giffconstable.com | Thoughts on startups, product, innovation and more...

I’ve been thinking a lot about the intersection of product and finance given my new class on financial fluency. Product managers, whether an individual contributor or a head of product, get lots of advice on how to start a new job:
Use the product extensively...

I have been musing on how to cover strategy to my NYU MBA class. How the hell do you teach strategy in a few hours? I think my “aha” over the last few years is the below:
There are many strategy frameworks out there. I believe in using many, not one — 7 powers, porter, Gib Biddle’s DHM/GEM. But one of the most interesting questions you should ask is: “What are the big points of decision tension in our business?” Examples...

In the “personal news to share” category, I’ve joined a startup. After quite a few years working at scale, and then a “sabbatical” to focus on family needs, it’s back to the early stage for me. And yes, I’m loving it.
In April 2020, I stepped away from leading product and engineering at Meetup. The company was just getting spun out of WeWork and my kids were going through difficult times. They needed more time than either my, nor my wife’s, high-intensity jobs would...

Andrew Chen, long one of the best startup/growth voices out there, just tweeted about “The Traction Treadmill” —“It’ll kill your company,” he writes. Before I go on, let me explain what he means by that term. You’ve got a startup with okay customer retention...