Product Habits - Mindset makes you world-class

When You Hear the Word Startup, What Comes to Mind?

The word "startup" has become such a common way to describe just about any new business. I wanted to understand what comes to mind for people when they hear the word, so I asked on Twitter. The responses were fascinating and a little bit surprising. They ranged from "a new business in survival mode" to "failure" to "enthusiastic founders coming together to change the world for the better." When you hear the word "startup," what is the first thing you think of? 

The Mindsets and Practices of Excellent CEOs

The most important (and loneliest) role at a company is that of a CEO. Just three in five newly appointed CEOs live up to performance expectations in the first 18 months. Given how impactful a CEO can be, little is understood about what it takes to succeed in that position. This is a thoughtful read about the 18 practices some of the best leaders follow. 

When You Don't Grow Alongside New Technology

Chris Dixon wrote one of the most thought-provoking tweet threads I saw this past week. He compared the growth of the video game industry to the music industry since 1980—and the differences are dramatic. My main takeaway from this thread: When you find a way to work with emerging technologies and culture shifts, you'll fare better than if you fight against them. 

The Elements of Product Design

Frameworks have such a big impact on the way we think about problems and concepts. This stacked diagram is a good example. The simple act of stacking product design layers makes it easier to see that the various product design elements are not time-dependent but logic-dependent. It's worth thinking about how we might benefit from re-conceptualizing some of our other mental models in business and beyond. 

The Most Helpful Product Management Templates

It has become trendy to create curated lists of resources and templates, but sometimes I find them overwhelming. It's hard to know where to start and easy to fall into the "paradox of choice" trap. I appreciate Lenny Rachitsky's list of personal favorite product management templates. If you're looking for a short but sweet set of PM frameworks to start with, this is all you need. 

Why It's Hard for Engineering To Support Marketing

I've seen this happen time and time again: Marketing teams want to deliver great digital experiences as fast as possible, but they require one of the scarcest resources at a company—dedicated engineering support. As a result, both marketing and engineering teams end up feeling frustrated. Teams can smooth out the disconnect, but it requires a change in workflow from both sides. This is the article every marketer and engineer needs to read this week. 

The Category Creator's Manifesto

Owning a new category is seen as a moat, so many startups aspire to define one. But true category creation feels different—and it's rare. Here are some lessons we can learn from the emergence of the "subscription economy" and how the category moved from the trough of invisibility to the peak of inevitability. 

The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Showing Up Everyday

Just about everyone who starts a company goes through this internal debate: Should I quit my job and go all in, or build my idea out gradually in my free time? I think the latter option is underrated. This is a compelling story about how Typesense grew over the past six years while the founder kept a full-time job and had only one goal for his startup: Write some code every day before or after work. With no deadlines, quarterly goals, or milestones, here's what happened.