Unsolicited Feedback Brian Balfour & Fareed Mosavat

MVPs are Officially Dead: Here's How to Launch and Find Market Fit in 2024 w/ Sachin Rekhi

Welcome back to "Unsolicited Feedback," where Product-Market Fit (PMF) expert, Sachin Rekhi joins Fareed Mosavat to discuss the evolving thinking on Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) and their impact on achieving PMF in competitive markets. We discuss Linear, Dropbox, and Airbnb, and reflect on this post by Linear co-founder, Tuomas Artman.

Check out a full summary of the takeaways and lessons at ➡️ https://www.unsolicitedfeedback.co/

00:00 From MVP to Magical: Rethinking Product Launch Strategy
06:46 Narrowing the Market: A Key to Success
07:34 The Dropbox Story: A Lesson in Product Polish and Narrow Focus
14:00 The Importance of Craft, Taste, and Target Audience in Product Development
18:25 Linear's Approach: Strong Convictions and Narrow Focus
24:01 The Power of Closed Betas and Waitlists
27:48 Case Study: LinkedIn Sales Navigator's Journey from Zero to One
31:20 Validating Product Market Fit Before Building
36:06 Narrowing the Target Audience for Precise Market Fit
39:04 Key Takeaways on Product Development and Market Fit

This week on "Unsolicited Feedback," Fareed Mosavat welcomed Sachin Rekhi to explore the shifting landscape of media, focusing on the evolution from traditional, slower media forms to what's increasingly being termed "dopamine culture." We analyze how this change is not only profoundly affecting how we consume content but also how we should build and launch products.
Sachin has created multiple Reforge courses, is the founder & CEO of NoteJoy, and the creator of LinkedIn Sales Navigator, a now $1B ARR business. And, he has a new video-native podcast you can watch on YouTube!
Check out a full summary at UnsolicitedFeedback.co!
We're back Thursday to discuss finding Product-Market Fit without MVPs!

Revolutionizing Productivity: Feedback on Loom, Linear, and Even LaunchDarkly w/ Claire Vo

In part two of our "Unsolicited Feedback," host Fareed Mosavat and our esteemed guest, Claire Vo (CPO at LaunchDarkly, Founder of ChatPRD), explore significant advancements in AI and collaboration tools, with a spotlight on Loom and Linear's latest innovations. The episode delves into how these tools are not only enhancing productivity but also potentially reshaping communication norms in professional environments.

Check out a full summary of the takeaways and lessons at ➡️ https://www.unsolicitedfeedback.co/

00:00 Introduction
02:17 Exploring Loom's Innovations and Atlassian Integration
06:57 The Future of Collaboration: Video, Audio, and AI
14:42 Loom's Role in Atlassian's Ecosystem and Future Directions
17:33 Linear's Approach to Enhancing Product Development
20:55 The Challenge of Integrating Docs and Tasks
30:41 The Power of Being Your Own Customer
35:47 Embracing New User Experience and Onboarding

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Building ChatPRD and 🌶️ Takes on the Future of Product Management in the AI-Era w/ Claire Vo
In this week’s episode of "Unsolicited Feedback," we're excited to welcome back Claire Vo, CPO of LaunchDarkly and the founder of ChatPRD. As a repeat guest, Claire delves into the intricacies of building her AI tool, ChatPRD, and shares her incisive perspectives on the evolving roles in product management as AI reshapes the industry in 2024 and beyond.
Check out a full summary of her hot takes at Unsolicitedfeedback.co!

00:00 Introduction
02:22 Rethinking the 'No' Mantra in Product Management
06:42 Leveraging ChatPRD for Career Growth and Efficiency
20:29 Navigating the Challenges of Building AI Products
26:50 The Accessibility of Software Engineering for PMs
31:01 The Impact of Low Friction Analytics on Deep Analysis
46:39 Efficiency and Organizational Design in Product Teams

Critiquing Disney's Strategic Moves & Bundling Choices; Navigating the Future of Streaming

In this episode of 'Unsolicited Feedback,' host Fareed Mosavat and guest Mariah Muscato, a Director of Product at HubSpot, dive into a detailed discussion about Disney Plus, its bundle strategy, and the broader challenges facing streaming services. They explore Disney's transition from content creation to embracing technology, its battles with activist investors, and strategic decisions against the backdrop of evolving consumer expectations and the competitive landscape of streaming services. The conversation also touches upon the principle of the perfect bundle, Disney's potential shifts in strategy, the impact on and from platforms like YouTube, and broader discussions on the future of streaming content. Finally, the dialogue covers the pricing and packaging strategies of streaming, and speculates on the future direction of Disney Plus and its competitors.

Check out a full summary of the takeaways and lessons at unsolicitedfeedback.co.

Timestamps:
00:00 Welcome
01:00 The Evolution and Challenges of Disney's Streaming Strategy
02:27 The Superfan vs. Casual Fan Dilemma in Content Strategy
03:20 The Impact of Content Strategy on Subscriber Growth and Retention
06:59 Disney's Strategic Shift and the Role of Bundling
10:54 The Streaming Wars: A Battle for Content and Subscribers
19:00 The Future of Streaming: Consolidation, Content, and Consumer Choice
27:48 Disney Plus and the Challenge of Tech Transformation
30:41 The Challenges of Content Distribution and Monetization
39:49 YouTube and the Evolution of Content Consumption
50:24 The Streaming Wars: Predictions and Strategies for Survival

Show Notes:
➡️ Shishir Mehrotra's Four Myths of Bundling
➡️ Disney's Original Bundling Strategy

Tinder's New Safety Feature Delivers More Than Just Security to the Legendary Swiping App 🎉
In this episode of 'Unsolicited Feedback', host Fareed Mosavat and guest Mariah Moscato (Director of Product, HubSpot) discuss the intricacies of dating apps, with a focus on Tinder's new safety feature, 'Share My Date'. This feature allows users to share their location and date details for safety purposes. They explore how it not only enhances user safety but could open Tinder to new user groups and potentially drive network effects. Mariah shares her personal journey of moving to Dublin, her experiences with dating apps, and insights into how dating behaviors are evolving, especially around ethical non-monogamy. They also touch on how dating apps like Tinder could evolve to include non-dating functionalities and improve user engagements. 
Check out a full summary here, and stay tuned as our Deep Dive this week covers the magical world of Disney!