not mean.

This model does not mean you will be:

Continue reading “Building Frames: Mental Models for Product Management”

Warren Buffet spends five to six hours reading every day. I’m always trying to read more, but this quote made me think more specifically about how much and what I am reading. This is my ideal breakdown for reading in a day:

Current events, business news, and related research	3 hours
Fun, relaxing read (fiction, well written business books or case studies)	1 hour
Social media	1 hour
Growth reading (academic papers, books outside my core focus)	1 hour