A Story Of A Product Manager

"Aatir, you've been a product manager for quite a bit. How come you haven't launched your own product?"

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Ah yes. This question.

Consider a pilot that loves flying planes.

They don't necessarily want to buy or build an aircraft. Why?

Because they love "flying" but might not prefer procuring, maintaining, negotiating & hiring employees for one.

Similarly, while I feel that there is no better stepping stone into entrepreneurship than product management, that transition isn't set in stone.

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I'm going to say it:

You can stay a Product Manager and that's okay.

I remember how at Microsoft I'd bump into software engineers with 15 years of experience that pushed code every day.

They were individual contributors that didn't want to kick off a new software architecture or take managerial roles and attend board meetings.

Thus, it's very possible for a product manager to continue to lead point on building the best product for the customer and not "graduate" to become an entrepreneur.

The other issue being a product manager for long is that you inadvertently hone your inner skeptic a bit too much.

After a while, you're able to dissect products, deconstruct them to atoms and furnish hundred reasons why they won't take flight.

That inertia alone deflates any desire to pick up a product and run with the ball.

Having said that, it's not entirely true to say I've never thought of a product idea that I was excited about.

In fact, I thought of 2.

I didn't pursue them because I wasn't motivated enough. I'm not shy admitting that. Any other excuse would be a lie.

The first was an app to enable content creators to host their own online radio stations where people can pay for small subscriptions to listen in live & develop mini-communities around topics of interest. This was back in 2011.

Yes, so basically Clubhouse crossed with Patreon.

No, I'm not saying I thought of them first. I'm sure others had similar ideas too. Ideas are cheap. Execution counts a lot.

So, what's the second idea?

Sigh. Long story.

It's related to gamified advertising and will take time to explain. If you're really bored & literally have nothing better to do, DM me.

Moral of story: Stop buying into the pressure that you need to eventually start something on your own. Take your time.

Also, staying a Product Manager is still awesome. Enjoy the ride.