Product Habits - Segment's crazy growth story

The Apps Organizations Use To Stay Productive

The Okta team put together its annual Business at Work report, and the findings are illuminating. It covers 2021's most popular and fastest-growing apps, as well as new trends that have emerged in response to pandemic-related workforce changes. Unsurprisingly, companies are pouring more effort and resources into collaboration and data security. Check out the full report here. 

What People Misunderstand About Business Ideas

People assume great business ideas have to be rooted in seeking a neat solution for a big problem. But sometimes, great ideas don't solve inherent problems—they simply need to be well-executed consistently. This is a good reminder that great ideas live everywhere. In the end, execution is what matters the most. 

The Double-Edged Sword of Expertise

Expertise is necessary, but it can block progress for two reasons: Experts tend to be sure they are right and often don't consider the basis for their beliefs and how they extend to new situations. As you grow in your career and build expertise, it gets easier to assume your point of view is correct. To avoid falling into this trap, make sure to challenge yourself and question your assumptions regularly. 

The Relationship Between the CEO and Head of Product

The relationship between the CEO and Head of Product is critical if you want to scale a startup successfully. It can be a challenging relationship to navigate because the CEO is usually a startup's original Head of Product. But at some point, they need to hand over the role to keep the company growing. This is a worthwhile read about making sure the CEO and Head of Product build the foundations for a great relationship from the beginning.

How To Hire and Manage Your Head of Product

If you're at a place where you are ready to hire a Head of Product, this is a must-read. It's a critical hire that can change your startup's trajectory, so make sure you're prepared to hire well and manage effectively. This guide covers how to hire for each company stage, as well as eight tips you should keep in mind before you make any big decisions. 

Offer-Led Growth

Many founders think they need to have a big community before selling. But a look at more than 450 founders shows the majority got their first paying customers without an existing audience. This read includes a great recap of the top channels to get initial traction. One of the big takeaways: What matters most is your offer. Here's how to make sure your offer is as clear and compelling as possible.
 

How To Scale Outbound Marketing

In the early stages of a startup, it's natural to lean on your pre-existing network and organic referrals. But how do you scale when you're entering the next phase of growth and need to grow marketing and sales efforts? While there isn't a one-size-fits-all solution, I thought this was a helpful guide on the mindset and method combo you can use to scale your company's outbound marketing. 

How Do You Achieve Hypergrowth?

Every startup dreams of hypergrowth, which is when a company has a compound annual growth rate greater than 40%. Getting to hypergrowth is no easy task, but it's gratifying when you do. There are three stages on the path to hypergrowth, each with its own set of challenges. Check out these examples of hypergrowth companies and the big decisions to achieve astronomical growth. 

How To Be an Ultra-Influential Leader

Shreyas Doshi shares one of his secrets for being an ultra-influential leader. He suggests taking five minutes every morning to simulate your meetings. For each one, visualize how you want it to go, what role you want to play, what might derail the discussion, and how you want people to feel coming out of it. In my experience, these kinds of simple visualization exercises make all the difference in the world. Give it a try this week.