1. The Art of Problem Solving
September 17, 2014
Startup Product Silicon Valley
Meetup
at
AOPEN Retail Evolution Lab
"Startup Product" is a trademark owned by Cindy F. Solomon, CPM, CPMM

2. Welcome
To Startup Product Silicon Valley!
Use hashtags for pics & tweets:
#startupproduct
#prodmgmt
Please take pics & vide to be posted to
https://www.flickr.com/photos/startupproduct/sets/
Meetup
http://www.meetup.com/StartupProductSiliconValley
Startup Product" is a trademark owned by Cindy F. Solomon, CPM, CPMM

3. Thanks to AOPEN for hosting!
Startup Product" is a trademark owned by Cindy F. Solomon, CPM, CPMM

4. Agenda
7:00 pm
Meet, Greet, Networking
7:30 pm – Intros
About Startup Product and get to know AOpen better.
7:45 pm Speaker & Q&A
Bob Schoenthal on “The Art of Problem Solving”
8:45 pm Q&A and Pitches: Open positions, Seeking Positions,
9:00 pm – Closing and Prize Drawings!
We have a few nice prizes so make sure to stick around.
Startup Product" is a trademark owned by Cindy F. Solomon, CPM, CPMM

5. Early Bird Tickets Available Now! http://productsummit.org

6. What is Startup Product?
The orange logo is in the
shape of a “hockey stick”
graph, which describes
Growth across time
Movement For Product Excellence
"Startup Product" is a trademark owned by Cindy F. Solomon, CPM, CPMM

7. 3-infinity.Goal
1. Find
product/market fit
"Startup Product" is a trademark owned by Cindy F. Solomon, CPM, CPMM
2. Scale
beyond
the startup
phase
horizontal
diagonal
Startup Growth

8. All Stages of Growth
“Startup” thinking implies
• fresh thinking,
• design thinking,
• human centered approach,
• creativity,
• responsiveness
• focus on market opportunities & competitive intelligence,
• agility
----------All things required for innovation
Startup Product" is a trademark owned by Cindy F. Solomon, CPM, CPMM

9. All Kinds of Products
“Product” definition includes
• the result of a team effort,
• a service, solution, event, content, project…
• revenue generating transaction
• All industries, verticals, growth & maturity
-------All things necessary for business success
Startup Product" is a trademark owned by Cindy F. Solomon, CPM, CPMM

10. Leader, Speaker, Founder
Write your own ticket to career growth
Domain knowledge &
Technical expertise
"Startup Product" is a trademark owned by Cindy F. Solomon, CPM, CPMM
Expanding Expertise:
Product, Market
Competitive space
Customer experience
Cross-functional collaboration
Communication skills
horizontal
diagonal
Professional Growth

11. Professional Growth
Product professionals must be
continuously learning
•To increase skill set
•To expand tool chest
•To contribute value
•To enhance leadership
•To remain relevant
"Startup Product" is a trademark owned by Cindy F. Solomon, CPM, CPMM

12. Who Are Passionate Product People?
• Developers, programmers, coders
• Makers, shakers, DIYers
• Product managers, product marketers, program managers
• Designers, UX, UI
• Founders, CEOs, Creators
• Process people, systems people, programs people
• Product owners, Project managers, Scrum masters
• Visionaries, strategic, tactical, implementers
• Hands-on, geeks, sales, service, community managers
• All sizes, shapes, ages, genders, mastery levels
• All industries, type products, size organizations
• Curious & open to learn, share, network, listen, contribute value & participate
• Focused on producing results over obstacles
All Disciplines & Functions
Startup Product" is a trademark owned by Cindy F. Solomon, CPM, CPMM

13. What is Product Excellence?
It depends on
• context and
• perspective
Decide For Yourself…
Startup Product" is a trademark owned by Cindy F. Solomon, CPM, CPMM

14. Startup Product priorities:
1. People
2. Education
3. Process
4. Tools
Startup Product" is a trademark owned by Cindy F. Solomon, CPM, CPMM

15. People First
Startup Product Academy creates
communities that are open,
inclusive and supportive of
growing, learning &
experimenting
Startup Product" is a trademark owned by Cindy F. Solomon, CPM, CPMM

16. Product Focus
Startup Product movement
takes a holistic view of product,
with a bias on action & cross-functional
collaboration
Startup Product" is a trademark owned by Cindy F. Solomon, CPM, CPMM

17. Product People
Startup Product
• Promotes the people behind the product
• Encourages diverse teams and cultures
• The stronger the team, the better the
product results
Startup Product" is a trademark owned by Cindy F. Solomon, CPM, CPMM

18. Education
• Grounded in product management
best practices and thought
leadership
• ProdBOK
Collaboration of
60 contributors
Startup Product Academy
Startup Product" is a trademark owned by Cindy F. Solomon, CPM, CPMM

19. Join us & Get involved!
http://sfproducttalks.com/
Startup Product" is a trademark owned by Cindy F. Solomon, CPM, CPMM
There are 20 Startup Product
communities worldwide
http://startupproduct.com/meetups/

20. Startup Product, Movement For Product Excellence
@startupproduct #startupproduct
• Blog http://startupproduct.com
• Postions: jobs.startupproduct.com
• Meetups: http://startupproduct.com/meetups
• Trainings: http://startupproduct.com/academy
Global Product Management Talk
weekly live broadcast & twitter chat
@prodmgmttalk #prodmgmttalk
Webcast Digest daily online educational events
@WebcastDigest
http://webcastdigest.com
A product of Startup Product Sandbox
Startup Product" is a trademark owned by Cindy F. Solomon, CPM, CPMM

21. Early Bird Tickets Available Now! http://productsummit.org

22. Thanks to AOPEN for hosting!
Startup Product" is a trademark owned by Cindy F. Solomon, CPM, CPMM

23. The Art of Problem Solving
Bob Schoenthal - @Bobarian

24. WWhhoo aamm II
A Product Manager / Project Manager for 12+ years
Got my start in technology back when I was 15 running my own
computer building & repair business
Acted as a Tech Support rep for 5 years at various companies
including handling HP’s full product line

25. AArrtt ooff PPrroobblleemm SSoollvviinngg??
It’s a hard to find but crucial skill!

29. The Art of Problem Solving
Bob Schoenthal - @Bobarian
PRIZES!