5 L E S S O N ST O H E L P Y O U T R A N S I T I O N I N T O P R O D U C T M A N A G E M E N T

J O N A T H A N L A I

We do not rise to the level of our expectations, but instead fall to the level of our preparation.

your destination

your story

networking

books, blogs, and more

the case study

experimenting

1. your story

“There is no failure really. Only feedback.”

Lots of interviews

“know thyself”

W H AT K I N D O F P M D O Y O U W A N T T O B E ?

Corporate Startup

Building Scaling

Internal External

Design Marketing

W H Y D O Y O U W A N T T O B E A P M ?

• You love uncertainty

• You identify “problems” at every turn

• Tinkering is in your DNA

• You keep Evernote entries for random business ideas

• You prioritize ruthlessly and can defend each decision

• You enjoy talking to users and getting feedback

• You think about features, benefits, and ROI

W H Y S H O U L D X Y Z TA K E A C H A N C E O N Y O U ?

1. What relevant PM skills do you ALREADY have?

2. What relevant industry experience do you already know / can learn about?

3. How does your personality jive with their culture?

How well can you articulate your key messages*? *the essence of what you want to communicate

2. networking

M I S C O N C E P T I O N S

speed dating…

quizzes…

groups only…

W H AT I G O T O U T O F I T

• Met some great people

• Learned about what they do (and evaluated if it was something I wanted to do)

• Practiced telling my story / key messages

• Discovered and interviewed at companies that I might not have come across on my own

R E S O U R C E S

Share product/startup stories, network, and learn valuable lessons from seasoned product veterans

A weekly newsletter that highlights the upcoming events / classes in NYC

M I N D S E T

1. A networking event is worth it if…

• I learn one new thing

• I hear one thing I’ve already learned

• I meet one new person

2. How can I help the other person?

3. books and blogs and more

B O O K S

B L O G S

creating passionate users: headrush.typepad.com/

dave mcclure: 500hats.com

paul graham: paulgraham.com

… A N D M O R E ( S TA R T U P C L A S S . C O )

… A N D E V E N M O R E

4. case study

M I S C O N C E P T I O N S

idea theft…

perfection required…

actually…

it’s all about the framework!

F L AV O R O F T H E M O N T H

• What is your favorite product? Why?

• How would you improve XYZ product?

• Imagine you are a PM at XYZ company. Here is the scenario. What would you do next?

• How does the internet work?

F O R M AT O F T H E M O N T H

• Q&A during the interview

• Take home assignment

• Whiteboard walkthrough session

M Y F R A M E W O R K

1. What is the problem?

2. Who are you solving the problem for (and who are you not solving it for)?

3. Define a solution

4. Define the risks and assumptions for each solution

5. Validate each risk / assumption (MVP’s)

5. experiment

M I S C O N C E P T I O N S

everything worth doing has already been done…

billion dollars or bust…

No team, no go…

too much work too little time…

A S A M P L I N G O F E X P E R I M E N T S

1 min / day

10 min / day

30 min / day

1 hr / day

@centralpark_pics

Rejection therapy

Read together

Learn to program

W H AT I G O T O U T O F I T

• Test drive the day-to-day work of a product manager

• Learn new skills

• Practice, practice, practice!

• Build a portfolio

what are YOU willing to do?

• learn to code / design / market

• write about your own lessons

• work on a side project

• practice case studies

• refine your key messages

• read about product

• attend / help out with networking events

T R I B E O F F I V E

B E T T E R @ T R I B E F I V E . M E

B E T T E R T O G E T H E R , O N E D AY AT A T I M E .

Upcoming Courses

New York

Apply Atwww.productschool.com

www.productschool.com

October Cohort Weekdays: October 18th Weekends: October 15th

www.productschool.com

Upcoming Workshops

Rsvp On Eventbrite

August 24: Inside the world of a B2B Product Manager

August 31:Product Managers - What to know about Mobile Analytics and Engagement

Sept 7: Product Management Course - Info Session

Sept 14: Product Management Happy Hour