Ken Katschke

Startups, Sales, Faith, and Product Management

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There's the object, the actual product itself, and then there's all that you learned. What you learned is as tangible as the product itself, but much more valuable, because that's your future.

Jony Ive

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Good product managers know the market, the product, the product line and the competition extremely well and operate from a strong basis of knowledge and confidence. A good product manager is the CEO of the product.

Ben Horowitz

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Speed vs. Size

It’s tempting to take your recent funding and staff up. It’s also very dangerous to do that. Why? Size does not always equal speed. Your growth strategy needs to be unique to your business, but it should always be focused on getting things done quickly.

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On Being Promotable

1. Do the job you were hired to do. It is so easy to get distracted, especially when the boss trusts you to take things off his plate. But, if you can consistently deliver on performance and you have the behaviors to go with it, your boss will know that you can always be counted on — you will hit the numbers.

2. Teach your boss something.... when your boss asks you to do something, don’t only do that, but expand your responsibilities and lay out a much bigger picture. Present a deeper, broader understanding of where your organization stands in relation to the other players and the playing field, so that he or she gains a whole new, wider perspective on the business. 

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Interview Often

I often tell those I manage to please take an interview if it is something they find truly interesting. I feel that an attitude of “interview often” actually makes my team better. Here are some of the benefits:

- Keep your interviewing skills and industry knowledge sharp - Know your market value - Self-discovery, learn what you really want in a job - Appreciate what you have; the grass is not always greener

Speaking with a recruiter or taking an interview rarely leads to job offer. The full interview process requires a lot of effort, so you can’t just go in with too casual of an attitude. Most of the companies you would really want to work for know exactly what they need and will be very picky. 

Take that first call. Take the first interview. Then use those to examine yourself. If it seems to be a fit with where you really want to be, go all in. If not, move along. Most importantly, don’t let your emotions drive your decision. 

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Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people.

Eleanor Roosevelt

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Dataheads vs. Business Mind

So you're building an analytics team... Do you build a team of dataheads or business minds? I would argue that, in order to be successful, you need both. Just like every good engineering team needs a product manager, every data team needs a business mind. Without that person, the business team(s) you support will have to take on more of the load to develop a firm business case. When I’ve seen this happen before, the business team ended up going as far as hiring it’s own team of dataheads and then skipped over the analytics team altogether. 

Don’t get left in the dust...

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This little guy. His face makes you think he just won an award or something.

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For those of you who have been posting that graphic on Linkedin... please stop.

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Just get on the rocket

 I've always been drawn to startups. The innovation, the lack of politics, the growth, and the opportunity to build a culture.... I love it all. I often talk to friends and former colleagues who are considering leaving a corporate job to join a startup. I'll ask them about the company, the CEO, and the upward trajectory of both. Too often, the unsettled matter for them has to do with career progression -- “I’m up for a Director/VP promotion soon”, or “I worry about leaving a whole team to managing no one”. 

 The problem with those concerns is that they are short-sighted. If the company is a winner (and the CEO also), then all you need to know is whether or not you are capable of seriously contributing to the success it will have. Is it something you are passionate about? Does the CEO believe in you? If so, you had better get on the ship. 

 When someone offers you a ride on the rocket ship, you can't be picky about where you sit.... just get in and sit down. 

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Sometimes I think we're alone. Sometimes I think we're not. In either case, the thought is staggering.

R. Buckminster Fuller

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It is not our abilities that show what we truly are; it is our choices.

JK Rowling

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Sales and Fishing

Enter the connection to sales. Sales requires good old fashioned hard work. Those who sit back and wait for the leads to come their way could be missing the best fishing of all. When the fishing is good, any salesman can look like a hero. When the weather is crummy and the leads are few, it is the fisherman that has kept his pole in the water who finds success. Consistent effort equates to consistent success.

Keep your pole in the water.

[crwhitesides-blog]

Technology is what we share. I don’t mean “we share the experience of technology.” I mean: By my lights, people very often share technologies with each other when they talk. Strategies. Ideas for living our lives. We do it all the time. Parenting email lists share strategies about breastfeeding and bedtime. Quotes from the Dalai Lama. We talk neckties, etiquette, and Minecraft, and tell stories that give us guidance as to how to live. A tremendous part of daily life regards the exchange of technologies. We are good at it. It’s so simple as to be invisible. Can I borrow your scissors? Do you want tickets? I know guacamole is extra. The world of technology isn’t separate from regular life. It’s made to seem that way because of, well…capitalism. Tribal dynamics. Territoriality. Because there is a need to sell technology, to package it, to recoup the terrible investment. So it becomes this thing that is separate from culture. A product.

-Paul Ford in The Sixth Stage of Grief is Retro-computing (via crwhitesides)

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Your value doesn't decrease based on another's inability to see your worth.

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Walt Disney Family Museum. This entire wall represents only 14 seconds of Steamboat Willie.

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The Perfect Product Pitch

Tease - Please - Seize 

Tease - Prove there is a serious need.

Please - Prove that you (and your product) are well-positioned to fill the need.

Seize - Prove that you can and will seize the opportunity.