5 common traps to avoid for IT services companies building products
Few years ago services to product became cool when the IT majors launched their efforts. Now it’s seen as an imperative by many including Government of India and NASSCOM. The advantages that product companies enjoy such as higher valuations, stickiness with customers, attracting better talent are the #envy of many services companies. Several small and mid sized IT services companies …
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How much of the story is the grind?
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Sukanya Bharati
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August 21, 2024
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Blog
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#startups
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0 Comments
Storytelling is a wonderful thing. But sometimes it can be a bad thing. Stories of product success. Stories of startup success. These come with an extra dose of “special effects”. Unfortunately, such stories can be misleading. And sometimes, misdirect those who are building. Usually what’s missing from these stories is the grind. Just like Bollywood or Hollywood movies. All the …
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A Fresh(works) shot in the arm
It was a delight to read about the Freshworks IPO and listing on Nasdaq. For many SaaS founders and startups this will be a shot in the arm. Same for the India product ecosystem. Someone has actually been there and done that now. Incredible feat indeed by Girish Mathrubootham and team. It is also one of the less common examples …
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The art of customer listening
You will often come across this ‘wisdom’. If you are a founder or CEO you must always be selling. But this is a trap. Especially when you are building a new product. Or service. I fell in to this one myself. When I started my consulting business, it was all about me. It was all about what we could do. …
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Welcome to Firestarter for Intrapreneurs
What’s cooler? Being an entrepreneur or an intrapreneur? Both require ideas and execution. Both require initiative and creativity. Founders may have to do more with less. Intrapreneurs may have more. But they also need to manage a lot more. And still find ways to do it all. We certainly had the opportunity to meet and work with some cool entrepreneurs …
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Get your priorities right
I remember the time I started as a product manager I was overwhelmed. Before that I was an engineering manager and before that a developer. That was simpler, if not easier. Mostly I was told what to do. Usually had a clear definition of what I wanted my team to deliver. I had to figure out how to do it …
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Just keep doing it
There is big difference between knowing and doing. For instance, everybody knows this. If you want stay healthy: Eat right Sleep enough Exercise regularly Simple, right? But how many do it? Everyone wants to, but most struggle. Billions are spent on solutions for each of those steps. We see the same thing. When it comes to product creation. And building …
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Defining the product roadmap
How do you choose a direction when the ground is shifting? Is it even possible? If you are building products or work as a product manager, owner, leader, founder you likely use a tool called a “product roadmap”. Just like a map tells you how to get where you want, a roadmap should tell the teams internal and external where …
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What does a product roadmap have in common with an elephant?
No, this is not the beginning of a PJ. It is something you can actually put to use. An elephant has two types of teeth: the external facing tusks and the internal ones. The tusks are often big and add a certain pizazz. The internal ones are functional and do the grind. Literally. 🙂 Startups and product managers can use …
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Are you falling in the feature trap?
This is a trap that too many technical product leaders fall in. Sometimes they overrule marketing. They do so at their own peril. Not long ago I worked with a company that had a successful product. It had evolved over the years and done well. Then some of the people came up with another product. It was for a business …
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