Manish Gaudi

From Day 1, every founder knows that their start-up will need a unique combination of time, money, and people to reach Product-Market Fit. To secure these elements, you’ll need to convince people to take a bet on you. So, how do you successfully sell your vision? By perfecting the craft of compelling storytelling. Manish Gaudi, our Product Leader in Residence highlights the importance of storytelling for founders and steps on improving this craft for non-natural creatives.

Great product companies don’t start with a revolutionary idea for a new experience or value proposition that will change the world. In fact, great product companies don’t have much to start with. Most are still searching for the elusive Product-Market Fit (PMF), and while doing so, they have little at their disposal. So, how much does the product even matter in the pre-PMF phase of a startup? Great question, and Manish, our Product Leader in Residence, answers in this edition of Behind the Grind: Lessons from a Product Leader.

As a 0->1 product builder, you have strong conviction at the 100,00-foot level. But, at the 1,000-foot day-to-day level, you probably find yourself wondering what exactly you should be doing today to advance your goals for tomorrow. You may be getting frustrated over why friends, colleagues, investors and the media can’t see the opportunity or your vision for the product as clearly as you. And while it’s never easy to admit, you may also be “mistaking motion for progress,” a proven death blow for 0->1 teams.