Episodes
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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. -
Kate shares her journey of building OneGuide, a platform that provides leverage to PE and VC firms.
She initially started with a marketplace model, but realized that startups were not willing to pay for access to experts.
She then pivoted to selling to PE and VC firms, offering them a centralized platform for resources and an extended network of experts. Kate discusses the challenges of selling to firms, the importance of testing, and the evolution of OneGuide's features.
She emphasizes the need for patience and the willingness to iterate and adapt along the way.
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Aaron Slessinger, a product leader at HP, discusses the challenges of testing hardware and software together, specifically in the context of hot desking and hybrid work environments. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the needs and pain points of end users, as well as the shift towards prioritizing the end user experience in B2B products. Aaron shares his approach to testing, which includes conducting user interviews, low-fidelity prototyping with cardboard, and leveraging customer feedback to improve products. He also highlights the value of the collaboration between hardware and software teams in delivering the best customer experience.
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Markus Muller, co-founder of Flinn, shares his journey of testing ideas and building a business in the healthcare industry.
He emphasizes the importance of testing assumptions and using experiments to validate ideas. Markus discusses the use of LOIs (Letters of Intent) as a tool to gain commitment from potential customers.
He also highlights the value of co-creation with customers and the need to balance risk in heavily regulated industries. Overall, Markus provides insights into the testing mindset and its application in building a successful business. -
In this conversation, Janina Urbach from the Hansgrohe Group shares the story of how they developed a dog shower as a new product.
The idea came from a customer interview and they validated the need through desk research and conversations with dog owners and groomers.They used pretotyping and 3D printing to test and iterate the product.
They also used data to make decisions, including A/B testing and pre-sales. They learned from missteps, such as over-engineering the MVP, and applied their learnings to new projects.
Janina recommends using customer profiles and value proposition canvases to manage experiments. -
In this conversation, Dave Masters, Director of Product at Realtor.com, shares his insights on testing and experimentation in big companies.
He discusses the need for testing and how to break out of the feature factory mindset. Dave shares a case study on how they tested a new product idea using customer interviews and concierge testing.
He also talks about the value of using customer quotes in experiments and the differences between concierge and Wizard of Oz experiments. Dave provides tips for product managers in big companies who want to champion experimentation and shares his contact information for further discussion.
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In this conversation, Chris Guest discusses the importance of understanding problem perception and the nuances of desirability testing.
He shares insights from his experience with Topology Eyewear, where they tackled the problem of ill-fitting glasses. Chris explains the Problem Perception Spectrum and how it helped them position and communicate their solution. He also emphasizes the need to find early adopters who resonate with the problem and shares his favorite experiments, including a concierge MVP for Topology Eyewear.
Chris Guest shares his experience setting up a pop-up store to test the desirability of a product. He explains how they controlled the experiment and measured interest and feedback from customers. The pop-up store was a success, leading to further scaling and growth.
Chris also discusses the transition from desirability to feasibility and viability, and the importance of trust in the customer experience. He concludes by introducing his current work on traction design and the need to validate market opportunity early on in the startup process.
