How the world has improved in the last 30 years

How Things Have Improved Since the 1990s

We tend to measure progress in terms of big cultural and technological shifts. But, progress also happens in the seen and unseen small things in our lives. Comparing day-to-day life now versus thirty years ago makes it easy to see how much progress has been made. I appreciated reading this list of the many things that have improved over time—from cars and clothing to internet access and universal search. If you want a dose of optimism about the future, read this. 

How One CEO Spent His First Two Years of Company Building

Levels Co-founder Sam Corcos has tracked his time in 15-minute increments for years. He just shared exactly how he spent his time in his first two years as a startup CEO. He shares the biggest surprises from deeply analyzing his own data and provides plenty of tested tactics you can implement into your own time management system. I appreciate how honest and detailed this article is—it's sure to make you reflect on how you spend your time. 

The Art of Startup Storytelling

Julian Shapiro is one of my favorite tweeters. With a focus on writing, branding, and growth, he talks a lot about the art of startup storytelling. He shares what startups tend to do wrong when it comes to brand-building and how he thinks companies (and founders) will change the way they talk about themselves in public in the future. When it comes to telling your startup's story, Julian says, "Don't overthink it. Your own excitement will take your audience on a journey with you in ways that paid acquisition can't." I couldn't agree more. 

9 Lessons From 10+ Years Working in Product

This is such a valuable post—if you work in product management, this is a must-read. But I think the same rules apply to just about any startup role. Here are a few of my favorites: always separate the problem from the solution, your team is the most important factor for success, and value consistency over intensity. This post also serves as a good reminder to be kind to yourself. Check out the full set of lessons here.

Your Next Product Experiment

I recently stumbled upon this site, which features a collection of techniques to help you map your product challenges to solutions. You can purchase the full database, but there are also a handful of free resources to guide you through techniques like conjoint analysis, consequence scanning, and product strategy frameworks. Which of these do you find most helpful?

Five Attributes of Distinctive Product Marketers

What does it take to be a really great product marketer? This is a well-written distillation of the five attributes of distinctive PMMs. In a nutshell, they are: curious, opinionated, assiduous, multi-dimensional, and adaptable. In my experience, one of the most important qualities in a great product marketer is the ability to tackle just about any challenge—from high-level strategy to subtle execution details. 

Technical Documentation

I agree with Portia Burton: Many tech startups treat marketing as a dirty word, assuming that good product work speaks for itself. It isn't until a technical contributor becomes a startup founder that they realize how important marketing and sales are. If you are marketing to developers, it's worth using clear technical documentation rather than traditional marketing to attract them. Here's why.

How To Navigate Startup Growth Pains

When you're scaling a company at a fast pace, you'll inevitably face growing pains. It happens when parts of the company are moving faster than others, which creates imbalances. The things that tend to break when scaling are company culture, talent management, communication, and performance. This is a helpful list of things you can do to mitigate each kind of growing pain. Every startup founder should read this.