👋 Tim Ryan’s Post

It's been a while since I've shared my thoughts here, and I want to dive into a space that's close to my heart – the Start-up Space. As a business operations professional, startup growth enthusiast, and growing Product manager, I've had the privilege of being in the trenches, witnessing firsthand the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of early-stage companies. Running a startup is like embarking on an exhilarating adventure into the unknown. It's a rollercoaster ride of innovation, perseverance, and, often, a fair share of uncertainty. Here's a glimpse into what it takes to be truly ready to run a start-up: Must be Visionary and Passionate: A startup begins with a vision, fueled by passion. It's about identifying a problem, envisioning a solution, and being driven by a desire to make it a reality. Vision is important but passion is vital, especially on days when the vision seems to tarry. Have a High-Risk appetite and be ready for Uncertainty: Startups are inherently risky. You're stepping into uncharted territory, and uncertainty is your constant companion. It's about taking calculated risks and learning from every leap. Resilient: The journey will test your resilience. There will be setbacks, and it's about bouncing back, learning from failures, and keeping the flame of determination burning. It's not for the timid or faint-hearted. Able to manage Resource Constraints: Most people can relate to this, Doing more with less is a common startup mantra. Limited resources often force creative problem-solving and resourcefulness out of every team member, you have got to know how to prioritize and manage resources. Ready to Wear Many Hats: You become a multi-faceted individual. You'll find yourself doing your Job description and still responsible for what's not spelt in it just to ensure no room for lapses. A start-up will force out every possibility in you, a very rewarding stretch. However, Journeying with a Product manager is key even if you possess all of the above. If a start-up can not afford any expert, it shouldn't be the Product Manager. These are insights I have found in my experience. #startupecosystem #productmanagement

Ever feel like you're wearing all the hats as a tech founder? 👒🎓🎩⛑️ You're not alone. Chatting with fellow founders, many admitted they are struggling to handle product management tasks along with everything else. Sounds familiar? 🤔 The good news? You don't have to do it all yourself. At Product Delights, we offer on-demand product management support.  We help founders bridge the gap by providing expert assistance without the commitment of a full-time hire. This frees you up to focus on what truly matters: fundraising, marketing, building your team, or driving strategic growth. Are you a founder juggling too much? 🤹 Let's chat about how Product Delights can streamline your product management process and free you up to focus on what matters most! ⏤ Sharing my experience of creating value as a product manager e.g. £31m biz benefits, £100k saved, a Techstars spot. On-demand product management advisor/consultant. #productmanagement #startups #founders

For startups... product is everything ⚙️. Here's why I just updated my job title from CEO to CEO & CPO 👨💼➡️👨💼🔧. In early 2023, I began leading product at T12 out of necessity. What started as a temporary role I had to fill turned into a passion ❤️. Leading product reshaped my view on leadership within startups. The truth? Every startup CEO could benefit from being their own CPO ⚙️. Here's why: your product roadmap IS your company roadmap 🗺️. Taking one step further I’d even argue that your product isn't just part of your business; it IS your business 🏭. Imagine your company as a finely tuned machine, with every department from engineering to marketing acting as gears. The product? That's the gear connected to the motor, driving everything forward 🚗. This alignment does more than streamline operations; it unites your team under a single vision 👥. As a leader, it also gives me a lot more control over the entire organization. I now feel like I have my hands squarely on the wheel... and I'm not sure if I'll ever take them off. Recruiting engineers, managing dev cycles, responding to customer issues, prioritizing resources... it's actually a lot of fun 😀. And if you've never done it before - I promise you'll learn something 🎓. If you're not sure where to start I'd recommend "Build What Matters - Delivering Key Outcomes" 📚. I won't go into it in detail today... it's so good it deserves its own post. If you are a founder or startup leader who has filled the role of CPO or is thinking of it... please comment below on what your experience has been 👇. Also, welcome any book recommendations or resources so we can all level up together 🚀. Happy building 🔨.

Great list! Some more reasons: 1/ Being founder is still 10x as stressful and takes up way more of your life. 2/ You can walk away if it doesn't feel like a match. Founders can't. 3/ You might not have a good idea on your own. You might not have fundable experience or a good network. 4/ These days, founding head of product might have a lot more job security than working at a big firm. 5/ You can just do the fun parts! And you might not have any marketable skills...

As product managers, we're literally hardwired and trained to say no all the time. But this becomes a knee jerk reaction that can lead to bad product decisions. In fact, I see this happen all the time at startups. A crazy, tangential request will come in, and everyone will say: NO! That's not what we do, it's not core to our business! But when I was working on Correlated, the interesting thing was that what we were protecting as the "core" of our business wasn't really worth protecting. The market and opportunity and product fit simply wasn't there. So in this new role, I'm challenging myself to think about what I'm going to say "YES" to. What opportunities out there are actually more appealing than what we're working on right now? How can we re-allocate our investments into higher performing assets, just as you would with a stock portfolio? #productmanager #techstartup #careertips #startupfounder #startupbuilding

"Why join an early-stage company as a product leader when you could start your own company?" I'm seeing more and more entrepreneurial product leaders ask this. From a financial reward vs. risk point of view, it's a fair question. Here's why: As an early-stage product leader, ... • You will be taking a significant amount of risk. • You will work long hours. • You will have a big impact on the trajectory of the company. • But you will own .5-2% of the company, while the founder owns ~15-30%. That said, there are great reasons to join an early-stage company as a product leader: • You will get a front-row seat into what it takes to build a great company. • You will get to move quickly (fewer layers and stakeholders). • You will gain experience with 0-1 product development. • You will learn how to be scrappy. • You can build your team and processes from scratch. What other questions should product leaders ask themselves before joining an early-stage startup? 

Everything is urgent. Everything is important! That's one thing which startup founders often tell me that's constantly on their minds. And it's a difficult situation to be in... If you can't choose, you're at risk of speaking to the wrong audience, building the wrong product, wasting huge amounts of resources (time, money, people), and even failing completely. When you feel stuck and are struggling to prioritise, it may be time to consider hiring a Product Manager. A PM can help you sort through these issues and make sure that you're building the right product features that will have the greatest impact on your customers. These are some common challenges that show that you need a Product Manager: 1. 𝐋𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬: Difficulty prioritizing which product features to build. 2. 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: particularly between product development and business goals. 3. 𝐏𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐬: Difficulty communicating the Product Strategy to the Organization. 4. 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭: Lack of clarity on the target market or customer need. 5. 𝐃𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠: Inefficient product development processes leading to delays, wasted resources and a struggle to scale. 6. 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐬: Inconsistent product quality or performance. But don't let these challenges slow you down! Get a PM to support you by focusing on what you're building and who's it for. This can save your startup. Ideally, you get on board a Product Leader who's done it before and who knows what you should be doing; Just don't get a Junior PM, please! They won't know what to do and probably won't help much. Another alternative, if you just want to test the waters, is to hire a Fractional Chief Product Officer (CPO) for 1-2 days a week. This way you get a Senior Product leader without having to commit fully. Either way, a Product Manager will help you go through these product blockers, sort out the important stuff and focus on whaat your startup really needs to grow. -- PS: Text me if you're going through these same focus on prioritisation problems. I'd love to hear more about it. My inbox is open, DM me or matthew@knowyoursocial(dot)com #productmanagement #productleadership #startups #founders #saas

This is on point! A few more questions to ask yourself when considering joining an early stage startup as a product leader: 1) do I want to go to battle alongside this founder? 2) will this founder make me better in a key way? 3) how excited am I to become an expert about this space/domain? 4) assuming this company fails, will I still be happy I joined? 5) how does this chapter fit into my long-term career narrative?

Aside from the equity and risk considerations Marc Baselga mentions, I think it comes down to 3 things: 1. Who is the CEO/Founding team and what are their strengths/expertise. Are they also PMs, is there a lot of overlap? 2. Are they looking for a builder or a partner? 3. What's your background in Product Leadership and have you ever worked at this stage? I do think there's a world where the 3 aspects can create a functional collaborative environment for the PM leader - like if the Founders do not have a Product background and the PM leader has done Seed/Early Stage before. But I think often times, its both parties first times and a lot of misplaced expectations are brought. The other common situation is when the PM comes in as a builder, not really a partner, and grows into the Leader. In that case, both parties learn from each other, but it's a different type of leadership role than the aforementioned. Regardless, when you join an early stage startup, I recommend you to be very explicit with yourself on when to re-evaluate your new experience against the market. It has the potential of reducing or increasing your marketability.

Just had an insightful week connecting with 30+ founders, and let me tell you – the lessons were GOLDEN! Here are some pricey mistakes that popped up in startup journeys. 💡 1️⃣ Hiring Part-Time When You Want to Run Instead of Walk: Sometimes, sprinting is the need of the hour. Don't hold back on full-time roles when the pace demands it. Invest wisely in your team for the marathon ahead! 2️⃣ Glorifying Solopreneurship: Yes, you're a rockstar, but even rockstars need a band. The myth of doing it all alone can be costly. Build a supportive team; you'll go farther and have more fun! 3️⃣ Not Hiring a Product Manager Sooner: For Product companies, your product is the heart of your startup. Bring in a product manager early to shape, refine, and guide your creation. It's an investment in success! 4️⃣ Focusing on Tasks Instead of Systems: This has been told time and again and still needs to be told. Tasks are short-term; systems are long-term. Invest time in building robust systems, and watch efficiency skyrocket. It's not just about the what, but the how! What is something I missed? #StartupJourney