Podcasts about david bland

How do you take a raw idea, challenge it, test it, and turn it into something real without losing the spark that made it exciting in the first place? In this episode, David Bland explores how bold concepts can become testable prototypes, how hidden assumptions shape what succeeds or fails, and why the smartest teams learn before they build. We talk about protecting unconventional ideas, embracing low fidelity experiments, and finding better ways to measure progress when innovation is still taking shape. A must listen for teams and creators looking to transform ideas into products with less guesswork and more learning. Questions to ask yourself: Which assumption behind my idea am I treating as fact without actually testing it? Am I building this solution because users truly need it, or because the idea simply feels exciting to me? What is the fastest and simplest experiment I could run to learn whether this idea is worth pursuing? Am I trying to prove my idea is right, or am I genuinely willing to discover that it is wrong? Would you like to know what lies behind the ability to be creative and would you like to learn how to train and cultivate your creativity for yourself? Then take a look at our Master Class program and let yourself be inspired by this wonderful skill.

SummaryIn this episode I'm joined by Courtney Honda and Slava Borisov co-founders of Puptqe. What started as a deeply personal response to a health scare involving their dog Champ has grown into a unique retail experience built around community and creating memorable moments for dogs and their owners.We explore how they tested their way through one of the most competitive retail categories imaginable, discovering that success wasn't about competing with big-box stores on price or selection. Instead, they focused on creating experiences that customers couldn't get anywhere else, from dog-friendly events and memberships to immersive in-store moments designed to turn visitors into loyal advocates.We also get into the realities of building a brick-and-mortar business, including lessons around site selection, customer retention, community-driven marketing, and the surprising acquisition channels they tested to help them grow. Courtney and Slava share how they learned to stop trying to serve every pet owner, focus on their ideal customer, and transform retail from a transaction into an ongoing relationship.If you've ever wondered how to test a physical retail store in a crowded market, this episode is for you.TakeawaysDifferentiate by owning a niche, not by competing on price - Puptqe succeeded by becoming a destination for dog experiences and hospitality instead of trying to out-discount larger pet retailers.Make the experience the product; sales will follow - Customers come for the events, community, and memories, which naturally drives purchases and loyalty.Stop marketing to everyone and focus on your ideal customer - Growth accelerated once they identified who their best customers were and tailored their offerings around them.Retention matters more than acquisition - Long-term success came from creating reasons for customers to return again and again, not just making the first sale.Community and word-of-mouth outperform paid advertising - Loyal customers and local advocacy generated more sustainable growth than trying to outspend competitors on ads.Understand customer behavior, not just demographics - Knowing how customers spend their time and make decisions proved more valuable than basic age, income, or location data.Design every customer touchpoint intentionally - Every interaction, from the greeting to the checkout experience, was crafted to create memorable moments.Consistency beats constantly chasing new tactics - Small improvements executed repeatedly created stronger results than jumping from one growth idea to the next.Guest LinksCourtney's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtney-honda/Slava's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/slavaborisov/Puptqe Website: https://puptqe.com/ If your leadership team is about to make a big strategic bet, the real risk usually isn't the idea, it's the assumptions behind it that haven't been surfaced yet. A Decision Sprint is a focused 6–12 week engagement where we extract, map, and test those risks so leaders can make a clear Commit, Correct, or Cut decision before major capital moves. Learn more or apply at precoil.com.

SummaryIn this episode I'm joined by Chris Butler. He's a longtime product leader and operator whose career spans companies such as Microsoft, Google, Facebook, and now GitHub, where he works on agentic workflows across the organization.We explore how AI is reshaping the way modern product teams think, collaborate, ship and its ripple effects on how we manage process and decision making.  Chris and I chat about the messy realities behind agentic systems such as why removing too much friction can actually hurt decision quality and why qualitative research matters more now than ever before. Chris gives a candid behind the scenes look into what's working, what's failing, and why experimentation itself may become one of the most important capabilities in the AI era.If you've been wondering what testing AI Agents actually looks like inside a cutting edge company, this episode is for you.TakeawaysAI is collapsing traditional product development workflows, but not necessarily eliminating the need for product managers, engineers, or designers. Instead, roles are decomposing into smaller tasks where humans and machines each handle different types of work.Removing all friction from product development can actually reduce decision quality. Chris argues that tension between desirability, viability, and feasibility perspectives is still critical because reasoning often happens through human discussion, not just inside individual minds or AI systems.AI-generated “rude feedback” tools can help teams improve ideas faster because people are often more receptive to harsh critique from a machine than from another human. GitHub experimented with sarcastic AI Q&A systems that surfaced weak assumptions and missing details without the reputational risk of peer criticism.The future of AI inside organizations may be less about autonomous agents replacing humans and more about “process as code.” GitHub is experimenting with natural-language policy documents that both humans and agents can read to automate operational workflows, release management, and risk detection.Product teams are at risk of building faster without learning faster. Chris warns that vibe coding and rapid prototyping can unintentionally reduce time spent talking to customers and conducting qualitative research, which still remains essential for understanding mental models and uncovering hidden assumptions.Agentic workflows become most valuable when they reduce operational toil instead of replacing human judgment. GitHub is using AI to automate repetitive coordination tasks like release tracking, documentation generation, and status updates so teams can spend more time on strategic thinking and collaboration.Internal experimentation matters just as much as customer-facing innovation. Chris emphasizes that many AI workflow experiments inside GitHub are intentionally small, lightweight tests designed to explore possibilities quickly before deciding whether to scale, modify, or abandon them.The biggest long-term challenge for enterprise AI adoption may not be model capability, but integration, governance, and organizational coordination. Authentication, permissions, fragmented tooling, disconnected workflows, and siloed information remain major barriers to making agentic systems truly useful at scale.Guest LinksLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisbu/GitHub Next: https://githubnext.com/ If your leadership team is about to make a big strategic bet, the real risk usually isn't the idea, it's the assumptions behind it that haven't been surfaced yet. A Decision Sprint is a focused 6–12 week engagement where we extract, map, and test those risks so leaders can make a clear Commit, Correct, or Cut decision before major capital moves. Learn more or apply at precoil.com.

SummaryIn this episode I'm joined by Chad Holdorf, longtime product and technology leader whose career spans John Deere, Salesforce, Pendo, and now Demandbase, where he leads AI initiatives across the company.We explore how AI is fundamentally reshaping the way modern product teams test, ship, and learn, from debugging customer issues directly against live codebases to product managers and support teams submitting pull requests themselves. Chad shares how tools like Cursor and Claude are collapsing traditional handoffs between product, engineering, and support, creating a much faster feedback loop between customer problems, experimentation, and shipped solutions.We also get into the messy reality behind enterprise AI adoption, including data quality, hallucinations, trust, evals, and why testing AI products inside real customer environments is much harder than most demos make it look. Chad gives us a peek into how his own workflow has changed, how his teams are learning by building in real time, and why this moment reminds him of the early days of Lean Startup, where he and I first met.If you've been wondering what AI-native product development actually looks and feels like inside a real company, this episode is for you.TakeawaysAI is collapsing traditional handoffs between product, engineering, and support teams. Chad described customer support teams going directly into code repositories with AI tools to investigate issues, understand root causes, and eventually submit merge requests themselves.Most enterprise AI demos fall apart when connected to messy real-world customer data. Chad emphasized that “just putting Claude on top of the data” failed quickly without extensive labeling, validation, testing, and human feedback loops. Customers could detect hallucinations within a few prompts.AI systems expose hidden data inconsistencies inside organizations. One example showed AI selecting a custom CRM field that technically produced better targeting results than the field support teams were trained to use, creating confusion about which “truth” was actually correct.Trust has become the critical success factor for enterprise AI adoption. Chad explained that once customers encounter inaccurate outputs, confidence in the system drops immediately, which forces teams to spend enormous time improving prompts, SQL queries, evals, and validation workflows before broader rollout.Product managers are increasingly becoming hands-on builders again. Instead of relying entirely on engineering handoffs, Chad now spends large portions of his week inside Cursor and AI coding agents investigating bugs, generating tickets, reviewing repos, and shaping product direction directly through code conversations.AI-native workflows dramatically compress feedback loops. Problems that previously took days of back-and-forth between support, product, and engineering can now move from customer issue to deployed fix in under an hour through AI-assisted workflows and automated merge requests.The biggest organizational bottleneck is shifting away from engineering speed toward enablement and adaptation. Chad compared this moment to early Agile adoption, where downstream teams like sales, support, and training struggled to keep pace with accelerated shipping cycles. AI is now amplifying that challenge even further.Continuous learning and experimentation matter more than formal process mastery right now. Chad repeatedly compared the current AI moment to the early Agile movement: the people progressing fastest are the ones willing to try tools, build things, stay curious, and learn in public rather than waiting for established best practices or certifications.Guest LinksLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadholdorf/Demandbase: https://www.demandbase.com/ If your leadership team is about to make a big strategic bet, the real risk usually isn't the idea, it's the assumptions behind it that haven't been surfaced yet. A Decision Sprint is a focused 6–12 week engagement where we extract, map, and test those risks so leaders can make a clear Commit, Correct, or Cut decision before major capital moves. Learn more or apply at precoil.com.

SummaryIn this episode, I'm joined by Büşra Coşkuner, a product management coach and trainer who helps teams move from project thinking to product thinking.We explore how she approaches product discovery and testing. From building zero-to-one products at Doodle to coaching teams across B2B and B2C environments, Büşra shares how to actually operationalize experimentation beyond just A/B tests.We also dig into how to test when you don't have much data, how to combine qualitative and quantitative insights, and why many teams get stuck thinking they're doing product work when they're really just managing tickets.If you're trying to build a stronger testing culture or just want to make better decisions this episode will challenge how you think about product metrics and experimentation.TakeawaysProduct transformation is a leadership decision - If leadership isn't backing the shift from projects to products, it won't happen, bottom-up enthusiasm isn't enough.Most “product orgs” aren't actually product orgs - Adopting Scrum and calling someone a product owner doesn't mean you're doing product, many teams are still just managing tickets.You can't test what you can't measure - Without proper data instrumentation, teams fall into a “build, build, build” loop instead of build–measure–learn.Metrics frameworks are a starting point, not the system - Pirate metrics (AARRR) or customer factory models help, but real insight comes from adapting them to your actual business model.Qualitative data is not optional - Quant tells you what is happening, qual tells you why. In low-data environments, qual becomes your primary signal.“No data” is usually an excuse - Even in B2B, you can extract directional insights, from sales teams, customer conversations, and patterns across feedback.A/B testing is over-indexed and often misused - Experimentation goes beyond A/B testing. Many teams default to it even when it's impractical or irrelevant.Sometimes building is the test - For low-risk features, the fastest way to learn is to ship and observe behavior, treat the release itself as the experiment.B2B testing requires creativity, not scale - From sales-assisted experiments to prototype validation and even WhatsApp groups, testing in small markets is possible if you rethink the approach.AI changes the cost of being wrong - When building becomes cheap, you don't always need heavy upfront validation, you can test the problem through the solution, as long as you're willing to kill what doesn't work.Guest LinksLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/busra-coskuner/Website: https://busra.co/ If your leadership team is about to make a big strategic bet, the real risk usually isn't the idea, it's the assumptions behind it that haven't been surfaced yet. A Decision Sprint is a focused 6–12 week engagement where we extract, map, and test those risks so leaders can make a clear Commit, Correct, or Cut decision before major capital moves. Learn more or apply at precoil.com.

SummaryIn this episode I'm joined by Gil Vaisman. He's the founder of GoADU, a construction company focused on building accessory dwelling units.We explore how he went from a 15-year career in film editing to building a construction business that helps homeowners unlock equity and create new living spaces. What started out as a personal project in his own backyard turned into a growing business built through trial, error, and constant iteration.Gil shares how he tested his way into the market, from helping friends navigate permitting to evolving into a guaranteed fixed pricing model. We also dig into how he qualifies customers, avoids costly mistakes, and thinks about what to test next in an industry that's rapidly changing.If you're trying to turn a personal pain point into something scalable, this episode is a great look at how testing can lead to a viable business.Enjoy my conversation with Gil Vaisman.TakeawaysGreat businesses often start as personal pain points - Gil's ADU company emerged from building one in his own backyard and helping friends navigate the same confusing process. Transferable skills matter more than industry experience - His background in film production translated directly into construction, both require coordination, budgeting, timelines, and managing complex teams. Early traction came from education, not selling - In the beginning, most customers didn't even know what an ADU was, growth required teaching the market before capturing it. Trial and error built the real expertise - Navigating difficult permitting processes and making costly mistakes early on became the foundation for a repeatable, refined system. Pre-qualification is critical in complex services - Gil now asks 20–25 upfront questions before taking on a client, ensuring alignment and reducing downstream risk. Competing on price is a starting point, not a strategy - The business initially won work by being the cheapest, but evolved into a premium, top-20% offering focused on quality and service. A strong value proposition can reduce industry fear - Guaranteed fixed pricing became a key differentiator, directly addressing customer anxiety around hidden costs and change orders. Future innovation is constrained by feasibility, not demand - Customers clearly want faster, cheaper builds (prefab, SIPs), but adoption is limited by execution risk, expertise gaps, and inconsistent quality. Guest LinksGoADU: https://www.goadu.com/Vaisman Construction: https://www.vaismanconstruction.com/ If your leadership team is about to make a big strategic bet, the real risk usually isn't the idea, it's the assumptions behind it that haven't been surfaced yet. A Decision Sprint is a focused 6–12 week engagement where we extract, map, and test those risks so leaders can make a clear Commit, Correct, or Cut decision before major capital moves. Learn more or apply at precoil.com.

In this episode I'm joined by Bill Fienup. He's the co-founder of mHUB, one of the world's leading hardtech innovation centers, located in Chicago, IL.We explore how he went from building Nerf gun prototypes at MIT to creating a space where thousands of hardware founders can prototype, test, and scale physical products. What started out as a meetup group and a spreadsheet, grew into a full ecosystem with millions of dollars in equipment and billions of dollars in economic impact.Bill shares how to test hardware ideas without burning capital, why most teams over-focus on feasibility instead of desirability, and how to validate what people will actually pay for before you build.If you're working on physical products, or funding them, this episode is a masterclass in how to test before you invest.Enjoy my conversation with Bill Fienup.TakeawaysStart with the problem, not the solution. The biggest risk isn't building something, it's solving a problem that customers don't care enough about to act on.Desirability and willingness to pay matter more than feasibility early. Teams often over-focus on building, but the real uncertainty is whether customers value the solution enough to pay.Test demand before investing in development. Simple experiments like landing pages or fake purchase flows can validate real interest before committing resources.Iterate in spirals, not stages. Move across desirability, feasibility, and viability repeatedly, increasing investment only as uncertainty is reduced.Avoid building the wrong thing the right way. Strong execution can't fix a fundamentally misaligned product, validation must come before scale.Use competition as validation. Existing solutions signal real demand and confirm the problem is worth solving.Focus on the majority, not edge cases. Designing for the loud minority can increase cost and complexity without improving overall product-market fit.Community can be a powerful starting point. MHub began as a meetup and shared spreadsheet, showing how real user pain can evolve into a scalable ecosystem.Guest LinksmHub's Website: https://www.mhubchicago.com/LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fienup/ If your leadership team is about to make a big strategic bet, the real risk usually isn't the idea, it's the assumptions behind it that haven't been surfaced yet. A Decision Sprint is a focused 6–12 week engagement where we extract, map, and test those risks so leaders can make a clear Commit, Correct, or Cut decision before major capital moves. Learn more or apply at precoil.com.

SummaryIn this episode I'm joined by Dr. Akvile Ignotaite, a data scientist and founder building AI-powered skin health technology used by more than 800,000 people around the world.We explore how her team combines data science, health tech, and creative marketing to rethink skincare for Gen Z and Gen Alpha. From building a vast skin care dataset to launching a TikTok influencer pimple called Pimsy that has almost 40k followers, Akvile shares how cultural insights and small tests drive their product strategy.We also get into the challenges of building health technology for younger audiences, how to test ideas across different global markets, and why treating skin as a health problem, changes how you design products and measure success.If you're interested in experimentation and AI in health you'll enjoy my chat with Akvile.TakeawaysStart small and imperfect to learn faster. The team prioritizes quick MVPs, sometimes built in days, to test ideas before investing heavily in development, branding, or marketing.Customer language and psychology matter. The original millennial-focused “compliance app” failed because it sounded too technical; shifting to Gen Z language, emojis, and storytelling dramatically improved adoption.Meet users where they already are. Channels like TikTok became critical for reaching younger audiences, even though the team initially resisted the platform.Creative experimentation can unlock growth. The “Pimsy” influencer pimple character started as a small test and quickly grew to tens of thousands of followers, proving unconventional ideas can resonate strongly with audiences.Micro-learning can drive high engagement. A simple, quickly built “myths vs. facts” quiz feature created massive engagement and generated valuable behavioral data about user beliefs.User feedback is a competitive advantage. Hiring a developer who criticized the Android experience highlighted the importance of listening closely to real user complaints and improving where customers actually are.Cultural assumptions can mislead founders. Expanding into India revealed how preconceived ideas about markets, healthcare practices, and culture can be wrong, reinforcing the need for curiosity and humility.Structured programs don't always fit real user behavior. Highly designed 6- or 8-week skincare programs failed because users resisted rigid routines, showing how human behavior often breaks logical product design.Gen Z and Gen Alpha are forming a global digital culture. The app's success without localization suggests younger generations increasingly share common digital behaviors and language across regions.Guest LinksSystem Akvile: https://systemakvile.com/LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-akvile-ignotaite/Pimsy TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@i.am.pimsy If your leadership team is about to make a big strategic bet, the real risk usually isn't the idea, it's the assumptions behind it that haven't been surfaced yet. A Decision Sprint is a focused 6–12 week engagement where we extract, map, and test those risks so leaders can make a clear Commit, Correct, or Cut decision before major capital moves. Learn more or apply at precoil.com.

In this episode I'm joined by Jim Morris.  We chat about the wake-up call that pushed him from building first to testing first. Jim and I discuss loyalty programs no one wanted, roadmaps filled with sequenced risk, AI prototypes that hallucinate and the uncomfortable reality that confidence often replaces evidence.We also dig into something deeper: why smart teams ignore data, why leaders fall in love once an idea hits the roadmap, and why testing isn't about better UX,  it's about real value.Jim shares how he even tests his own teaching process for students at Berkeley.Because as he puts it:“We can build stuff. But if people don't use it, we're just creating product debt.”Enjoy my conversation with Jim Morris.TakeawaysTesting is crucial to ensure product effectiveness and user engagement.Data analysis can reveal the true usage of product features.Mindset plays a significant role in how product ideas are perceived and developed.Not all ideas will succeed; testing helps identify the viable ones.User motivation is key to the success of features and programs.Prototyping tools can enhance the testing process but require careful implementation.Learning from failures in testing is essential for growth and improvement.Roadmaps should be flexible to adapt to changing priorities and evidence.It's important to focus on the core value proposition of a product.Continuous experimentation and adaptation are vital in product management.Guest LinksWebsite: https://productdiscoverygroup.com/LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmorrisstanford/ If your leadership team is about to make a big strategic bet, the real risk usually isn't the idea, it's the assumptions behind it that haven't been surfaced yet. A Decision Sprint is a focused 6–12 week engagement where we extract, map, and test those risks so leaders can make a clear Commit, Correct, or Cut decision before major capital moves. Learn more or apply at precoil.com.

SummaryIn this conversation, David J Bland and Dan Olsen discuss the evolution of product management, the impact of vibe coding, and the importance of cross-functional collaboration. They explore the challenges of prototyping, user research, and the role of AI in product development. The discussion emphasizes the need for strong product management fundamentals and the future of product management in a rapidly changing landscape.TakeawaysThe awareness of product management has significantly increased over the years.Vibe coding allows for rapid prototyping and testing without heavy technical resources.Cross-functional collaboration is essential for successful product development.User research is becoming more valued in product management.Prototyping should focus on learning rather than just building.AI can assist in generating ideas but lacks judgment in prioritization.The pace of innovation in product tools is accelerating rapidly.Understanding customer problems is crucial for product success.Rushing to high fidelity prototypes can lead to missed opportunities in the problem space.Product management fundamentals will be key in differentiating successful products.Guest LinksWebsite: https://dan-olsen.com/LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danolsen98/YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/danolsenLean Product Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/lean-product/ Vibe Coding Product Brief: https://dan-olsen.com/vibe-coding/Vibe Coding Spectrum: https://dan-olsen.com/vibe-coding/The Lean Product Playbook: https://amzn.to/1EYCUdP Struggling to decide which bets deserve more time, money, and people?Join my AI-Assisted Decision Workshop and learn how to use AI to surface assumptions, map risk, and reach a Commit, Correct, or Cut decision in just 3 hours.

SummaryIn this episode we interview David Sauers. He's the founder of Royal Restrooms, a company that's redefining what a portable restroom can be. What started with a frustrating moment at a festival turned into David challenging a fundamental assumption: How can we elevate one of the most overlooked parts of any event?He walks us through why weddings became their breakthrough customer segment and how adapting designs for different event types unlocked growth.This isn't just about restrooms,  it's about challenging stigma, listening closely to customer signals, and innovating in overlooked spaces. David explains how they are testing their way into showers, beverage trailers, and beyond.Guest LinksLinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidsauers/Royal Restrooms: https://royalrestroomsca.com/Personal Website: https://www.davidsauers.com/ Is your team guessing which experiments to run? Discover proven ways to test your ideas before you invest. With the Precoil Experiment Library, you'll find the right experiment for every assumption.

SummaryIn this episode we interview Aurora Winter. She's the founder of Same Page Publishing, an innovative publishing company that helps you launch as a thought leader.Aurora shares her journey from the film industry to becoming a successful author and publisher. We discuss her early assumptions with helping authors through her 'Spoken Author Method' and her testing of new formats like video books. The conversation highlights the importance of storytelling in business, problem-solving, and the value of micro-testing.Guest LinksLinkedIn Profile: https://linkedin.com/in/AuroraWinterSame Page Publishing: https://samepagepublishing.com/Turn Words Into Wealth: https://turnwordsintowealth.com/ Is your team guessing which experiments to run? Discover proven ways to test your ideas before you invest. With the Precoil Experiment Library, you'll find the right experiment for every assumption.

SummaryIn this episode we interview Scott McLeod. Scott is the Chief Brand Officer of Resident, a direct-to-consumer company that designs and sells home furnishings such as mattresses and bedding. They were acquired by Ashley in 2024 for $1 billion.Scott and I chat about his background in design thinking and how it has fueled his passion for experimentation, whether it's building scrappy MVPs with minimal investment or creating environments where failure is not just accepted, but expected as part of innovation. He shares how he's helped scale teams while preserving that test-and-learn mindset, why setting clear success criteria is crucial and how to gracefully let go of ideas that don't deliver.We also dive into the unique challenges of experimenting with physical products versus digital ones, the role of customer feedback in shaping subjective experiences like comfort, and his optimism for how AI and data-driven decision-making will transform the future of product experimentation.I thoroughly enjoyed reconnecting with Scott since our days back at Neo together, and I'm confident you'll learn a lot from our conversation in this episode. Guest LinksLinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mescottmcleod/Website: https://www.residenthome.com/ Is your team guessing which experiments to run? Discover proven ways to test your ideas before you invest. With the Precoil Experiment Library, you'll find the right experiment for every assumption.

In this episode we interview JL Heather. He's the Manager Partner at Centered. Centered empowers organizations to innovate by fostering a culture of experimentation.JL and I explore the intricacies of innovation, design sprints, and the importance of leadership in fostering a culture of creativity and experimentation.We discuss the challenges of making innovation stick, the role of customer feedback, and the significance of using the right language to engage teams and leaders.JL emphasizes the need for a collaborative approach to problem-solving and the value of involving customers in the design process.Guest LinksLinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jlheather/Website: https://centered.work/ Is your innovation pipeline clogged? Uncover the risks, bottlenecks, and gaps holding your best ideas back. With the EMT Diagnostic, you'll get a clear, actionable plan to fix them.

In this episode we interview Cathy Nesbitt. She is the Founder of Cathy's Crawly Composters, a worm composting business focused on sustainability. Cathy shares her journey into the world of worms, detailing how her business was born when the local landfill was shut down and the city began exporting all of their waste. We discuss the challenges she faced in testing her business and how she eventually pivoted her approach to education through workshops in schools. As Cathy reflects on her experiences, she emphasizes the importance of awareness in driving action and the impact her work has had on the community. Guest LinksLinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathynesbitt/ Is your innovation pipeline clogged? Uncover the risks, bottlenecks, and gaps holding your best ideas back. With the EMT Diagnostic, you'll get a clear, actionable plan to fix them.

In this episode we interview Michael Leung.  Michael, is the CEO and founder of the Flo Group. He's built his company around a simple mission, which is making hearing solutions accessible, affordable, and life-changing for people of all ages.We discuss how his own personal experiences have shaped his approach to product development and testing. Specifically we dive into how he tested his new, open-ear bone conduction headphones with amplification, before bringing them to market.Michael and I chat about how to test hardware products and the need for affordable and effective hearing solutions.LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-leung-462547298/Website: https://www.theinnerflo.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theflogroup/ Is your innovation pipeline clogged? Uncover the risks, bottlenecks, and gaps holding your best ideas back. With the EMT Diagnostic, you'll get a clear, actionable plan to fix them.

SummaryIn this episode we interview Moita, the Founder and CEO of Product Weekend. He shares his journey from studying aerospace engineering to becoming a product manager and eventually creating what is now called Product Weekend. It is a community of Product Management enthusiasts who share their experiences and take their careers to the next level. I first learned about it on LinkedIn through Melissa Perri and Rich Mironov and have been curiously watching them test it from the outside. I'm super excited to get some of the inside story on how Moita is testing out its unique format. Specifically how they are designing events that foster these deeper conversations. We chat about the need for testing and validating ideas, as well as Moita's future plans for scaling the events while maintaining their core values.Guest LinksLinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joaomoita/Website: https://www.theproductweekend.com/ Is your innovation pipeline clogged? Uncover the risks, bottlenecks, and gaps holding your best ideas back. With the EMT Diagnostic, you'll get a clear, actionable plan to fix them.

In this episode we interview Charles Sims. Charles is the ex-CTO for the Los Angeles Clippers NBA team and currently Founder of Skafld, an end-to-end venture studio partner, turning visionary ideas into real-world success. Charles shares his journey from the entertainment industry to becoming the CTO of the Clippers. We dug into how experimentation can improve the NBA fan experience. Everything from how he and his team had to quickly invent an engaging, yet remote, fan experience during the Covid lockdown, to how he used the Unreal Gaming Engine to test the assumptions made during the building of the new cutting edge Intuit Dome.We discuss the lessons learned from his time with the Clippers to the evolving landscape of venture capital. We wrap up with the impact of AI on investors and how it can bridge communication gaps between technical and non-technical teams.Charles Sims LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlessims/Skafld Venture Studio: https://www.skafldstudio.com/ Is your innovation pipeline clogged? Uncover the risks, bottlenecks, and gaps holding your best ideas back. With the EMT Diagnostic, you'll get a clear, actionable plan to fix them.

In this episode we interview Hala Saleh. Hala is a skilled and thoughtful product leader who I met by coincidence over 10 years ago while reading a copy of the Lean Startup book. We catch up and discuss how the term Minimum Viable Product or MVP has evolved since then and how lean startup principles can be applied outside of the digital product space to things like communities.Hala shares her journey through various roles in tech over the years while emphasizing the need for testing and customer feedback.I really appreciate her thought process on how she tackles problems in different industries. Is your innovation pipeline clogged? Uncover the risks, bottlenecks, and gaps holding your best ideas back. With the EMT Diagnostic, you'll get a clear, actionable plan to fix them.

In this episode we interview Dr. Michael Neal. He is the Founder of Build My Team, a hiring service for private practices. We explore the rigorous testing of his innovative hiring process. From the initial missteps to the breakthrough system that accurately matches the candidates' natural strengths with the job requirements. In our conversation I learned about psychometric assessments, and the surprising insights that Dr Michael gained along the way. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in improving their hiring practices through data-driven testing and iteration. 

In this episode we interview Alberto Savoia. Alberto was Google's first Engineering Director and the author of The Right It - Why So Many Ideas Fail and How to Make Sure Yours Succeed. He also coined the term “pretotyping” and has influenced my thinking over the years. In a previous episode we interviewed Pat Copeland, who authored a white paper with Alberto many years ago.You may not know this, but I quoted Alberto in the Testing Business Ideas book for his Pretend to Own experiment.Over the course of this episode we discussed the evolution of testing and in general, geeked out over testing as two of the premier minds on this subject. Get your ticket now for our upcoming Testing Business Ideas with ChatGPT Workshop: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/testing-business-ideas-with-chatgpt-online-workshop-tickets-1404023785939?aff=oddtdtcreator

In this episode we interview Sylvia Hall. Sylvia is the co-founder of Lifted Naturals. We chat about how a company can start out as a solution to a personal problem, but in order to be a viable business, we need to perform customer discovery beyond friends and family to see if there is any traction.Sylvia emphasizes the significance of authenticity in entrepreneurship and the need to rapidly test solutions, and listen to customer feedback. Her insights into how to grow a wellness business should provide valuable lessons for other aspiring entrepreneurs. Get your ticket now for our upcoming Testing Business Ideas with ChatGPT Workshop: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/testing-business-ideas-with-chatgpt-online-workshop-tickets-1404023785939?aff=oddtdtcreator

In this episode we interview Dylan Lam. Dylan is an entrepreneur and a growth marketing expert with a focus on e-commerce. His super power is helping companies grow their brands on platforms like Amazon. Dylan shares how he started out by bootstrapping an eBay business from his apartment and testing out what worked, and what didn't. He then took what he learned to successfully scale the business through automation and dropshipping. While doing this Dylan began to understand the importance of building a brand in e-commerce and how crowdfunding platforms can help you create a community of early adopters.Dylan and I wrap up our conversation by discussing how AI is influencing his day to day work in everything from content creation to physical product design. Get your ticket now for our upcoming Testing Business Ideas with ChatGPT Workshop: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/testing-business-ideas-with-chatgpt-online-workshop-tickets-1404023785939?aff=oddtdtcreator

In this episode we interview Matthew Davis.Matthew is the CEO of Davis Business Law and the author of the best selling book, The Art of Preventing Stupid. He shares his journey in the legal profession, discussing the challenges and assumptions he faced when starting his own law firm. Matthew emphasizes the importance of collaboration, work-life balance, and effective marketing strategies in building a successful practice. We talk about how to test for new hires, while exploring the significance of situational leadership in nurturing talent. We wrap up with a thoughtful examination of the impact of AI on the legal industry and how firms can adapt to these changes.

In this episode we interview Pat Copeland and get a first hand account of how the Dash Button idea was originally tested at Amazon. Everything from how the idea emerged from Bezos' morning puttering time to the cognitive load customers experienced pushing a button to order a box of sweets and eventually to products like detergent. Even though the product was discontinued, the learning they captured along the way influenced other Amazon initiatives such as Alexa, smart subscriptions, and auto-stocking appliances.Pat shares his perspective on entrepreneurial thinking and building a culture of experimentation from Amazon, but also his time in leadership roles at companies like Autodesk, Microsoft, Google and Zendesk. We wrapped up our conversation with the challenges of scaling ideas, and the future of machine learning in commerce with his latest endeavor, Moloco.

In this podcast episode, Matt Diamante shares his journey into the world of digital marketing and SEO, detailing his early experiences and the evolution of his career. He discusses the importance of testing and analyzing content to achieve success, particularly in the realm of social media. Matt emphasizes the significance of video content in today's marketing landscape and explores strategies for leveraging platforms like LinkedIn to engage audiences effectively. The conversation highlights the challenges and opportunities in navigating the ever-changing digital marketing environment. We explore the intricacies of social media algorithms, particularly focusing on LinkedIn and the strategies for creating engaging content. Matt and I discuss the importance of testing different content formats and styles, the challenges of predicting viral success, and how these principles can be applied beyond social media to enhance business strategies. The conversation emphasizes the need for continuous experimentation and adaptation in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

In this episode we interview Ann Carden. Ann is one of the top business growth consultants and strategists for people who want to accelerate growth to multiple 7+ figures. She is an internationally best-selling author, keynote speaker and podcast host.In this conversation Ann shares her extensive experience with me in how she's built and exited multiple businesses, emphasizing the importance of testing ideas and understanding market needs. She discusses the challenges faced in the coaching industry, the significance of targeting the right market for premium clients, and the value of writing expert books that align with business goals.  Use the discount code PODCAST for $50 off a ticket to our upcoming Testing Business Ideas with ChatGPT Workshop on April 29th: www.eventbrite.com/e/1309306534089/?discount=PODCAST

In this powerful episode, I sit down with David Bland to explore his entrepreneurial journey and the Effective Market Testing (EMT) process transforming how businesses grow.

In this episode we interview Deon Crasto.  Deon started his product management career at OnDeck Capital, a small business lending platform, where he focused on payments growth. He currently leads payments and ML- driven risk assessment at Velocity Global. Deon and I discussed the importance of curiosity and problem-solving in product management. We talked about the significance of metrics, and in particular, how to avoid vanity metrics. Deon shared some of the challenges of aligning teams with company goals and navigating regulations in experimentation.  Use the discount code PODCAST for $50 off a ticket to our upcoming Testing Business Ideas with ChatGPT Workshop on April 29th: www.eventbrite.com/e/1309306534089/?discount=PODCAST

Our guest today on the podcast brings with her a wealth of product building experience, all the way from ideation to execution and beyond. Throughout her career, she implemented product validation through testing and experimentation at organizations such as AOL, The Weather Channel, Polar Steps, Mews and others. Meet Chantal Botana, Fractional CPO & Product Coach at Product Evangelist., and facilitator of the Product Experiment Garage. Together with her business partner Maurice McGinley, Chantal facilitates this monthly online community of practice, solving participants' experiment design challenges, where the audience are product managers, developers, designers, and researchers. And it's free to join!The sessions work very simply - all participants start with pitching their current challenge. Then everyone votes for the one challenge that they will work on for the remainder of the workshop. And then, the challenge is broken down to cover the 4 habits of good experimentation.Join Matt and Moshe as we learn from Chantal about:Her way into product management, leading her to coaching and founding The Product EvangelistWhere most experiments are breaking downThe 4 habits of good experimentation:Break down assumptionsCrafting and running small smart experimentsExtract insightsMake a decisionWho the workshop is for and what value they get from itHow can teams that are not empowered still experiment?The importance of critical thinking in the age of AISome of Chantal's go to toolsAnd much more!You can connect with Chantal at:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cbotana/ email: chantal@productevangelist.co Website:  https://www.productevangelist.coFree 60 min Product Experiment Garage: https://product-garage.eventbrite.comAssumptions & Experiments Guide (with some free resources). In the guide, you'll find links to Giff Constable's Truth Curve and David Bland's GPTs, which are discussed on the podcast. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cIRKpZ6cv6LWYUsRSrOFRTllFSCMSNJVi2PVS1WUACg/edit?usp=sharingYou can find the podcast's page, and connect with Matt and Moshe on Linkedin: Product for Product Podcast - linkedin.com/company/product-for-product-podcastMatt Green - linkedin.com/in/mattgreenanalytics/Moshe Mikanovsky - linkedin.com/in/mikanovsky/Note: any views mentioned in the podcast are the sole views of our hosts and guests,  and do not represent the products mentioned in any way.Please leave us a review and feedback ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In this conversation, Chris Hood shares his diverse background in storytelling across various media, including movies, video games, and digital marketing. He emphasizes the importance of storytelling in engaging consumers and how it connects to business strategies. The discussion explores the iterative nature of game development, the significance of customer feedback in marketing, and the evolving role of AI in media. Chris also highlights the challenges of balancing creativity with market demands and the necessity of testing ideas with real audiences.

In this conversation, David J Bland and Erich Archer discuss the intersection of AI and video production, exploring how AI tools are transforming workflows, the importance of iterative testing, and the future of content creation. Erich shares his journey from traditional video production to leveraging AI for efficiency and creativity, emphasizing the need for human reflection in the process. They also touch on the evolving landscape of video tools and the potential for AI to generate novel insights and ideas.

In this conversation, David J Bland and Michael Clifford discuss the intersection of habitat design, conservation, and design thinking. Michael shares his unique journey from zookeeper to strategy director for Reverse the Red, a global coalition aimed at halting species extinction. They explore the importance of challenging assumptions in habitat design, the role of observation in understanding animal behavior, and the need for context-specific strategies in conservation efforts. The conversation emphasizes the significance of collaboration, the necessity of creating environments conducive to desired outcomes, and the value of indigenous knowledge in addressing biodiversity loss.

Why are we wasting spaghetti? It's delicious! We shouldn't be throwing it at the wall...Well Ryan "Big Brain" Lucht definitely is a big time lover of playing with food. And he makes a compelling argument for spaghetti testing, which delved into conversations into prioritization frameworks, should we TRY to "test everything," and other topics.We got into:-Spaghetti testing (Should you do it? Or nah?)- Pure experimentation jobs are hard. And you'll have to fight a LOT. But Ryan and Shiva have tips to help you on this journey- What we can (and can't) learn from big companies who have mature testing programsTimestamps:00:00 Episode Start02:31 What Is Spaghetti Testing?09:33 Ryan Argues More "At Bats" (Tests) Needs To Be Priority (And He May Have A Point...)19:30 There Are Some Major Things We Can Learn From Mature Experimentation Programs26:10 Ryan Explains Experimentation Roles Can Be Frustrating and Demoralizing (WE KNOW RYAN....WE KNOW)33:44 More Exploration to Things We Can Learn from Mature Experimentation Programs43:51 Shit You Need to Know: David BlandGo follow Ryan Lucht on LinkedIn.- https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanlucht/And check out some of the cool thought leadership on Experimentation hosted by Eppo:- https://www.geteppo.com/outperformMake sure you go follow David Bland and check out his post too!- https://tinyurl.com/FromAtoB-DavidIf you have listener questions, submit them at https://tinyurl.com/askfromatob for a chance to be featured too!

In this engaging podcast episode, David J Bland hosts Bruce McCarthy and Melissa Appel, who share their insights on product management, stakeholder alignment, and the journey of writing their new book, 'Aligned.' They discuss the challenges of managing stakeholders, the importance of face-to-face communication, and the iterative process of testing ideas and content for their book. The conversation also dives into marketing strategies post-publication and the exploration of new audiences and formats to enhance the book's impact.

In this conversation, Amer Abu Khajil shares his journey from civil engineering to the tech world, emphasizing the parallels between building physical structures and developing products. He discusses the importance of testing and validation, drawing lessons from his engineering background, and outlines the process he created at TTT Studios for product development. Amer highlights the distinction between problem and solution validation and offers techniques for conducting effective customer interviews, ultimately stressing the need for a structured approach to understanding customer needs and segmenting them effectively. We explore the journey of building Perceptional, a tool designed to enhance user research through AI. Amer and David discuss the importance of understanding customer segments, the process of validating ideas, and the balance between automation and human interaction in research. Amer shares insights on product development, testing methodologies, and the challenges of creating a sustainable business model in the startup landscape.

In this conversation, David discusses his journey with Lawline, the largest provider of online continuing legal education in the U.S. He shares insights on building resilience in business, the importance of experimentation in product development, and navigating pricing strategies. David also highlights the role of conferences in fostering B2B relationships and the balance between B2B and B2C strategies. We explore the transformative power of experimentation in business, particularly in the context of legal education and the integration of AI. We discuss the importance of understanding customer behavior, the challenges of operating within regulatory constraints, and the need for innovative approaches to education and service delivery. The dialogue emphasizes the value of shutting down non-viable projects to increase efficiency and the potential of new technologies to enhance learning experiences.David concludes with reflections on launching his own podcast as a personal growth experiment. 

In this conversation, David J Bland and Lex Roman explore the evolution of experimentation in tech, discussing how perspectives on experimentation practices have shifted over the years. They dive into the role of social proof, ethical considerations, and the balance between experimentation and actionable insights. Lex shares her experiences working with non-tech industries, particularly journalism, and the challenges of measuring marketing effectiveness. The discussion wraps up with Lex's innovative approach to helping journalists grow their reader subscriptions and the creation of a playbook for success.

In this conversation, Jeff Gothelf and Josh Seiden discuss their journey in scaling their training business, focusing on the assumptions, risks, and testing methods they are employing. They share insights on the importance of community building, the challenges of filling workshops, and the balance between qualitative and quantitative success metrics. The discussion highlights the significance of cold outreach, learning from past experiments, and navigating uncertainty in entrepreneurship.

Eddy Connors, co-founder of Goodie Bag, shares his journey of creating a digital marketplace that connects consumers to local retail shops to purchase unsold food at a discounted price. The idea for Goodie Bag came from Eddy's gap year in Indonesia, where he witnessed the impact of plastic pollution and the need for sustainable solutions. Goodie Bag aims to reduce food waste, provide affordable options for consumers, and support local businesses. Eddy emphasizes the importance of understanding the needs of both partners and customers and continuously iterating to provide more value to the community.

Victoria shares her journey from working at big consulting firms to joining a company as it was being completely overhauled and reborn to survive and thrive post-AI.Wonder helps entrepreneurs and small businesses with desk research by providing them with curated information and insights. They navigate the risks of the rapidly evolving AI landscape and focus on the desirability, viability, and feasibility of their solution. They aim to be the go-to choice for their audience by offering expertise, credibility, and a comprehensive solution. Victoria emphasizes the importance of curiosity and asking the right questions in the research process. Victoria discusses the process of conducting desk research and how her company uses AI to provide valuable insights to clients. She emphasizes the importance of understanding customer needs and desires through constant contact and conversations. She also talks about the challenges of testing and refining solutions, as well as the risks and uncertainties of working in the AI space. Overall, Wonder aims to simplify and aggregate information for clients, helping them make informed decisions.

Ali Jiwani shares his entrepreneurial journey, from starting a food delivery platform to building Slay School, a personalized learning platform. He discusses how he used data to predict success in his previous ventures and how he applied those insights to Slay School. Ali explains his approach to acquiring early customers through Reddit and Discord, and the importance of quick feedback loops. He also talks about the challenges of pricing and the vision for Slay School to revolutionize education by providing personalized learning paths for students.

Marc Wandler, the co-founder of Susgrainable, shares his journey of turning beer waste into sustainable flour and baked goods. He started the business as a student project and quickly learned from rapid feedback cycles. By sampling the product at farmers markets and cafes, he honed in on his target market and gained valuable customer feedback. He also leveraged media opportunities to generate buzz and attract customers. However, the COVID-19 pandemic posed challenges, and Marc had to adapt by observing the market and focusing on food service partnerships. Despite the difficulties, he remained committed to his vision and continued to innovate. Susgrainable was born out of the university and focused on learning about consumer packaged goods and non-dilutive funding opportunities. They secured non-dilutive money to build the foundation of the business and focused on scaling their flower production. They conducted A/B tests and gathered consumer feedback to inform their product development and packaging decisions. They also explored collaborations and partnerships to expand their impact. The next six months will be focused on managing risks, navigating potential partnerships and investments, and continuing to build towards their vision of creating impact through sustainability.

Maura Mitchell, a lawyer and MBA, shares her work at the Women's Business Development Center, helping micro businesses test their assumptions and scale. She guides entrepreneurs through a process of testing their early ideas using the Lean Startup Method and the business model canvas. Mitchell emphasizes the importance of market research and customer discovery interviews to validate assumptions and find product-market fit. She also highlights the value of accountability and mentorship in helping entrepreneurs navigate the early stages of their businesses. Mitchell's work includes supporting a retail incubator and coaching and education businesses. She envisions expanding her impact by providing connections and facilitating collaboration among entrepreneurs.

In this conversation, Janna Bastow, founder of ProdPad, shares her insights on testing pricing and packaging strategies. She discusses the importance of understanding the different roles and decision-makers in B2B purchasing, as well as the challenges of navigating the procurement process. Janna also talks about the evolution of pricing at ProdPad and the lessons learned from testing different packages and pricing structures. She highlights the value of customer feedback and the use of AI in product management. Overall, Janna emphasizes the need for product managers to focus on the core aspects of their role and leverage technology to automate repetitive tasks.

In this conversation, David J Bland interviews Andi Plantenberg about her experience with testing and experimentation, particularly in the context of NASA missions. They discuss the importance of testing early stage ideas, the challenges of navigating a culture of perfection and safety, and the need for fluidity and adaptability in the face of uncertainty. Andi shares insights from her work with NASA, including the use of simulated mission control rooms and the iterative design of software. She also emphasizes the importance of systems thinking and the need to address complex problems in a holistic way. Overall, the conversation highlights the value of experimentation in driving innovation and addressing the pressing challenges of our time.

Aaron Eden shares his background and experience with experimentation, particularly within Intuit's Design for Delight (D4D) and Innovation Catalyst programs. He discusses the importance of adapting the approach to fit the company's culture and the challenges of marketing and socializing the process internally. Aaron shares success stories, such as the development of SnapTax, and a failure story with the Quick Receipts project. He emphasizes the need for continuous testing and learning to drive innovation. Aaron Eden shares his experience with experimentation and innovation at Intuit. He discusses the importance of understanding customer behavior and aspirations, even when they may not align with their stated preferences. Aaron also talks about the challenges of driving innovation in a changing company culture and how he is working to reignite the innovation catalyst group at Intuit. He shares the success of a recent three-day workshop called Speed, where teams applied AI and velocity mindsets to deliver business impact. Aaron emphasizes the importance of using real ideas and providing career skills to participants, even if the ideas don't succeed.

Brandy and Craig discuss their collaboration and the challenges they faced in teaching entrepreneurship and de-risking startups. They highlight the importance of testing and iterating through customer interviews, surveys, and landing pages. They also emphasize the need to overcome biases and consider counterfactuals when evaluating risk. The success stories they share include students winning funding at Draper University and turning down investments to pursue their own vision. They discuss the process of scaling their program and providing support to entrepreneurs through events and resources. They also touch on the importance of questioning assumptions and guiding entrepreneurs to discover the gaps in their understanding. The conversation explores the importance of feedback and testing in entrepreneurship. It emphasizes the need to be open to feedback and willing to challenge assumptions. The hosts discuss the concept of being right versus being successful and the value of honest feedback. They also touch on the importance of understanding the problem and the customer before jumping into activities like advertising and landing page optimization. The conversation concludes with a discussion on the founders' initiatives, including Founder Fridays and Help a Startup Out.

Is the traditional view of product management losing its relevance in today's global landscape? Join us as we chat with Graeme Stuart, Head of Product at Aflac Northern Ireland and Co-founder of ProductTank Belfast, about his rich, two-decade-long journey through the evolving world of product management.Featured Links: Follow Graeme on LinkedIn | Deep Labs | Dovetail | John Cutler feature on The North Star Framework | 'Testing Business Ideas' - David Bland episode on The Product Experience Our HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

Join Brian and David Bland as they journey into the novel idea of testing assumptions before development to avoid costly mistakes and ensure the right things are being built in the latest episode of the Agile Mentors Podcast—a must-listen for any product owner wanting to determine if their team is working on the right thing. Overview In this episode of the Agile Mentors Podcast, Brian talks all things testing with David Bland, the founder of Precoil and co-author of the book Testing Business Ideas: A Field Guide for Rapid Experimentation. Learn the importance of testing assumptions and experimentation in product development as David shares his journey from working in startups to coaching and consulting and how he realized the need to bring Agile principles into the discovery phase of product development. You can listen in as they explore the concept of testing business ideas and the three-step process of extracting assumptions, prioritizing them, and running experiments. Listen Now to Discover: [01:01] - Brian introduces David Bland, founder of Precoil and co-author of Testing Business Ideas: A Field Guide for Rapid Experimentation. [02:10] - David dives into weaving testing assumptions and experimentation into managing the product backlog for product owners. [02:51] - David discusses how you can determine if you're working on the right things and prevent iteratively delivering something that nobody cares about by applying the Agile principles further upstream. [04:20] - Brain adds insight with the notion of being selective as the product owner, referencing the work of Henrik Kniberg. [05:18] - David breaks down the themes he developed from design thinking and how they apply beautifully to the product backlog: desirable, viable, & feasible [06:50] - Brian asks the question burning through many of our minds, “How do you apply it to testing your ideas?” [07:15] - David lays out the three-step process he uses and applies to testing business, product, and service ideas. [08:32] - David discusses the difference between requirements and assumptions. [10:33] - David provides a practical example of adding wishlist functionality to a website and what testing this idea would look like under his testing framework. [14:47] - Today's episode of the Agile Mentors Podcast is brought to you by Mountain Goat Software's Private Training for Agile transformations. Get your team on the same page through customized training and coaching programs to level-set your team. For more information, visit the Mountain Goat Software’s Private Training page. [16:07] - Brian poses the concept of asking, “How does an idea move the needle” before the idea is developed? [18:14] - David shares his thoughts on running customer-facing acceptance criteria and the product death cycle, a term David coined. [21:06] - David provides an example of a client who puts a positive spin on killing projects that prove not to be viable via testing. [22:33] - Brian asks if there are testing methods that can be applied after a product launch as a lagging indicator of the launch. [24:57] - Brian clarifies the value of testing before making a bet on a new product, even as an entrepreneur working alone, through the example of knowing how a bet will play out in a Las Vegas casino. [25:38] - David lays out the common objections he sees from companies and how you could address them. [27:13] - David lays out one of his favorite techniques for testing, concierge, which he lays out in detail in his book. [30:41] - Brian draws the conversation back to the Agile Manifesto. [31:49] - Brian shares a big thank you to David for joining him on the show. [33:30] - We invite you to subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast on Apple Podcasts. Do you have feedback or a great idea for an episode of the show? Great! Just send us an email. References and resources mentioned in the show: David Bland Precoil Testing Business Ideas: A Field Guide for Rapid Experimentation by David Bland & Alexander Osterwalder #25 Scaling with Henrik Kniberg Agile Manifesto Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast on Apple Podcasts Mountain Goat Software’s Private Training Mountain Goat Software Certified Scrum and Agile Training Schedule Want to get involved? This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input. Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one. Got an Agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com This episode’s presenters are: Brian Milner is SVP of coaching and training at Mountain Goat Software. He's passionate about making a difference in people's day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work. David J Bland helps companies such as GE, Toyota, Adobe, HP, and Behr find product market fit using lean startup, design thinking, and business model innovation through his company, Precoil. He is the lead author of Testing Business Ideas with Alexander Osterwalder.