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Emma Townley-Smith
Emma Townley-Smith

917 Followers

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Published in

Path to Product

·Jul 6, 2022

Which startup should I join?

Evaluating early-stage opportunities — “How do I pick the right startup to work for?” is by far the more popular question I get from my network. At the early stages, you can’t be certain that you’re picking something destined for an exceptional financial outcome. But you can evaluate whether a given startup will provide…

Startup

5 min read

Which startup should I join?
Which startup should I join?
Startup

5 min read


Published in

Path to Product

·Jul 3, 2022

The Curse of Credentials

Fortunately, most tech companies have accepted that you don’t need to make hiring decisions based on Ivy League degrees or a history of working at FAANG. But the dismissal of these basics can fool us into believing that we’ve conquered the credential — we no longer apply prestige-related bias at…

Product

3 min read

The Curse of Credentials
The Curse of Credentials
Product

3 min read


Published in

Path to Product

·Jul 3, 2022

Notes from Day 1, User 1

Since stumbling into Silicon Valley, “Day 1, User 1” has been on my bucket list. If you’ve worked at a late-stage startup, you know that a few foundational decisions have an outsized influence on the trajectory of the company. …

Product Management

3 min read

Notes from Day 1, User 1
Notes from Day 1, User 1
Product Management

3 min read


Published in

Path to Product

·Mar 27, 2021

The Product Manager’s Hierarchy of Needs

Early in my career, I listed questions to ask potential employers — how is the product team structured? What features or capabilities drive the most impact to key metrics? How are decisions made? The diplomatic answers were never satisfying. …

Product Management

4 min read

The Product Manager’s Hierarchy of Needs
The Product Manager’s Hierarchy of Needs
Product Management

4 min read


Published in

Path to Product

·Mar 1, 2021

Building remote relationships that matter

No all-team virtual happy hours necessary. — My product manager peers who (remotely) started new jobs during COVID-19 seem to agree: the biggest challenge is building relationships. On the surface I didn’t find this surprising — it’s intuitive that no live face-time, fewer casual encounters at lunch or between meetings would make it more difficult for colleagues…

Product Management

3 min read

Building remote relationships that matter
Building remote relationships that matter
Product Management

3 min read


Jan 24, 2021

Why People Start, and Why They Keep Going

Insights from building behavior change products — It’s January, and my social media streams are full of meal prep ads — losing weight (one form of behavior change) is top of all our minds again. I’ve written before about building products designed to promote behavior change. The more users I’ve interviewed, experiments I’ve run, and products I’ve…

Behavior Change

4 min read

Why People Start, and Why They Keep Going
Why People Start, and Why They Keep Going
Behavior Change

4 min read


Published in

Path to Product

·Jan 19, 2021

Product Manager to People Manager

Becoming a people manager, I found the same problem I originally set out to solve with Path to Product. The typical advice is generic — rarely based on real, specific scenarios, much less scenarios in your discipline. (Yes, it’s important to build trust and communicate… now what?) I have found…

Product Management

4 min read

Product Manager to People Manager
Product Manager to People Manager
Product Management

4 min read


Published in

Path to Product

·Oct 19, 2020

Machine Learning is a Hammer.

Is your product a nail? — Silicon Valley loves to mock itself. We live for the latest Halting Problem writeup or Sara Cooper tweet. …

Product Management

6 min read

Machine Learning is a Hammer.
Machine Learning is a Hammer.
Product Management

6 min read


Published in

Path to Product

·Aug 14, 2020

Last chance — how can we help you grow as a PM?

Can we do more to help you grow as a product manager? Let us know in our 2-minute readers survey. Your feedback will directly inform our next Path to Product articles, events, and more! Thanks again, Emma and Eliza (Path to Product editors)

1 min read

1 min read


Published in

Path to Product

·Aug 9, 2020

30K followers! 🎉 Now — what can we do for you?

Path to Product Readers, We are so glad you love our product management articles on Medium. Since 2017, we’ve grown to over 34,000 followers! We’re ready to grow this community and provide even more value for you on your product management journey. Help us understand how we can help by taking the quick 2-minute survey below? Path to Product Readers Survey Air high-fives from California, Emma & Eliza (Path to Product editors)

1 min read

1 min read

Emma Townley-Smith

Emma Townley-Smith

917 Followers

Early-stage Head of Product. Love learning how people and products work.

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