In this episode we interview JL Heather. He’s the Manager Partner at Centered. Centered empowers organizations to innovate by fostering a culture of experimentation.
JL and I explore the intricacies of innovation, design sprints, and the importance of leadership in fostering a culture of creativity and experimentation.
We discuss the challenges of making innovation stick, the role of customer feedback, and the significance of using the right language to engage teams and leaders.
JL emphasizes the need for a collaborative approach to problem-solving and the value of involving customers in the design process.
Guest Links
LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jlheather/
Website: https://centered.work/
Is your innovation pipeline clogged?
👉 Book a free discovery call at https://www.precoil.com/innovation-diagnostic
In this episode we interview Cathy Nesbitt. She is the Founder of Cathy’s Crawly Composters, a worm composting business focused on sustainability. Cathy shares her journey into the world of worms, detailing how her business was born when the local landfill was shut down and the city began exporting all of their waste.
We discuss the challenges she faced in testing her business and how she eventually pivoted her approach to education through workshops in schools. As Cathy reflects on her experiences, she emphasizes the importance of awareness in driving action and the impact her work has had on the community.
Guest Links
LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathynesbitt/
Is your innovation pipeline clogged?
👉 Book a free discovery call at https://www.precoil.com/innovation-diagnostic
In this episode we interview Michael Leung. Michael, is the CEO and founder of the Flo Group. He’s built his company around a simple mission, which is making hearing solutions accessible, affordable, and life-changing for people of all ages.
We discuss how his own personal experiences have shaped his approach to product development and testing. Specifically we dive into how he tested his new, open-ear bone conduction headphones with amplification, before bringing them to market.
Michael and I chat about how to test hardware products and the need for affordable and effective hearing solutions.
LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-leung-462547298/
Website: https://www.theinnerflo.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theflogroup/
Is your innovation pipeline clogged?
👉 Book a free discovery call at https://www.precoil.com/innovation-diagnostic
Summary
In this episode we interview Moita, the Founder and CEO of Product Weekend.
He shares his journey from studying aerospace engineering to becoming a product manager and eventually creating what is now called Product Weekend.
It is a community of Product Management enthusiasts who share their experiences and take their careers to the next level. I first learned about it on LinkedIn through Melissa Perri and Rich Mironov and have been curiously watching them test it from the outside.
I’m super excited to get some of the inside story on how Moita is testing out its unique format. Specifically how they are designing events that foster these deeper conversations.
We chat about the need for testing and validating ideas, as well as Moita’s future plans for scaling the events while maintaining their core values.
Guest Links
LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joaomoita/
Website: https://www.theproductweekend.com/
Is your innovation pipeline clogged?
👉 Book a free discovery call at https://www.precoil.com/innovation-diagnostic
In this episode we interview Charles Sims. Charles is the ex-CTO for the Los Angeles Clippers NBA team and currently Founder of Skafld, an end-to-end venture studio partner, turning visionary ideas into real-world success.
Charles shares his journey from the entertainment industry to becoming the CTO of the Clippers. We dug into how experimentation can improve the NBA fan experience. Everything from how he and his team had to quickly invent an engaging, yet remote, fan experience during the Covid lockdown, to how he used the Unreal Gaming Engine to test the assumptions made during the building of the new cutting edge Intuit Dome.
We discuss the lessons learned from his time with the Clippers to the evolving landscape of venture capital. We wrap up with the impact of AI on investors and how it can bridge communication gaps between technical and non-technical teams.
Charles Sims LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlessims/
Skafld Venture Studio: https://www.skafldstudio.com/
Is your innovation pipeline clogged?
👉 Book a free discovery call at https://www.precoil.com/innovation-diagnostic
In this episode we interview Hala Saleh. Hala is a skilled and thoughtful product leader who I met by coincidence over 10 years ago while reading a copy of the Lean Startup book.
We catch up and discuss how the term Minimum Viable Product or MVP has evolved since then and how lean startup principles can be applied outside of the digital product space to things like communities.
Hala shares her journey through various roles in tech over the years while emphasizing the need for testing and customer feedback.
I really appreciate her thought process on how she tackles problems in different industries.
Is your innovation pipeline clogged?
👉 Book a free discovery call at https://www.precoil.com/innovation-diagnostic
In this episode we interview Dr. Michael Neal. He is the Founder of Build My Team, a hiring service for private practices.
We explore the rigorous testing of his innovative hiring process. From the initial missteps to the breakthrough system that accurately matches the candidates' natural strengths with the job requirements.
In our conversation I learned about psychometric assessments, and the surprising insights that Dr Michael gained along the way.
This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in improving their hiring practices through data-driven testing and iteration.
In this episode we interview Alberto Savoia. Alberto was Google’s first Engineering Director and the author of The Right It - Why So Many Ideas Fail and How to Make Sure Yours Succeed.
He also coined the term “pretotyping” and has influenced my thinking over the years. In a previous episode we interviewed Pat Copeland, who authored a white paper with Alberto many years ago.
You may not know this, but I quoted Alberto in the Testing Business Ideas book for his Pretend to Own experiment.
Over the course of this episode we discussed the evolution of testing and in general, geeked out over testing as two of the premier minds on this subject.
Get your ticket now for our upcoming Testing Business Ideas with ChatGPT Workshop: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/testing-business-ideas-with-chatgpt-online-workshop-tickets-1404023785939?aff=oddtdtcreator
In this episode we interview Sylvia Hall.
Sylvia is the co-founder of Lifted Naturals. We chat about how a company can start out as a solution to a personal problem, but in order to be a viable business, we need to perform customer discovery beyond friends and family to see if there is any traction.
Sylvia emphasizes the significance of authenticity in entrepreneurship and the need to rapidly test solutions, and listen to customer feedback.
Her insights into how to grow a wellness business should provide valuable lessons for other aspiring entrepreneurs.
Get your ticket now for our upcoming Testing Business Ideas with ChatGPT Workshop: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/testing-business-ideas-with-chatgpt-online-workshop-tickets-1404023785939?aff=oddtdtcreator
In this episode we interview Dylan Lam. Dylan is an entrepreneur and a growth marketing expert with a focus on e-commerce. His super power is helping companies grow their brands on platforms like Amazon.
Dylan shares how he started out by bootstrapping an eBay business from his apartment and testing out what worked, and what didn’t. He then took what he learned to successfully scale the business through automation and dropshipping.
While doing this Dylan began to understand the importance of building a brand in e-commerce and how crowdfunding platforms can help you create a community of early adopters.
Dylan and I wrap up our conversation by discussing how AI is influencing his day to day work in everything from content creation to physical product design.
Get your ticket now for our upcoming Testing Business Ideas with ChatGPT Workshop: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/testing-business-ideas-with-chatgpt-online-workshop-tickets-1404023785939?aff=oddtdtcreator
In this episode we interview Matthew Davis.
Matthew is the CEO of Davis Business Law and the author of the best selling book, The Art of Preventing Stupid.
He shares his journey in the legal profession, discussing the challenges and assumptions he faced when starting his own law firm.
Matthew emphasizes the importance of collaboration, work-life balance, and effective marketing strategies in building a successful practice.
We talk about how to test for new hires, while exploring the significance of situational leadership in nurturing talent.
We wrap up with a thoughtful examination of the impact of AI on the legal industry and how firms can adapt to these changes.
In this episode we interview Pat Copeland and get a first hand account of how the Dash Button idea was originally tested at Amazon.
Everything from how the idea emerged from Bezos’ morning puttering time to the cognitive load customers experienced pushing a button to order a box of sweets and eventually to products like detergent.
Even though the product was discontinued, the learning they captured along the way influenced other Amazon initiatives such as Alexa, smart subscriptions, and auto-stocking appliances.
Pat shares his perspective on entrepreneurial thinking and building a culture of experimentation from Amazon, but also his time in leadership roles at companies like Autodesk, Microsoft, Google and Zendesk.
We wrapped up our conversation with the challenges of scaling ideas, and the future of machine learning in commerce with his latest endeavor, Moloco.
In this podcast episode, Matt Diamante shares his journey into the world of digital marketing and SEO, detailing his early experiences and the evolution of his career.
He discusses the importance of testing and analyzing content to achieve success, particularly in the realm of social media. Matt emphasizes the significance of video content in today's marketing landscape and explores strategies for leveraging platforms like LinkedIn to engage audiences effectively.
The conversation highlights the challenges and opportunities in navigating the ever-changing digital marketing environment.
We explore the intricacies of social media algorithms, particularly focusing on LinkedIn and the strategies for creating engaging content.
Matt and I discuss the importance of testing different content formats and styles, the challenges of predicting viral success, and how these principles can be applied beyond social media to enhance business strategies.
The conversation emphasizes the need for continuous experimentation and adaptation in the ever-evolving digital landscape.
In this episode we interview Ann Carden.
Ann is one of the top business growth consultants and strategists for people who want to accelerate growth to multiple 7+ figures. She is an internationally best-selling author, keynote speaker and podcast host.
In this conversation Ann shares her extensive experience with me in how she’s built and exited multiple businesses, emphasizing the importance of testing ideas and understanding market needs.
She discusses the challenges faced in the coaching industry, the significance of targeting the right market for premium clients, and the value of writing expert books that align with business goals.
Use the discount code PODCAST for $50 off a ticket to our upcoming Testing Business Ideas with ChatGPT Workshop on April 29th: www.eventbrite.com/e/1309306534089/?discount=PODCAST
In this episode we interview Deon Crasto.
Deon started his product management career at OnDeck Capital, a small business lending platform, where he focused on payments growth. He currently leads payments and ML- driven risk assessment at Velocity Global.
Deon and I discussed the importance of curiosity and problem-solving in product management. We talked about the significance of metrics, and in particular, how to avoid vanity metrics. Deon shared some of the challenges of aligning teams with company goals and navigating regulations in experimentation.
Use the discount code PODCAST for $50 off a ticket to our upcoming Testing Business Ideas with ChatGPT Workshop on April 29th: www.eventbrite.com/e/1309306534089/?discount=PODCAST
In this conversation, Chris Hood shares his diverse background in storytelling across various media, including movies, video games, and digital marketing.
He emphasizes the importance of storytelling in engaging consumers and how it connects to business strategies.
The discussion explores the iterative nature of game development, the significance of customer feedback in marketing, and the evolving role of AI in media.
Chris also highlights the challenges of balancing creativity with market demands and the necessity of testing ideas with real audiences.
In this conversation, David J Bland and Erich Archer discuss the intersection of AI and video production, exploring how AI tools are transforming workflows, the importance of iterative testing, and the future of content creation.
Erich shares his journey from traditional video production to leveraging AI for efficiency and creativity, emphasizing the need for human reflection in the process.
They also touch on the evolving landscape of video tools and the potential for AI to generate novel insights and ideas.
In this conversation, David J Bland and Michael Clifford discuss the intersection of habitat design, conservation, and design thinking.
Michael shares his unique journey from zookeeper to strategy director for Reverse the Red, a global coalition aimed at halting species extinction.
They explore the importance of challenging assumptions in habitat design, the role of observation in understanding animal behavior, and the need for context-specific strategies in conservation efforts.
The conversation emphasizes the significance of collaboration, the necessity of creating environments conducive to desired outcomes, and the value of indigenous knowledge in addressing biodiversity loss.
In this engaging podcast episode, David J Bland hosts Bruce McCarthy and Melissa Appel, who share their insights on product management, stakeholder alignment, and the journey of writing their new book, 'Aligned.'
They discuss the challenges of managing stakeholders, the importance of face-to-face communication, and the iterative process of testing ideas and content for their book.
The conversation also dives into marketing strategies post-publication and the exploration of new audiences and formats to enhance the book's impact.
In this conversation, Amer Abu Khajil shares his journey from civil engineering to the tech world, emphasizing the parallels between building physical structures and developing products.
He discusses the importance of testing and validation, drawing lessons from his engineering background, and outlines the process he created at TTT Studios for product development.
Amer highlights the distinction between problem and solution validation and offers techniques for conducting effective customer interviews, ultimately stressing the need for a structured approach to understanding customer needs and segmenting them effectively.
We explore the journey of building Perceptional, a tool designed to enhance user research through AI.
Amer and David discuss the importance of understanding customer segments, the process of validating ideas, and the balance between automation and human interaction in research.
Amer shares insights on product development, testing methodologies, and the challenges of creating a sustainable business model in the startup landscape.