What are the strengths that a product manager candidate with entrepreneurial experience brings over a product manager candidate from a FAANG company?
I've had the opportunity to work with and hire product managers from various backgrounds. Here's my perspective on the strengths an entrepreneurial candidate might bring compared to one from a FAANG company:
Resourcefulness: Entrepreneurs often excel at doing more with less, a valuable skill in resource-constrained environments.
End-to-end ownership: They typically have experience managing all aspects of a product, from ideation to launch and beyond.
Customer-centric mindset: Entrepreneurs often have direct customer interaction, fostering deep user empathy.
Adaptability: They're usually adept at pivoting quickly based on market feedback or changing conditions.
Risk tolerance: Entrepreneurs tend to be more comfortable with uncertainty and calculated risk-taking.
Diverse skill set: They often wear multiple hats, developing a broad range of skills beyond traditional PM responsibilities.
Growth mindset: The challenges of entrepreneurship often instill a strong drive for continuous learning and improvement.
That said, each candidate brings unique strengths, and the best fit depends on the specific needs of the role and company culture.
While Product Manager (PM) roles vary based on team dynamics and business context, certain fundamental skills are essential for any successful PM:
Excellent communication skills
Analytical thinking
Leadership and collaboration abilities
Beyond these core competencies, the environment in which a PM operates significantly shapes their experience and skill development.
In an entrepreneurial setting, a PM often:
Owns a larger product scope: Taking responsibility for multiple facets of the product with broader oversight.
Wears multiple hats: Stepping into roles like designer, product marketer, or data analyst as needed.
Engages in hands-on execution: Doing whatever it takes to help the team succeed, often involving direct involvement in various tasks.
As a PM at a FAANG company, the experience shifts toward:
Negotiating and collaborating across teams and departments: Working within a large organizational structure to secure support for projects.
Navigating robust and detailed processes: Following established procedures to get approvals and bring products to market.
Demonstrating strong written and verbal communication skills: Presenting to senior leaders and articulating ideas effectively.
Tackling challenges of scalability: Addressing issues related to massive user bases and high-volume operations.
Both sets of experiences are invaluable. Gaining expertise in diverse environments helps build a well-rounded PM profile, enabling you to excel in various contexts.
The biggest strengths (and believe me its a huge benefit, and one I look for in all candidates) are being scrappy and getting sh** done. As an entrepreneur, you are forced into an environment that isn't perfect, that doesn't have all the structure or support you need to succeed, so you are forced to figure out your path to goal by trying different approaches and you quickly learn what does and doesn't work. This is an incredible way of learning and one that will serve you well in product management and as a candidate. You are also likely more willing to take risk, which depending on the company can be a net positive.
If you are looking at startup roles then I'd say all your experience comes to play and you should shine as a candidate quite naturally. I would balance that scrappiness with identifying where structure could help you move faster, especially if you are looking at roles in mid or large size companies - they also want to know that you can work within the structures and teams that already exist.
On comparison with FAANG - there are advantages of learning the craft from folks that have done it for a long time, so you learn a lot of really good habits on how to be a good product manager, you also learn how to influence larger teams and drive alignment. As long as you recognize where you bring strengths and where you need to learn, that's a lot of what matters.
While my direct experience with FAANG product managers is limited, I've worked extensively with PMs from entrepreneurial backgrounds, including my own experience in early-stage startups and SMBs.
The main advantage I've observed with entrepreneurial PMs is their versatility. They don't just excel at product development - they bring a comprehensive understanding of the entire business ecosystem. This includes expertise in go-to-market strategy, positioning, distribution channels, team building, budgeting, and financial management. They've often had to wear multiple hats and solve diverse challenges, which gives them a unique ability to see both the forest and the trees.
That said, the value of this broad experience really depends on what your specific role requires. If you need someone who can operate effectively across multiple business functions and adapt quickly to changing circumstances, an entrepreneurial PM might be your best bet. Their breadth of experience makes them particularly valuable in environments where flexibility and cross-functional understanding are crucial.
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