Product Habits - How Apple is organized for innovation

The Early Work

Paul Graham recently wrote this article about how one of the biggest things holding people back from doing great work is the fear of making something lame. Whenever I meet someone who is wrestling with this fear, I try to remind them that their early work is rarely the final product. Just about everyone goes through an initial "crap" phase when creating something new. While it seems counterintuitive, being a little overconfident in the beginning will help you get through other people's skepticism (and perhaps more potently, your own). If you're fighting against the fear of making something lame, read this. 

How Discord Won

Gaming communication platform Discord launched in 2015 and has since become a multi-billion dollar business. Even in a crowded market, the company has managed to become successful by selling status and building 10x better spaces for communities. In some ways, it reminds me of what Zoom has done in the broader video communications space. It just goes to show that there is always room—even in the most crowded markets—for products that are 10x better. 

How Apple Is Organized for Innovation

This is a fascinating deep dive look into how Steve Jobs reorganized the entire Apple company in his first year returning as CEO in 1997-98. What is perhaps even more surprising is that Apple still uses the same functional structure today, despite being almost 40 times as large in terms of revenue. Ever since Jobs implemented the new structure, Apple's managers at every level have been expected to possess these three key leadership characteristics. Do they surprise you?

Technical Debt Is Overhyped

We talk a lot about technical debt, and I think it's smart to make conscious decisions about when to take shortcuts that prioritize speed over quality. That said, I agree with the premise of this article: We need to start paying closer attention to product debt, which relates to all past decisions that were made without a clear product vision. Here are some questions your team should be asking on a regular basis to keep product debt in check. 

Is Using Humor in Sales Emails a Good Idea?

I don't know about you, but I admittedly ignore most of the sales emails I get. I can tell they are copy-paste pitches, and it makes me wonder why salespeople don't use more creative strategies to grab my attention. I like the idea of using humor to captivate in a sales email. At best, I'll respond. And if nothing else, at least you've got a shot at making me laugh. Could humor work as a strategy for your cold sales emails? 

How to Test and Measure Product-Market Fit Based on Your Business Type

Andy Johns just wrote a tweet storm about how to test and measure product-market fit depending on whether your company is a network effects or non-network effects business. I think his insight is brilliantly articulated, and I appreciate the thoughtful focus on understanding customers. If you don't yet have product-market fit, I recommend implementing one of these strategies.

Growing a SaaS from Zero to Sold With Arvid Kahl

If you want to learn how to start, run, and/or sell a bootstrapped business, Arvid Kahl's book Zero to Sold is required reading. But if you want to dip your toes in first, read this Q&A, where Arvid shares the inspiration behind the book and some of the biggest challenges he's faced on his own entrepreneurial journey. This is one of my favorite bits: "Forge relationships with your audience; understand that they're not just your customers, they are the reason for your business to exist."

27 Life Lessons That Would Benefit Anyone

This is a fantastic list of lessons learned that are good reminders for all of us, regardless of our age. Here are a few that really resonated with me:

• The solution to most problems is not to add something, but to remove something
• It's better to focus on going in the right direction rather than going fast in potentially the wrong direction
• How you think governs everything in your life—pay attention to your thoughts
• True freedom is doing what you want without caring what the world thinks