Podcasts about product market fit

Hyla Nayeri co-founded 437, a bootstrapped activewear brand, into an eight-figure business— and she did it by simplifying ruthlessly, betting on organic social and influencer marketing, and protecting a culture that includes a four-day workweek. For more on 437 and show notes click here Subscribe and watch Shopify Masters on YouTube!Sign up for your FREE Shopify Trial here.

Dan Rochon and Collin Stewart discuss the origins of the CPI community, his approach to teaching sales and business growth, and his journey in writing and promoting his new book "Teach to Sell".    Learn about building predictable income, the importance of systems, and how to leverage AI in business.   Highlights include:  The Idea Behind the CPI Community (10:19), Mission to Help a Million People (14:26), The Value of Instructions and Systems (18:42), and more... Stay updated with our podcast and the latest insights on Outbound Sales and Go-to-Market Strategies!

Viele Unternehmer stecken monatelang Herzblut, Zeit und Kapital in die perfekte Entwicklung eines Produkts, um am Tag X festzustellen, dass der Markt nicht darauf gewartet hat.In dieser kurzen Folge räume ich mit einem der teuersten Denkfehler im Business auf. Warum du den Vertrieb nicht erst am Ende anknipsen darfst, wie du den Markt von Anfang an einbeziehst und warum echtes Kundenfeedback die beste Entwicklungsgarantie ist.Kompakt-Info:Länge: 6 MinutenFokus: Gründung, Unternehmensführung, Product-Market-Fit, VertriebsstrategieFür wen: Gründer, Unternehmer und alle, die ihr zu lange in der Theorie am Produkt schrauben und nicht über LOS gehen (für alle Monopoly Spieler unter Euch).

והפעם – פרק עם מתן כהן (קורס תכנות רכ״ב, שירות בבסמ״ח ובמצפ״ן) ועופר חופשי, מייסדי Doti, שנמכרה ל־Salesforce בעסקה של כ־100 מיליון דולר

Dominique und Oliver sprechen in dieser Folge darüber, warum die Wahl des richtigen Zielmarkts weit mehr ist als eine Marketingentscheidung. Wer Verantwortung für ein Produkt trägt, trifft jeden Tag Entscheidungen, die den weiteren Handlungsspielraum einschränken oder erweitern. Genau deshalb beeinflusst der Zielmarkt die Produktentwicklung von Anfang an. Er bestimmt, welche Probleme relevant sind, welche Bedürfnisse zählen und welche Rahmenbedingungen bei der Gestaltung eines Produkts berücksichtigt werden müssen. Für Product Owner:innen und Produktmanager:innen entsteht daraus eine wichtige Frage: Für wen entwickeln wir eigentlich und in welchem Markt soll unser Produkt erfolgreich sein? Ein Zielmarkt besteht aus deutlich mehr als einer Nutzergruppe. Geografische Unterschiede spielen ebenso eine Rolle wie rechtliche Vorgaben, kulturelle Erwartungen oder technologische Rahmenbedingungen. Ein Produkt kann in einem Markt hervorragend funktionieren und in einem anderen kaum Resonanz erzeugen. Manche Funktionen werden in einem Land erwartet, während sie anderswo keine Bedeutung haben. Wer diese Unterschiede ignoriert, riskiert hohe Investitionen in Lösungen, die am tatsächlichen Bedarf vorbeigehen. Der Zielmarkt setzt deshalb wichtige Leitplanken für Produktstrategie, Produktgestaltung und die Auswahl möglicher Lösungsansätze. Häufig entsteht der Wunsch, möglichst viele Kundengruppen gleichzeitig anzusprechen. In der Praxis führt das oft zu Produkten, die für niemanden wirklich überzeugend sind. Ein klar definierter Zielmarkt hilft dabei, Ressourcen gezielt einzusetzen und Prioritäten bewusster zu setzen. Statt jede denkbare Anforderung zu berücksichtigen, entsteht ein besseres Verständnis dafür, welche Probleme besonders relevant sind und wo der größte Nutzen geschaffen werden kann. Diese Fokussierung erleichtert viele Entscheidungen im Produktalltag und schafft Orientierung für Teams und Stakeholder. Die Suche nach dem passenden Zielmarkt beginnt selten mit vollständiger Sicherheit. Meist stehen zunächst Annahmen im Raum. Genau deshalb ist frühes Lernen so wichtig. Kundeninterviews, Beobachtungen im Nutzungskontext und direkte Gespräche mit potenziellen Kundinnen und Kunden helfen dabei, Marktsegmente besser zu verstehen. Dabei geht es nicht darum, Zustimmung für eine Idee einzusammeln. Entscheidend ist, die eigenen Hypothesen kritisch zu prüfen und herauszufinden, ob ein relevantes Problem tatsächlich existiert und ob die gewählte Zielgruppe bereit ist, sich damit auseinanderzusetzen. Auch der Product Market Fit entsteht nicht am Reißbrett. Ob ein Zielmarkt wirklich zum Produkt passt, zeigt sich oft erst nach den ersten Schritten im Markt. Die gewonnenen Erkenntnisse können Anpassungen am Produkt erforderlich machen. Manchmal zeigt sich sogar, dass ein anderer Zielmarkt deutlich besser geeignet ist. Erfolgreiche Produktentwicklung bedeutet deshalb, Markt und Produkt gemeinsam weiterzuentwickeln. Wer den Zielmarkt als lernbare Annahme versteht und regelmäßig hinterfragt, schafft bessere Voraussetzungen für nachhaltigen Produkterfolg. Im Kontext dieser Folge empfehlen wir euch insbesondere folgenden Folgen: - User Feedback mit Kundeninterviews einholen (https://produktwerker.de/user-feedback-mit-kundeninterviews/) - Warum Personas für Product Owner wertvoll sind (https://produktwerker.de/warum-personas-fuer-product-owner-wertvoll-sind/) - Das Problem mit dem Minimal Viable Product (https://produktwerker.de/das-problem-mit-dem-minimal-viable-product/) - The Decision Stack (https://produktwerker.de/the-decision-stack/)

When Jing Gao launched Fly By Jing, she wasn''t just selling chili crisp—she was challenging a century-old story about the value of Chinese food. Starting from an underground supper club and a scrappy Kickstarter, she built a brand now found in Target, Walmart, and Whole Foods that has inspired a generation of Asian food founders. For more on Fly By Jin and show notes click here Subscribe and watch Shopify Masters on YouTube!Sign up for your FREE Shopify Trial here.

Most founders think they have a sales problem. According to Lou Shipley, they usually have a customer understanding problem.Lou is a 3x CEO, Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School, former CEO of Black Duck Software, and co-author of Unlikely Entrepreneurs.During his time at Black Duck, Lou repositioned the company from open-source compliance to open-source security, quadrupled revenue, and helped lead the company to a $565 million acquisition by Synopsys.In this conversation, we discuss: Why founders should not hand off sales too early  The real purpose of your first 100 customer conversations  How to know if you're solving a painful enough problem  Why competitive markets can be better than new markets  The go-to-market framework that helped scale Black Duck  How to identify product-market fit before building too much  What causes churn and how to spot it before it happens  Why most founders misunderstand scaling a sales team  The reality of AI and what founders should pay attention to  Lessons from six startups, multiple exits, and decades of leadership This is a practical conversation about sales, positioning, product-market fit, scaling teams, and building companies that customers actually want.00:00 Introduction to Lou Shipley and Black Duck Software02:00 The Black Duck acquisition story and repositioning strategy04:30 Why founders should own sales longer than they think09:10 Learning from customers before chasing revenue12:00 Why competitive markets are often better opportunities15:00 The myth of the young founder and why experience matters18:40 Understanding customer pain deeply enough to build a company21:20 Signs you're building a solution nobody truly needs22:45 Building software for yourself vs guessing what customers want25:00 How Lou repositioned Black Duck around security27:30 Managing vs leading as your company scales31:00 Escaping the weeds and thinking like an investor33:10 The sales framework behind Black Duck's growth39:00 Churn, product-market fit, and customer retention43:30 AI, software startups, and what founders should watch51:30 What Lou learned after running multiple companies57:20 The one message every founder needs to hearUnlikely Entrepreneurs: Wins, Losses, and Crucial Lessons on Building Great Companies: https://a.co/d/0fPfhi1D

What happens when every payment, wallet, and onchain interaction becomes searchable by governments, companies, adversaries, and AI? Josh Swihart, founder and CEO of Zcash Open Development Lab, joins David to explain why Zcash is having a major privacy comeback, how ZODL and the Zashi wallet helped unlock real shielded adoption, why the shielded pool may be the most important ZEC metric, and what it will take for private money to become too big to kill. ---

What if you attracted 50 buyers in two months - for a product you almost didn't list? That's not a marketing strategy. That's exactly what happened when 21-year-old Ovi Shekh posted Wisdomic AI on Acquire.com and watched his inbox fill up faster than he expected. Ovi is a CS student from Dhaka, Bangladesh. He's already exited two businesses before most people his age have submitted a single job application. His first exit came almost by accident - a COVID-era grocery delivery startup, quietly acquired after the buyer tracked him down on Instagram. His second was Wisdomic AI. An AI-powered academic research tool he'd spent eight months building. Ten thousand signups. Nineteen hundred active users. Fifty-plus universities. And a product he genuinely didn't want to let go of. But he listed it anyway. Just to see. Fifty-two inquiries later, he had a signed LOI with his chosen buyer. And then a better offer showed up. More money. Different vision. And Ovi walked away from it. Because here's the thing most first-time sellers never think to use as a dealbreaker - vision alignment. Not the highest number. Not the cleanest terms. Whether the buyer actually believes in what you built and will carry it forward the right way. That was the filter. That was the whole decision. The buyer Ovi chose went on to raise $700,000 using the asset Ovi sold him. Let that sit for a second. In this episode, Jaryd sits down with Ovi to unpack how a 21-year-old from Bangladesh navigated two exits, turned down a better offer on purpose, and figured out the rules of the acquisition game earlier than almost anyone around him. How he valued an eight-month-old SaaS with no ARR and a niche user base that didn't behave like typical consumers. Why he applied to Y Combinator eight times, got rejected every single time, and what that finally told him about where his leverage actually lived. And the one thing he says nobody tells you when you're building - that you don't get rich owning a startup. Only selling one. Most founders fall in love with their product and never let go. Ovi fell in love with his, listed it just to see what would happen, and walked away with a lesson worth more than the exit itself.

Most founders do not fail because they lack intelligence, ambition, or effort. They fail because cash disappears before the market is ready. The dangerous part is that most companies cannot see the timing problem while it is happening. Leadership keeps hiring, scaling, building, and pushing harder while customer behavior, market readiness, or adoption psychology still lag behind the vision. By the time reality becomes financially visible, the runway is already shrinking. At the same time, AI is accelerating operational disruption underneath nearly every industry. Work that once justified departments, research cycles, and executive structures is collapsing into tools that now execute in minutes. That is forcing founders to rethink not only labor and execution, but where human value actually exists inside the business. This conversation explores why product-market timing matters more than intelligence, how founder identity quietly becomes operational risk, why convenience destroys incumbents faster than expected, and how companies unknowingly defend processes the market no longer rewards. Kevin Surace shares what he learned building breakthrough technologies before markets were ready — and why many leadership teams still misunderstand the economic shift already happening underneath their companies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's episode features Sahir Azam, Partner at Index Ventures and former Chief Product Officer at MongoDB, where he helped scale Atlas into a multi-billion-dollar platform. This conversation breaks down what actually separates top enterprise sellers, from intellectual curiosity to resource orchestration, and why those traits alone aren't enough without leadership building the right operating model around them. Sahir also explains how sales leaders create scale through enablement, accountability, and structured engagement, not just hiring more talent. For leaders trying to build repeatability in complex sales, this is a clear look at what it takes. Sahir Azam is a Partner at Index Ventures investing in AI infrastructure, and former Chief Product Officer at MongoDB where he led the Atlas transformation into a multi-billion-dollar platform. He brings a rare operator's perspective on building go-to-market discipline, scaling sales culture, and navigating the product-distribution balance that separates winners from founders who fail. Connect with Sahir: Index Ventures LinkedIn Get the Force Management framework for navigating product-go-to-market fit and building the sales discipline that separates scaling companies from those that fail: The Predictable Revenue Framework: Guide for Leaders Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results. This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale. Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

Episode SummaryIn this special 200th episode of Million Dollar Flip Flops, Rodric flips the script and brings on one of the most inspiring young entrepreneurs from the Send a Student Leader Abroad (SASLA) program—Madison Timson.Madison, a seventh-grade student and rising entrepreneur, shares her journey of building a crochet business from scratch during the program. What makes her story even more powerful is how she started at the bottom of the leaderboard and, through persistence and learning, worked her way up to finish second overall.She opens up about the challenges she faced, the turning point that changed everything, and the real-world business lessons she learned along the way—from understanding customers to managing inventory and building relationships.This is a heartfelt, inspiring conversation about resilience, growth, and the power of believing in yourself—even when you're starting from behind.In This Episode, You'll LearnWhy persistence matters more than where you startHow understanding your customers can completely change your businessThe importance of product-market fit—even at a young ageWhy managing inventory is a key part of business successHow building relationships can open unexpected opportunitiesWhat young entrepreneurs can teach seasoned business ownersWhy you're never truly “starting over” in businessHow small wins can turn into big momentumHighlights & Timestamps[00:00] Meet Madison TimsonMadison introduces herself, her grade level, and her crochet business built during the SASLA program.[01:00] Why this episode mattersRodric shares why this 200th episode is special and highlights the mission behind Send a Student Leader Abroad.[02:00] The vision behind SASLAA deeper look into how the program combines entrepreneurship with global perspective and leadership development.[05:00] Madison's entrepreneurial journey beginsMadison shares what she created—crochet items like bookmarks and ornaments—and how she got started.[06:00] From last place to second placeRodric reflects on Madison's journey from the bottom of the leaderboard to finishing strong.[07:00] The turning point: understanding customersMadison reveals the key shift—learning what customers wanted and how to deliver it consistently.[08:00] Product-market fit and inventory lessonsHow Madison figured out what to make, how to make it, and how to keep products in stock.[09:00] The power of relationshipsMadison shares why learning to talk to people and maintain connections was one of her biggest takeaways.[09:30] Real-world success: selling locallyMadison talks about continuing her business and selling her products in a local bookstore.[10:00] Question for the next guestMadison asks: Who or what inspired you to start your own business?[10:30] Advice to her younger selfMadison shares what she would tell her 10-year-old self about starting a business—keep going, even when it's hard.[11:00] How to support MadisonRodric shares how listeners can connect with and support her business.Notable Quotes“The huge difference was figuring out what my customers wanted.” – Madison Timson“You have to figure out how to keep it in stock so they can buy it when they want it.” – Madison Timson“Learning how to talk to people and maintain connections can take you places.” – Madison Timson“It may be hard at the start, but keep trying—you'll figure it out.” – Madison TimsonConnect with Madison Timson

Is your paycheck giving you security… or stopping you from chasing your real purpose?In this episode of Mama's House To Penthouse, Prinston Hicks and Country Cowboy have a real conversation about entrepreneurship, leaving corporate America, building confidence, making decisions, and going all in on your vision.They break down:How to know when it's time to leave your jobWhy most people stay stuck in comfortBuilding confidence through actionDecision-making in entrepreneurshipCreating recurring revenueLead generation and sales systemsProduct market fit and scalingAI tools and business automationThis episode is packed with practical business advice, entrepreneur mindset shifts, and honest conversations about building freedom through business.If you're trying to start a business, grow a side hustle, scale your company, or escape the 9 to 5 grind, this episode is for you.Follow Mama's House To Penthouse for weekly episodes on entrepreneurship, sales, marketing, business systems, mindset, and personal growth.⏱️ CHAPTERS00:00 Intro – Mama's House To Penthouse00:27 Special Guest Introduction01:55 Logistics, Amazon & Business Systems02:44 The “Fat Face” Story

Shiv Rao is the CEO and Co-Founder of Abridge, a leader in generative AI for healthcare. The company reached a $5.3 billion valuation following a $300 million funding round with investors including Jensen Huang, Henry Kravis, USV, Bessemer Venture Partners and Elad Gill. A practicing cardiologist, Shiv has scaled the company to 450 employees and partnered with major health systems like Emory and Yale.  AGENDA: 04:00 — You just have to survive long enough to not die 06:00 — Did USV liking music make them billions of dollars? 13:58 — The three variants of an AI native company 15:00 — How do you know if foundation models are going to kill or help you? 22:15 — Why OpenAI and Anthropic doing consultancies is such an obvious move 41:00 — Biggest lesson from Jensen Huang at Nvidia 41:00 — What Founder Mode truly means 52:00 — What the founder of Duolingo taught me about sacrifice 56:37 — If I started a company again, Elad Gill would be the one investor I go to    

What you'll learn in this episode: Why being “60% right and 40% wrong” can still destroy a business The biggest mistake founders make during customer development Why product-market fit exists on a spectrum—not as a yes/no answer The customer development funnel that creates referrals naturally How to know when your product is ready to scale The danger of building based on your own assumptions instead of customer pain Why entrepreneurs struggle to balance confidence with humility The exact questions to ask customers before investing in growth How Uber Eats generated 33x stronger sales results than average clients Why slowing down can actually help you grow faster About Collin Stewart Founder, CEO, podcast host & failed musician How can he help you? Bootstrapped PR to millions in revenue Built a revenue team to 11 Grew 3 companies from $0–$1M as the only sales hire Hosts a podcast with 120+ episodes Nailed product-market fit but whiffed on building it (and learned a tonne from it) Connect with Collin Stewart: Predictable Revenue Founder's Edition The Terrifying Art Collin Stewart LinkedIn Predictable Revenue Podcast

Discover what is executive decision making and the essential executive decision making skills every leader needs in this powerful episode of 37 Secrets to Lead with Confidence with Bill Miller.   Bill Miller takes you through the making of executive decision, sharing his remarkable journey from junior engineer fixing bugs at Foxboro Company in the 1970s to tech executive, COO, and CEO advisor. Through real learning from past experience and learning from experience examples, Bill reveals how he turned unexpected opportunities in sales, marketing, and team leadership into a thriving career at companies like Prime Computer and Rockwell.   This conversation is packed with practical career advice and practical advice for life that goes far beyond theory. Bill dives deep into decision making frameworks and ethical decision making frameworks that first-time CEOs and founders can use immediately to avoid costly mistakes. He shares hard-won lessons on learning from others experience and his own, including military basic training insights on disciplined communication and a memorable lesson about speaking out of turn on a conference call.   You'll learn how to maintain composure during a high-pressure presentation and how to develop calm discipline under pressure in high-stress jobs. Bill explains how to build emotional intelligence, overcome reactive outbursts, establish clear feedback loops, and eliminate dangerous blind spots that can hurt companies more than financial problems.   The episode also explores AI's growing role in leadership. While AI can support executive decision making through custom tools and frameworks, Bill stresses that human judgment, clarity, and ethical oversight remain irreplaceable—especially in hiring, strategy, and high-stakes situations. Whether you're an emerging leader, first-time CEO, or seasoned executive navigating chaos, this episode delivers actionable insights on resilience, communication, team-building, and confident leadership you can implement today.   About Bill Miller Bill Miller is an executive advisor, mentor, and coach to founders, aspiring CEOs, and small-tomid-size company leaders who want to lead with confidence, clarity, resilience, and power. He is the award-winning author of The Rookie CEO, You Can't Make This Stuff Up! and the newly published What Every CEO Must Know, 37 Secrets to Lead with Confidence and Power. Drawing on decades of firsthand experience, Bill helps leaders eliminate blind spots, build trust, and deliver operational excellence that fuels growth and profitability. Over the past 35 years, Bill has held senior executive roles in Marketing, Product Management, Business Development, Strategic Planning, Development, and Operations across startups, venture-backed companies, and multi-billion-dollar global firms. His deep cross-functional background gives him a unique ability to connect strategy with execution and theory with reality. He founded his consultancy in 2011 to help first-time CEOs and expanded to Beelinebill Enterprises in 2020.  As an advisor, Bill partners with first-time CEOs and founders who need a trusted sidekick to navigate uncertainty, make better decisions, and stay focused on what matters most. His clients learn to build their “blind spot muscle,” strengthen their leadership confidence, and lead their organizations with clarity and purpose. Bill's structured approach blends people, processes, and performance to create alignment and results. He has led or restructured multiple companies and business units, driving transformation through what he calls People-Function Fit, the often-overlooked complement to Product-Market Fit.   Connect with Bill Miller Socials: https://linktr.ee/beelinebill Book: https://www.amazon.com/What-Every-CEO-Must-Know-ebook/dp/B0FVVJN8FL Email:  bill@beelinebill.com Website: www.BeelineBill.com   Connect With Tim Website: timstatingtheobvious.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timstatingtheobvious YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHfDcITKUdniO8R3RP0lvdw Instagram: @TimStating TikTok: @timstatingtheobvious LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-staton-04b41a271/ SKOOL Community: https://www.skool.com/timstatingtheobvious-9537/about?ref=de9c7e65d8ba4eeabc1a8eea413c125b

Warum halten so viele noch an ihrem Konzernjob fest, obwohl sie spüren, dass Sicherheit eine Illusion ist? Stephanie Sgura steht für das, worüber andere nur auf LinkedIn posten: Systemwechsel – mit echtem Mut und klarem Nein zum Status-Bla-Bla. Wer bereit ist, eigene Narrative zu zerlegen, knackt Wachstum, das mehr liefert als neue Stellentitel. Warum du Product-Market-Fit zuerst in echten Kundengesprächen suchst – und kein noch so feingeschliffenes Workbook je ersetzt, was der Markt wirklich kauft. Preis-Angst? Wie falsche Glaubenssätze dich systematisch sabotieren – und warum billiger nie Wert stiftet, sondern dich garantiert in den Burn-out verkauft. Keine Lust auf Mitarbeiter-Chaos? Wie Solopreneurship dir radikale Klarheit und unternehmerische Freiheit verschafft – ohne auf Umsatz zu verzichten. Ehrliches Unternehmertum verlangt brutal einfache Prinzipien. Nicht das nächste "Manifestieren! Mehr Content! Noch ein Statussymbol!"-Bullshit-Bingo. Wer Orientierung sucht und Substanz verträgt, bleibt dran – am Blog findest du die nächste Schippe Praxis: https://theangryteddy.com Mehr zu Stephanie findest du unter: https://www.solopreneurslife.com/ ________________________________ Du möchtest einen Überblick über den Einstieg ins Business Podcasting. Hol dir meinen 37-seitigen Podcast Guide. Jetzt herunterladen:

"If your product sucks, you're never going to succeed. A lot of people are trying to solve product problems with marketing spend." Chase Clymer runs Electric Eye, a Shopify agency deep in CRO, redesigns, and migrations. He also hits about one industry event a month, which means he's got a real read on how merchants and partners actually feel right now. Not the Twitter version. The hallway version. We got into the real state of ecom in 2026: Facebook CPMs nearly doubling since the pandemic, why most brands under $5M shouldn't be split testing at all, how agencies are using AI tools like Claude and Nano Banana to skip hours of busywork, and Chase's bold prediction that Shopify is about to overhaul its partner program after a failed enterprise bet. SPONSORS Swym - Wishlists, Back in Stock alerts, & more getswym.com/kurt Cleverific - Smart order editing for Shopify cleverific.com Zipify - Build high-converting sales funnels zipify.com/KURT LINKS Electric Eye: https://electriceye.io/ Honest Ecommerce podcast: https://honestecommerce.com/ Fathom (sales call recording): https://fathom.video/ Nano Banana / Gemini image generation: https://gemini.google/overview/image-generation/ Figma Make: https://www.figma.com/ WORK WITH KURT Apply for Shopify Help ethercycle.com/apply See Our Results ethercycle.com/work Free Newsletter kurtelster.com The Unofficial Shopify Podcast is hosted by Kurt Elster and explores the stories behind successful Shopify stores. Get actionable insights, practical strategies, and proven tactics from entrepreneurs who've built thriving ecommerce businesses.

Category creation can help founders and innovation leaders stop competing in crowded markets and start defining new ones. In this episode of Inside Podcast, Ian Bergman and Layne Fawns talk with Kevin Maney, co-founder of Category Design Advisors, and author of The Category Creation Formula, about how companies create and lead new market categories.Kevin breaks down his framework: context + missing + innovation = new category. He explains why dominant design matters more than first-mover advantage, how Netflix and Tesla shaped customer behavior, and why category strategy can align product, marketing, and leadership around a bigger opportunity.Key Topics

Neste episódio do Vamos de Vendas, Gustavo Pagotto recebe Helio Azevedo, especialista em vendas B2B, ex-executivo de IBM, Microsoft e SAP, para uma conversa sobre como simplificar processos comerciais e aplicar as melhores práticas de multinacionais em empresas brasileiras.Ao longo do episódio, Helio mostra que grandes empresas não crescem por serem mais complexas, mas justamente por conseguirem simplificar processos, cultura e gestão. Ele explica como padronização, clareza de métricas e foco no essencial aceleram a escala de operações comerciais, desde onboarding e CRM até remuneração variável e gestão de performance.A conversa também explora os principais erros de empresas em crescimento, como automatizar processos desnecessários, criar excesso de burocracia no CRM e copiar práticas de multinacionais sem ter a base estruturada. Helio compartilha exemplos práticos de transformação em empresas de tecnologia, fala sobre cultura organizacional, liderança e mostra como inteligência artificial pode acelerar produtividade, enablement e desenvolvimento comercial.

Superhuman Mail users respond to 72% more emails per hour and save an average of four hours every week — numbers backed by a case study from one of the Big Three strategy consulting firms. Rahul Vohra, CEO at Superhuman Mail, built the world's fastest email engine over three years without launching, held the line until the product was ready, and then productized product-market fit into a repeatable, measurable science. Following Superhuman's acquisition by Grammarly in 2025, Rahul is now steering the company toward a unified AI-native productivity suite spanning email, calendar, tasks, and agents.What you'll learn:The 5-step PMF Engine: how to survey, segment, analyze, implement, and track your way to product-market fit with a numerical scoreWhy you should ignore the not disappointed and most somewhat disappointed users — and which signals actually tell you who to build forHow to use the High Expectation Customer (HXC) framework to narrow your market without changing your productWhy PMF is a moving target and how to defend it against commoditization and copy-cat competitionHow Rahul operates as the editor of the product — using 20 verbatim quotes to push PMs and designers to sharper decisionsKey takeaways:If more than 40% of your users would be very disappointed without your product, you have an initial PMF — and you can measure your way thereChanging your market is faster than changing your product — segmentation alone can jump your PMF score 10 points overnightBuilding for your highest-expectation customer is not the same as building for your ICP — confuse the two, and you'll optimize for the wrong signalCredits:Host: Carlos Gonzalez de VillaumbrosiaGuest: Rahul VohraSocial Links:Find out more about Product School hereFollow our Podcast on TikTok hereFollow Product School on LinkedIn here

In this episode of Strap on Your Boots, I break down the reality behind the AI app-building boom and why so many founders are still struggling to get traction. While tools like Claude, Cursor, and modern cloud platforms have made it faster than ever to build apps, the real challenge hasn't gone away — it's shifted. I share my experience building apps over the past 30 years, how development has evolved, and why “vibe coding” isn't a business model. We dive into the real bottleneck most people ignore: marketing, distribution, and user acquisition. If you're building an app in today's AI-driven world, this episode will change how you think about what actually matters.

She had 18 million followers, a product idea born from panic attacks, and zero paid ad spend on launch day. Within 24 hours, Hugz was sold out. Lexi Hensler built Give Hugz — a line of weighted stuffed animals designed to trigger deep pressure stimulation — by turning her own battle with anxiety into a brand now tripling sales year over year. But before Hugz existed, there was Lexi Llama: a merch line that launched a Christmas sweater one week before Christmas, promised worldwide delivery without knowing what international shipping cost, and ended with all four co-founders hand-signing apology cards at 2am. Every mistake became a blueprint.   In this episode, Lexi breaks down exactly how she built a brand that now stands on its own — where customers show up having never heard of Lexi Hensler:  Why she capped the Hugz launch at 3 SKUs — and how starting with 8 nearly sank her first brand The Goldilocks weight (4 pounds) and why glass beads won over rice and flaxseed (hint: mold, maggots, and microwaving) How vulnerability in content converts better than follower count — and what she told other creators who couldn't figure out why their merch wasn't selling Why all four co-founders took zero salary for years, and what that looked like day to day How she navigates the line between sharing and oversharing — including the engagement decision she almost posted and didn't Why their scrappy two-person phone shoots often outperform the ones with a full professional crew                                       Hugz donates 10% of every purchase to mental health charities — and Lexi has personally visited every partner organization they've worked with. This is the story of getting it wrong first, and building something that outlasts you because of it.           Start Your Free Shopify Trial: https://utm.io/yt_podcast_trial  SUBSCRIBE to our Youtube channel for more video episodes: https://utm.io/uhw53 For more on Hugz: https://www.shopify.com/blog/hugz-creator-led-mental-health-brand?utm_campaign=shopifymasters&utm_medium=youtube&utm_source=podcast Subscribe and watch Shopify Masters on YouTube!Sign up for your FREE Shopify Trial here.

Join the free Content Marketing Lounge Facebook Group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/contentmarketinglounge/ Join the CML Academy and learn how to build a freelance writing business, even if you're starting from zero: https://www.skool.com/the-content-marketing-lounge-8374/about Learn more about my consulting and freelance services: https://www.colliermarketing.com/ Thank you for listening!

For more thoughts, clips, and updates, follow Avetis Antaplyan on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/avetisantaplyan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan delivers a solo recap of the last five conversations on the show, connecting themes across AI, category creation, biotech, enterprise technology, and leadership psychology into one bigger narrative. Drawing on insights from guests including Dr. Craig Kaplan, Kevin Maney, Pranav Lal, and Alok Tayi from Vibe Bio, Avetis explores what it takes to build durable companies in a time of rapid technological change. He explains why AI is evolving from a simple productivity tool into an active collaborator, why great companies do not just chase product-market fit but redefine markets altogether, and why weak systems become even more exposed as technology accelerates. He also reflects on the power of mission-driven companies, sharing the compelling example of parents driven to solve rare disease challenges, and makes the case that culture, appreciation, and human connection remain essential competitive advantages. Throughout the episode, Avetis argues that while technology may be moving faster than ever, leadership, judgment, architecture, and mission still determine who wins. It is a thoughtful and practical synthesis for leaders trying to think clearly, build wisely, and lead well in an AI-shaped future.TakeawaysAI is shifting from a passive software tool to a more active collaborator that can support decisions and workflows.Speed without clarity creates expensive mistakes, especially when AI is introduced into critical workflows.Category-defining companies win by reshaping demand, not just by building slightly better products in existing markets.Founders should pay close attention to shifts in technology, consumer behavior, economics, regulation, and expectations to spot new opportunities.AI can accelerate execution, but it cannot fix poor architecture, messy data, or weak thinking.Scale does not only come from breadth; it can also come from going deep into a problem that truly matters.Strong cultures are built when appreciation flows in every direction, not just from the top down.The companies that win in the future will not just move faster with AI, they will think better, build better, and lead better.Chapters00:00 Intro and the Big Idea Behind the Last Five Episodes01:10 Technology Is Accelerating, but Fundamentals Still Win02:16 AI as a Collaborator, Not Just a Tool04:28 Why Great Companies Shape Demand and Create Categories06:54 Product-Market Fit vs. Building a New Market08:03 AI Amplifies Strong Foundations and Exposes Weak Ones09:12 Why Enterprise Readiness Still Depends on Architecture and Trust10:01 Mission-Driven Innovation and the Rare Disease Story11:34 Why Meaningful Problems Create Deeper Commitment12:12 People Still Matter More Than Systems13:00 Recognition vs. Appreciation in Leadership14:40 Building Cultures Where People Feel Valued16:17 The Big Lessons Across All Five Conversations17:10 Why the Future Belongs to Leaders Who Think Clearly18:20 Outro and Final Leadership ChallengeResources and Links:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.hireclout.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.podcast.hireclout.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/hirefasthireright⁠

Most companies don't fail because of product, they fail because they never build a clear, repeatable sales system around a problem that actually matters. That shows up early when founders delegate sales too soon, chase broad markets without focus, and struggle to translate technical insight into customer urgency. In this conversation, Lou Shipley brings a career spanning door-to-door selling to leading and teaching at Harvard to break down what separates companies that scale from those that stall. He introduces frameworks like the “problem with the problem” and the “murder board,” while reinforcing a consistent theme: sales is not a downstream function, it is the organizing discipline of the business. For leaders trying to build a high-performance culture or evaluate their next move, this conversation clarifies what to look for and what to avoid. Lou Shipley is a three-time CEO, Harvard Business School professor, and author of Unlikely Entrepreneurs. He has led multiple startups and previously taught sales at MIT. Connect with Lou:  LinkedIn Website Resources mentioned: Unlikely Entrepreneurs: Wins, Losses, and Crucial Lessons on Building Great Companies by N. Louis Shipley and Patricia Favreau Key takeaways from this episode: 00:00 – How Lou Shipley built his sales foundation on 100% commission 06:00 – The 30-second mistake sellers keep making and how it kills deals early 10:33 – Why Lou Shipley believes emotional connection to the problem changes everything 25:55 – Why founders who delegate sales too early almost always get it wrong 33:33 – A behind-the-scenes look at how great teams pressure-test their strategy before the market does 40:22 – The three questions that instantly expose whether a company is worth joining 44:25 – Why narrowing your ICP is the fastest path to real revenue growth, not a limitation 58:33 – The real reason most companies fail before they ever scale Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results. This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale. Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

Интенсив по запуску стартапов и бизнесов. 6-й поток. Старт 20 апреля. Узнать подробности по ссылке12 апреля Гагарин полетел в космос. Запуск в сторону денег сегодня требует не меньше подготовки. Желание зарабатывать больше есть у всех, но в 2026 году привычные стратегии больше не работают.Раньше схема была понятная: поработал год-два, перешел в другую компанию — плюс 40-50% к зарплате. Сейчас этот механизм перестал работать. Офферов стало меньше, поиск занимает месяцы, а компании снижают предложения. Внутренний рост чаще всего ограничивается 3-5%.Решение — запуск собственного проекта без ухода с работы. Не резкие шаги, а системный подход для тех, у кого есть обязательства и ограниченное время.Эфир с Денисом Калышкиным — инвестиционным директором американского венчурного фонда и основателем проекта "Спроси VC" — дал четкое понимание, какие подходы работают на практике. Опыт сотен запусков позволяет отделить реальные возможности от иллюзий.Ключевые выводы эфира:Сайд-проект должен изначально иметь потенциал дохода, а не быть просто интересным занятием.Гипотезы необходимо проверять быстро, чтобы не терять месяцы на нежизнеспособные идеи.Работу можно использовать как ресурс: доступ к рынку, контактам и инсайтам.Ограничение — это время, поэтому важна скорость принятия решений и тестирования.Один источник дохода больше не дает стабильности, требуется система из нескольких потоков.Разбор включает практические подходы: от поиска Product-Market Fit до тестирования гипотез, проведения CustDev и оценки метрик.Материалы и контакты Дениса Калышкина:https://t.me/ask_vc | LinkedIn***Записаться на карьерную консультацию (резюме, LinkedIn, карьерная стратегия, поиск работы в США):https://annanaumova.comКоучинг (синдром самозванца, прокрастинация, неуверенность в себе, страхи, лень):по ссылкеТелеграм: https://t.me/prodcastUSAИнстаграм: https://www.instagram.com/prodcast.usТикТок: https://www.tiktok.com/@us.job⏰ Timecodes ⏰00:00 Начало03:22 Представление гостя: Денис, эксперт по запуску продуктов06:15 Что такое Product-Market Fit и почему его сложно найти10:40 Проблема ложных гипотез: почему стартапы тратят деньги впустую15:30 Методология тестирования: как не влюбиться в свою идею22:12 Оценка рынка и поиск целевой аудитории30:45 Как проводить интервью с пользователями (CustDev)38:50 Разница между B2B и B2C подходами в тестировании45:10 Формулировка гипотез по системе SMART55:30 Метрики успеха: на что смотреть в первую очередь01:05:20 Инструменты для быстрого запуска MVP01:12:45 Примеры успешных и провальных кейсов из практики01:25:30 Как масштабировать работающую гипотезу01:35:10 Разбор вопросов зрителей01:40:13 Финальный совет: как проверить идею за 5 долларов01:40:28 Завершение эфира

Two recent college grads turned a dorm room pistachio recipe into a fast-growing food brand—by letting their community call the shots. Nicola Buffo and Francine Voit, co-founders of Pistakio, share how they pivoted from pistachio mayo to a sweet pistachio spread one week before their first big grocery pitch, built a loyal following on social media because a college professor forced them to start posting, and turned customer DMs into their best-selling products—including their crunchy spread and date bark. In this episode, Nico and Fran talk about: How a last-minute product pivot landed them in Portland's biggest local retailer Why they said no to Shark Tank and Target before they were ready How community-led product development drove 10x growth Building a brand in public from day one (even with terrible dorm room lighting) The café tour strategy that gets customers to try the product risk-free Navigating a business partnership that's also a romantic relationship The $20,000 TikTok agency mistake and what they learned from it Why taste—not health trends—is their only non-negotiable Whether you're starting a food business, looking for community-driven marketing strategies, or figuring out when to say no to big opportunities, this episode is packed with real talk and actionable advice for ecommerce entrepreneurs. For more on Pistakio and show notes click here: https://www.shopify.com/blog/pistakio-community-led-product-development?utm_campaign=shopifymasters&utm_medium=youtube&utm_source=podcast SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for more video episodes: https://utm.io/uhw53 Subscribe and watch Shopify Masters on YouTube!Sign up for your FREE Shopify Trial here.

Most revenue teams believe they have a definedIdeal Customer profile (ICP), but the reality is far less precise, with the majority of pipeline often sitting outside the segments that actually drive retention and expansion. This disconnect creates inefficiency across marketing, sales, and customer success, and is only amplified by AI-driven outreach that scales poor targeting. Dan Sperring, founder and CEO of Align ICP, breaks down why ICP must evolve from a static definition into a dynamic operating system rooted in use cases, lifetime value, and market health. The conversation challenges traditional go-to-market structures, highlights the risks of misaligned incentives, and offers a clear framework for building predictable, durable growth. Dan Sperring is the founder and CEO of AlignICP, a company focused on helping revenue teams align around high-value customer segments to drive predictable growth. He brings experience across customer success, revenue leadership, and scaling SaaS businesses through product-market and go-to-market alignment. Connect with Dan: AlignICP LinkedIn Books mentioned: The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen The Innovator's Solution by Clayton M. Christensen and Michael E. Raynor Predictable Revenue by Aaron Ross and ​​Marylou Tyler  Amp It Up by Frank Slootman Tools and podcasts mentioned: clay.com zoominfo.com The Science of Scaling Podcast Get the Force Management framework for aligning your ICP, sales motion, and customer lifecycle around high-value use cases and measurable business outcomes: The Predictable Revenue Framework: Guide for Leaders Key takeaways from this episode:  00:00 – What Dan Sperring really thinks about ICP and why 70% of pipeline is wasted before it even starts 14:12 – Why use case is the signal most teams miss and what actually predicts expansion and retention  23:37 – What high-performing ICPs all have in common and why most segments fail one of the three tests  25:21 – The hidden tradeoff between product-market fit and sales complexity that early teams underestimate  40:27 – A peek into what really breaks when sales and customer success are separated across the customer journey  56:06 – How top teams shift comp from bookings to LTV and what that unlocks in pipeline quality and predictability Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results. This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale. Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

Send us Fan MailJoin us April 23, 2026 at 9AM Pacific Great engineering alone does not guarantee product success.Achieving product-market fit—ensuring that a product truly meets user needs and expectations—requires integrating market insights, usability considerations, and business goals into the development process.But how can engineers quantify something that often seems subjective?In this PDX Webinar, Arne Lang-Ree, Chief Design Officer and Cofounder at Spanner, will demonstrate how product-market fit can be transformed into a practical engineering objective.Drawing on real-world tools and frameworks developed at Spanner, this session will show how teams can systematically evaluate user needs, prioritize design trade-offs, and make decisions that improve the likelihood of market success.Topics covered include:• Why Product-Market Fit is an Engineering Challenge• Turning Market & User Needs into Engineering Constraints• Tools & Frameworks for Measuring Product Success• Interactive Q&A and Application to Your ProjectsThis session is designed for engineers, product developers, and technical leaders involved in bringing new products to market.Sign up hereSubscribe to the show to get notified so you don't miss new episodes every Friday.The Being An Engineer podcast is brought to you by Pipeline Design & Engineering. Pipeline partners with medical & other device engineering teams who need turnkey equipment like cycle test machines, custom test fixtures, automation equipment, assembly jigs, inspection stations and more. You can find us at www.teampipeline.usWatch the show on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@TeamPipelineus 

High-growth companies demand constant reinvention, yet most leaders underestimate how deeply roles, go-to-market models, and buyer behavior evolve over time. This episode explores what it actually takes to adapt at that level, from navigating internal resistance to aligning product and sales with how customers truly buy. Sahir Azam brings a rare operator-to-investor perspective, unpacking the realities of PLG to enterprise transitions, the cultural discipline required to scale sales, and how AI is reshaping both software and the sales function itself. The conversation also challenges common assumptions around SaaS models, tooling, and where value will accrue as AI infrastructure matures. Sahir Azam is a Partner at Index Ventures investing in AI infrastructure, and former Chief Product Officer at MongoDB where he led the Atlas transformation into a multi-billion-dollar platform. He brings a rare operator's perspective on building go-to-market discipline, scaling sales culture, and navigating the product-distribution balance that separates winners from founders who fail. Connect with Sahir: Index Ventures LinkedIn Get the Force Management framework for navigating product-go-to-market fit and building the sales discipline that separates scaling companies from those that fail: The Predictable Revenue Framework: Guide for Leaders Key takeaways from this episode:  00:00 – How Sahir Azam went from building MongoDB Atlas into a multi-billion-dollar platform to investing in the infrastructure shaping AI's next wave 06:24 – The secret to driving change inside a company before trying to win in the market 10:10 – What PLG and enterprise sales actually have in common when you design around the buyer 12:18 – What it's really like to move upmarket and why most companies underestimate the cultural shift required 23:50 – Sahir Azam's unexpected perspective on technical founders who struggle to scale 41:12 – A peek into where real value in AI is being built and why infrastructure is the leverage point 01:02:00 – What you can do right now to stay relevant as AI reshapes how top sellers operate Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results. This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale. Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

En este episodio, Francisco conversa con Regina Zurutuza sobre su trayectoria profesional y personal, explorando cómo encontrar tu 'product market fit' personal y la importancia de la autoconciencia, decisiones intuitivas y hábitos de autocuidado para el crecimiento auténtico.

Pour l'épisode de cette semaine, je reçois Jean de Rauglaudre, le CEO de Collective.Collective est aujourd'hui une solution de sourcing et de recrutement dopée à l'IA, permettant aux recruteurs d'identifier les meilleurs talents — freelances comme CDI — grâce à des agents intelligents.Jean est déjà venu deux fois sur le podcast, et dans cet épisode, on se concentre sur l'évolution récente de Collective : d'une marketplace de freelances à un produit SaaS centré sur l'IA, avec une croissance très rapide à la clé.Au cours de cet épisode, nous avons parlé :des différents pivots opérés par Collective et de leur passage d'un modèle service à un pur SaaSde la recherche du Product Market Fit et des signaux concrets qui montrent qu'on y estdu lancement de leur agent IA “Sherlock” et de son rôle dans leur accélérationde leur croissance impressionnante (de 30k à 1M d'ARR en un an)de leur stratégie go-to-market entre inbound, outbound et influencede leur vision du futur du SaaS à l'ère de l'IA et de l'agentiquede leurs réflexions sur le pricing dans un monde post-SaaS traditionnelet enfin de leur ambition de devenir un acteur globalUn épisode très concret sur les pivots, le PMF et la nouvelle génération de produits SaaS propulsés par l'IA.Vous pouvez suivre Jean sur LinkedIn.Bonne écoute !Mentionnés pendant l'épisode :L'épisode #127 avec Jean de RauglaudreInside eFounders avec Jean de RauglaudrePour soutenir SaaS Connection en 1 minute⏱ (et 2 secondes) :Abonnez-vous à SaaS Connection sur votre plateforme préférée pour ne rater aucun épisode

Building a business to sell isn't something you do at the end. Most founders think they can run their company, list it for sale, and walk away with a strong multiple. But without years of preparation, clean financials, and a clear growth story, buyers won't see the value you think you've built.In this episode of High Voltage Business Builders, Neil sits down with Rob te Braake, a fractional CFO working with 7- and 8-figure businesses, to break down what it actually takes to prepare for a high-value exit.From financial visibility and forecasting to controlling rapid growth and building a credible future narrative, this conversation explains why the businesses that sell for the highest multiples are the ones that start preparing years in advance.In This Episode We Cover✅ Why Exit Planning Starts Years Before You Sell Rob explains why three months of preparation isn't enough. Building a business that commands a premium multiple requires years of clean data, consistent performance, and a clear story.✅ The Difference Between Tax Accounting and Management Accounting Most businesses run their books for taxes, not for decision-making. Rob breaks down why financial visibility is critical for scaling and why buyers care about how well you understand your numbers.✅ What Happens When You Scale Too Fast Rapid growth without control can create financial chaos. From cash flow issues to supplier confusion, Rob shares how businesses lose control and why structure matters as you scale.✅ Why Financials Build Trust With Buyers Clean, organized financials aren't just about compliance. They directly impact how buyers evaluate risk and determine your valuation.✅ Selling the Future, Not Just the Past The highest valuations come from credible future potential. Rob explains how building and executing a multi-year plan creates a story buyers are willing to pay more for.

Sponsored by Chargebee, subscription and revenue management → check out their startup offer: https://www.chargebee.com/startups   Kris Rudeegraap, Founder of Sendoso https://www.linkedin.com/in/rudeegraap

Testing for Product Market Fit Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funding, investors look to see where the startup is in finding product/market fit. Here are some key tests to check how close your startup is to product-market fit: Demand outstrips supply. The startup finds itself constantly adding more server space for customers. The startup finds itself hiring more team members to manage the customer load. The product value shows through. Customers find value in the product and tell you so. Sales appear to be closing more quickly. The word of mouth from the users generates a faster close rate. Cash in the bank account appears to be growing faster than before. There's buzz in the market. The press wants to write about your company. You receive unsolicited comments about the excitement around your startup. Proof of product market fit shows up in customer usage, increasing sales, financial metrics, and word of mouth. It's often clear to see when you have product-market fit. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

Many startups chase product-market fit as if it's a moment of discovery. But for deep-tech founders, the journey is often much longer.  Product-market fit doesn't appear overnight. It's built through years of research, experimentation, and conversations with customers. Before founding the company, Asad Tirmizi spent 14 years researching robotics systems, developing the technical foundations that would eventually become the company's product. What started as academic research later evolved into a commercial solution for manufacturers. Highlighst include: Impact of Robotics on Jobs and Industries (03:52), Transitioning from Research to Entrepreneurship (07:11), Validating the Business Idea (11:15), Finding the First Customer (17:02), Understanding Value Creation (27:46), And more... Stay updated with our podcast and the latest insights on Outbound Sales and Go-to-Market Strategies!

Databox is an easy-to-use Analytics Platform for growing businesses. We make it easy to centralize and view your entire company's marketing, sales, revenue, and product data in one place, so you always know how you're performing. Learn More About DataboxSubscribe to our newsletter for episode summaries, benchmark data, and moreHow will AI change the way SaaS companies grow?But according to Adam Robinson, founder and CEO of Retention.com, AI is not the answer most founders think it is.Adam has built multiple SaaS companies and scaled Retention.com from $0 to $22M ARR in four years without funding. In this episode of Move the Needle, he explains why the companies that scale – and the ones that stall – are separated by one thing:Product-market fit.Listen to the episode to learn why AI won't fix your SaaS company, but product-market fit might.

Michel raised $185M and achieved a unicorn valuation before he fully cracked monetization. How? By building a community so strong it broke his engineering team.In this episode, Michel breaks down the chaotic journey from a failed YC marketing idea to becoming the standard for open-source data movement. He reveals why he killed a high-growth fintech product, how he used the "Magic Wand" question to find his true direction, and the specific insight that allowed Airbyte to hit $1M ARR in just 4 months after launching their enterprise product.Why You Should ListenHow to hit $1M ARR in 4 months with a bare-bones product.The "Magic Wand" framework for validating startup ideas.Why you should sometimes optimize for Vanity Metrics.How to raise $150M+ by solving the "build vs buy" dilemma.The critical difference between Project Market Fit and Product Market Fit.Keywordsstartup podcast, startup podcast for founders, open source business model, data infrastructure, product market fit, Y Combinator, pivoting, fundraising, developer tools, Airbyte00:00:00 Intro00:09:37 The Failed Marketing Product & COVID Pivot00:16:13 The "Magic Wand" Framework for Ideas00:20:52 Launching Open Source to Solve "Build vs Buy"00:24:39 Bootstrapping a Community on Reddit & Hacker News00:30:17 Why Too Many Users Broke the Team00:34:32 Project Market Fit vs. Product Market Fit00:36:16 Hitting $1M ARR in 4 Months00:37:53 Managing a Unicorn Valuation Without Revenue00:41:20 Advice for Early Stage FoundersSend me a message to let me know what you think!

I recorded this episode live in Hong Kong with Wish Wu, Co-Founder and CEO of Pharos Network.We dive deep into what it really takes to build next-generation blockchain infrastructure.Pharos is an EVM-compatible Layer 1 hitting 20,000 TPS on testnet. But speed is not the real story. The real story is their focus on connecting Web2 and Web3. Not just users. But capital. Assets. Institutions.Wish shares his journey from building AntChain at Ant Group to launching Pharos. We talk about tokenizing real-world assets, institutional adoption, product-market fit, and why new Layer 1s must stop copying Ethereum.If you're a founder building in Web3, this episode is essential listening.Key LearningsWhy Hong Kong is regaining momentum as a crypto hub.What Pharos Network is building and why 20K TPS matters.Wish's background at Ant Group and building AntChain at scale.Tokenizing new energy assets and institutional funds.Why most new Layer 1s fail without product-market fit.The rise of purpose-built chains and niche-focused infrastructure.Why speculative crypto alone cannot sustain adoption.The vision for Pharos over the next five years.Launching a VC fund and incubator to grow the ecosystem.Fundraising advice: Stop copying. Find real product-market fit.Connecthttps://www.linkedin.com/in/wishlonger/https://www.pharos.xyz/https://www.linkedin.com/company/pharosnetwork/https://x.com/pharos_network DisclaimerNothing mentioned in this podcast is investment advice and please do your own research.It would mean a lot if you can leave a review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this podcast with a friend.Be a guest on the podcast or contact us - https://www.web3pod.xyz/

Send a textMost founders don't fail because they lack talent...they fail because they built the wrong thing. In this episode, Bradley Hawkins gives you a reality check for spotting “smart ideas” vs real problems people will pay to solve.

What T20 Cricket Teaches Every Sport About The Race For The Global Fan.Mike Jakeman joins Richard for Inside Edge, the business of cricket series. Guests: Finn Bradshaw, Head of Digital, ICCEdward Fitzgibbon, Managing Director, NYZ Consulting.Twenty20 cricket is one of the great product innovations in modern sport. Compact, volatile, accessible to anyone with three hours and a phone signal, it has done something fifty-over cricket never managed: it compressed the development timeline for nations outside the traditional power base. But here is the lesson other sports should be studying carefully: a brilliant product and a functional structure are not the same thing. Cricket has the former. It is still negotiating its way toward the latter.The current ICC T20 World Cup is a further proof of concept, if any were needed. The shorter form has lowered the barrier between the established test nations and the rest. But the structure of the game, its calendar, and the allocation of central resources remains wedded to the previous world. So what are the lessons of this event for other sports as the race for the global fan intensifies? Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 500 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner' on Apple, Spotify and every podcast app. If you're interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series and live events, you can reach us via the website.

Qualytics is redefining enterprise data quality by positioning it as a collaborative business function rather than an isolated data engineering problem. Founded at the start of the pandemic by Gorkem Sevinc - a former CTO and CDO who spent years managing reactive data quality firefights - Qualytics emerged from a clear practitioner pain point: writing endless custom rules to catch data issues after they'd already broken dashboards and KPIs. The company raised pre-seed and seed rounds while building with beta customers, then closed a Series A as repeatability patterns emerged in their POC process. Now, as enterprises scramble to operationalize AI initiatives, Qualytics is experiencing explosive inbound demand from organizations realizing their data foundations aren't ready for democratized data access. Topics Discussed The practitioner insight that sparked Qualytics: reactive rule-writing doesn't scale Leveraging existing CTO/CDO networks and PE portfolio connections for beta customers The evolution from free POCs to paid POCs as a mutual commitment mechanism Identifying repeatability through week-by-week POC conversion patterns Building practitioner credibility into the sales motion while hiring for enterprise sales grit The decision to hire sales and marketing leadership simultaneously post-Series A Tracking in-product engagement metrics (DQ operations frequency, anomaly detection, rule editing) as churn prevention Positioning data quality as vertical-specific business problems (premium leakage, regulatory compliance) The timing advantage: AI adoption forcing enterprises to treat data governance as mandatory infrastructure GTM Lessons For B2B Founders Talk to 100 prospects before writing code—even with deep domain expertise: After burning 18 months building a radiology second opinion product that patients didn't want (they didn't even know radiologists were doctors), Gorkem adopted a hard rule: validate with 100 conversations before building. His advantage as a former CTO who lived the data quality problem created false confidence. Practitioners often assume their pain is universal, but buyer awareness and willingness to pay are separate questions. Start with NSF I-Corps-style problem validation: show rough sketches, probe what happened when they hit the pain point, understand how it hurt them financially or operationally. Repeatability appears in micro-conversions during trials, not just closed-won rates: Gorkem didn't declare product-market fit when deals closed—he declared it when he could predict POC behavior by week. "Week two, I'm expecting this. Week three, I'm expecting this." That predictability enabled ROI calculators and internal champion enablement materials. For technical founders, this means instrumenting your trial or POC to track leading indicators: specific features activated, data volumes processed, number of team members engaged, frequency of logins. When those patterns stabilize across prospects, you have a repeatable motion. Use paid POCs as a procurement front-loading mechanism, not a revenue play: Qualytics charges nominal amounts for some POCs—not for the revenue, but to get the MSA signed and force both parties through legal/security review upfront. This eliminates the pattern where free POCs succeed technically but die in procurement. Large enterprises often refuse to pay for POCs, which Gorkem accepts—but only if they commit equivalent effort (executive time, cross-functional teams). The paid POC is a qualification tool: if they won't commit anything, they're not a real opportunity. Hire sales and marketing leadership in parallel and hold them to unified GTM metrics: Gorkem regrets hiring early sales reps before leadership and delaying marketing investment. Post-Series A, he hired both leaders simultaneously and holds them jointly accountable to pipeline generation and velocity—not siloed MQL counts or quota attainment. This structural decision forces collaboration on messaging, ICP definition, and campaign strategy from day one. For technical founders who "figured out" founder-led sales, resist the urge to replicate your motion with more SDRs. Bring in strategic leadership that can build a scalable system. Instrument product engagement as your earliest churn signal—then intervene immediately: Beyond quarterly NPS and executive QBRs, Gorkem tracks granular product usage: how many data quality operations users run, how many anomalies they discover, how actively they're editing rules. When engagement drops, he doesn't wait—he jumps into the customer's existing weekly meetings to diagnose and course-correct. For B2B founders building complex products with long time-to-value, passive health scores aren't enough. You need active usage telemetry and a low-latency intervention process. Translate technical capabilities into vertical-specific business outcomes: Gorkem doesn't pitch "data quality for data engineers." He talks about premium leakage with insurance companies and OCC/SEC data controls with banks. This reframing works because buyers recognize their problem, not a vendor category. The shift requires research: understand each vertical's regulatory environment, operational pain points, and the business metrics executives care about. When you walk in speaking their language about their P&L impact, you're not another vendor—you're someone who gets it. Time your market entry to when "nice-to-have" becomes "must-have": When Qualytics launched, some enterprises called data quality a "nice-to-have." AI adoption changed that calculus overnight. Organizations planning to let 20,000 employees interrogate data through AI interfaces suddenly realized they need robust data governance, quality controls, and cataloging first. Gorkem's timing wasn't luck—he built during the "nice-to-have" phase so he'd be ready when AI budgets made it mandatory. Technical founders should identify the external forcing function (regulation, technology shift, economic change) that will transform their solution from vitamin to painkiller. // Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe. www.GlobalTalent.co // Don't Miss: New Podcast Series — How I Hire Senior GTM leaders share the tactical hiring frameworks they use to build winning revenue teams. Hosted by Andy Mowat, who scaled 4 unicorns from $10M to $100M+ ARR and launched Whispered to help executives find their next role. Subscribe here: https://open.spotify.com/show/53yCHlPfLSMFimtv0riPyM

Kevin was building a successful startup in the NFT space. They'd hit $1M ARR. But he looked at the market and realized it wasn't big enough. So he made the terrifying choice to pivot the entire company into cybersecurity.In this episode, Kevin breaks down how he navigated that transition without killing the business. He reveals how he sold his first $5k/month contract with no product, why he raised a massive seed round he didn't need, and how he convinced Andreessen Horowitz to lead his Series A in the middle of a strategic shift.Why You Should ListenHow to pivot from a bad market to a unicorn opportunity.Why he sold a $5k/month contract with zero product.How to raise a Series A from a16z during a pivot.Why you never truly "find" Product Market Fit.The danger of building for a niche market (and how to escape).Keywordsstartup podcast, startup podcast for founders, product market fit, finding pmf, pivot, cybersecurity, crypto startup, a16z, raising series a, Kevin Tian00:00:00 Intro00:02:17 Meeting at Uber and the "Glass Eating" Phase00:07:21 The First Idea00:11:52 Selling the First $5k/Month Contract with No Product00:16:52 The Decision to Pivot at $1M ARR00:29:43 Network Selling to Enterprise Cybersecurity00:32:03 Raising Series A from a16z During a Pivot00:33:36 Why Product Market Fit is Not a One-Time Event00:35:10 Action Produces InsightsSend me a message to let me know what you think!

Joey Zwillinger, the founder of Allbirds and Biologica, sat down with Jason to talk about the challenges of finding your ideal customer. Joey's done it both ways. Starting with a product and searching for the right people to buy it, and starting with a problem and building the solution. In this conversation, he breaks down what actually works when you're hunting for product-market fit, and what to do when your customers surprise you (because they will). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Carles Reina is VP of Sales at ElevenLabs, where he was the first investor and fourth employee. Carles has scaled the revenue org from Day 1 to over $330M in just 3 years. Carles is also an active investor with investments in ElevenLabs, Revolut, Happy Robot and more.   AGENDA: 0:00 How I Turned $20K into $16M with Revolut Angel Investment 10:45 Why I Don't Believe in Product-Market Fit 15:40 How to do Land and Expand: Turning $12K Deals into Millions 19:40 The 20X Rule: A "Ruthless" Comp Plan for Elite Reps 24:35 Public Shaming? Why Honest Pipeline Reviews Save Companies 28:50 Why Your Sales Reps Should Never Be in the Office 35:45 The Outbound King: How to Pivot from 90% Inbound 45:45 "Vibe Coding" & The Death of Technical Ceilings 55:35 Why I'd Fire Myself: The Secret Psychology of High-Performers    

Today, we're talking about startup identity—why you need one, and how it makes every decision you face way easier. We'll talk swimming and nervous systems, walk through the Decision Equation, and help our good friend Carl figure out which customer to start with for his AI tool that helps adults learn Spanish. Then we'll wrap with a simple framework to help you clearly define your startup's identity. It's practical, a little weird, and really important. On to it.TackleboxHeroTimestamps00:30 Your Startup Identity01:30 How to Swim04:17 How to Learn Something New06:34 Re-learning How to Make Decisions08:45 Tacklebox 09:15 Carl's Idea - AI for Learning Spanish13:13 The Decision Equation14:15 Picking a Customer19:30 Identity: Your Decision Filter21:30 Four Identity Exercises24:13 The End: What Do You Want?

Dan and Ian respond to a listener's email about strategies for going from a 9-5 to full-blown entrepreneurship, and why mindset is far more important long-term than ideas if you want to start a business. LINKS Bento will beat your current email bill — up to 70% off or $300 in credits Million Dollar Weekend by Noah Kagan Dynamite Jobs Meet lifestyle founders inside Dynamite Circle Hang out exclusively with 7+ figure founders in DC BLACK CHAPTERS (00:00:00) Intro and Listener Email (00:05:58) Path 1: “Hold Your Nose and Jump” (00:11:43) Path 2: The Coast Side Hustle (00:14:16) Path 3: Intrapreneurship/Apprenticeship (00:18:14) Path 4: Job Hopping (00:30:05) Product-Market Fit, Passion, and More (00:38:58) Overrated and Underrated Entrepreneurship Tips CONNECT: Dan@tropicalmba.com Ian@tropicalmba.com Past guests on TMBA include Cal Newport, David Heinemeier Hannson, Seth Godin, Ricardo Semler, Noah Kagan, Rob Walling, Jay Clouse, Einar Vollset, Sam Dogan, Gino Wickam, James Clear, Jodie Cook, Mark Webster, Steph Smith, Taylor Pearson, Justin Tan, Matt Gartland, Ayman Al-Abdullah, Lucy Bella. PLAYLIST: Bad Hiring Advice That Can Actually Work: 9 Tactics for Lifestyle Founders What We Learned From Running a 7-Figure Remote Business in 2025 The 9-5 is Dead, This is the Socially Acceptable Lottery Ticket

Dana Roberts spent years watching fifth-grade girls panic through their first periods with ill-fitting products and no preparation. The period care aisle hadn't changed in decades. Same brands. Same sizing that was never designed for a 10-year-old's body. When she pitched the idea to her god-sister, Dr. Monica Williams, she got a polite brush-off. Years later, Monica's own daughter started showing signs of puberty, and suddenly the problem wasn't theoretical anymore.What followed was a brutal education in bootstrapping: churning through agencies, surviving iOS 14.5, and funding an entire company through pitch competitions because traditional VCs wouldn't write checks. Last year, a three-minute pitch won them $1 million from Pharrell Williams. Then Ulta told them to change their name if they wanted shelf space. They did it in 90 days.Now Scarlet by RedDrop is in almost 400 stores trying to fix something the industry ignored for generations. We talked about all of it, including the part where Monica says she wishes she'd never bootstrapped at all.SPONSORSSwym - Wishlists, Back in Stock alerts, & moregetswym.com/kurtCleverific - Smart order editing for Shopifycleverific.comZipify - Build high-converting sales funnelszipify.com/KURTLINKSScarlet by RedDrop: tryreddrop.comUlta product page: ulta.com/brand/scarlet-by-reddropBlack Ambition Prize: blackambitionprize.comKlaviyo: klaviyo.comSmart Marketer: smartmarketer.comWORK WITH KURTApply for Shopify Helpethercycle.com/applySee Our Resultsethercycle.com/workFree Newsletterkurtelster.comThe Unofficial Shopify Podcast is hosted by Kurt Elster and explores the stories behind successful Shopify stores. Get actionable insights, practical strategies, and proven tactics from entrepreneurs who've built thriving ecommerce businesses.

Scout Brisson reveals how De Soi converts skeptics into subscribers through sampling, why it's their largest marketing expense, and her ROI framework. Subscribe and watch Shopify Masters on YouTube!Sign up for your FREE Shopify Trial here.