Product Habits - How to say no

The Unspoken Hard Bits of Bootstrapping

Geoff Roberts says it well in this post: "I think we talk way too much about whether we prefer bootstrapping to raising venture capital, and way too little about which path is compatible with our business idea and life circumstances." The debate between bootstrapping and raising capital rages on, but there really is no one-size-fits-all answer. I think we'd benefit from shifting the conversation to more of a focus on which path is most compatible with the products we're building and how we ultimately want to run our businesses. 

The Anatomy of a Startup Organization

This is an interesting breakdown of a typical tech company's organizational structure. It's helpful to look at it this way because it's easier to identify the common success metrics and dilemmas that tend to arise with each group or leadership hire within a growing company. If you're a founder or CEO, this read will help you think through and clarify where you may need to invest (or divest) your resources to create a competitive edge. 

How to Say No

I've gotten a lot better at this over the years, but it hasn't always been easy for me to say no to people and opportunities. I know I'm not alone. If you find it difficult to say no, these 31 templates can help you get better at it. I found the templates for saying no to phone calls, events, doing free work, and having your brain "picked" (a phrase I can't stand, by the way) particularly helpful. Check out the full treasure trove of "no" templates here. 

How a Sales Safari Can Help You Find the Right B2B Opportunities

Alex Hillman and Amy Hoy developed something called the Sales Safari methodology, which I think has really useful applications for building products in a thoughtful and sustainable way. They developed a course called 30 by 500 that helps people find their audience and what they really need and want. It's since evolved into a practicable set of skills to help people test products with an audience that isn't their own—and I think it's brilliant. You'll get a lot of value out of learning more about the Sales Safari method, which Alex talks about in this interview. 

From an Airtable to $9.2k in Side Income

I like this article because it lays out the value of information products and how, if you can create a great one, you can also figure out how to build a nice side stream income for yourself. This is the step-by-step process Gene Maryushenko used to turn what was originally an Airtable sheet into almost $10,000 in income. My favorite part about this article is how he breaks down what was happening with each new sale. 

How to Build a Great Series A Pitch and Deck

Janelle Tam is YC's Series A Program Manager, and her job is to help YC founders raise their Series As. As you can imagine, she's identified patterns and feedback she gives repeatedly, so she put it all together in this guide. It covers everything from the purpose of a Series A pitch to a slide-by-slide deck overview. If you're in the process of raising a Series A or think you might in the near future, this is a must-read. 

Growth Loops Are The New Funnels

I've shared this article in the newsletter a while back, but wanted to resurface it because I think it's one of the most important concepts for a startup founder or growth leader to understand. This read centers around finding an answer to a seemingly simple question: How does your product grow? And the surprising concept in this piece is that funnels actually aren't the answer. The fastest growing products are actually better represented as a closed system of loops, where inputs generate a bigger output, which can then be reinvested. Here are several examples of growth loops in action. 

What Is Expected of an Engineering Manager?

The role of an engineering manager can be a bit amorphous depending on the size and type of organization he or she is working in. I thought this was a good, simple distillation of the most important aspect of an engineering manager's job, no matter where they work. In a nutshell, they are: supporting and helping your team grow, setting quality standards and providing resource support, and keeping a constant practice of creating, improving, or eliminating team or company processes. Would you add anything to this list?

Building Breakthroughs: A New Course From Floodgate

The Floodgate team is launching an online course called "Building Breakthroughs," which is open to all students and startup founders across the country. The goal of the course is to help find and test breakthrough concepts, and develop the resources needed to scale. If it sounds like something you might be interested in, Floodgate is accepting applications until 9/20.

Lean more about the program here and apply here.

Going All-In on Remote Work: The Technical and Cultural Challenges

“Remote work can be either costly or cost-saving, depending on how you approach it and how well-equipped you are to truly support it.” I couldn’t agree more. Going remote is an opportunity to redefine roles and make sure your team has the resources they need, but it takes conscientious effort. This is an important read for anyone who is now leading a remote or semi-remote team. 

Bessemer Venture's Investment Recommendation Memos

Bessemer Venture Partners shared their Investment Recommendation Memoranda from some of their most successful investments. The common thread? It was less about the products and more about the people. In my experience with investing, people are the most important thing. I think most investors would agree. Keep this in mind if you’re pitching your startup in the near future. 

Hiring Your First Head of Marketing

This was a thought-provoking read about why there is so much turnover among startup CMOs. Often, they aren’t set up for success—especially if the company has invested few resources in marketing initiatives up until that point. Make sure you think through this checklist to determine whether you’re ready for a marketing head. 

How Etsy Created Joyful Online Events Pre-Zoom

I didn’t realize this, but Etsy started something called “Virtual Labs,” which were basically digital events, way back in 2009. One of the first dozen employees at Etsy shares why they created them, how they worked, and what made the community fall in love with them. 

Step Functions and One-Percent Improvements

I agree with Auren Hoffman: You can build a solid company with consistent one percent improvements. But in order to build a great company, you need step functions that provide exponential growth (though they tend to carry more risk). This is a thoughtful read about how step functions operate, and why they are important but require patience and risk tolerance. 

What the First Seven Christmases Were Like at Amazon

Amazon launched in July 1995. I didn’t know this, but apparently the company had a near-death experience around Christmas for the first seven years. Dan Rose joined in 1999 and recounts what it was like to work at Amazon during that crazy time. His tweet thread about it will surprise and inspire you. 

Why Senior Engineers Get Nothing Done

I hear this all the time from senior engineers: “I hardly code anymore.” I read this article and thought it was a great, clear explanation for why that tends to happen. If you’re an engineer (especially a senior one), this will make you chuckle and nod in agreement. More than that, it’ll help you find ways to protect your coding time and get back to the work you love the most.