So far on the Product Growth Podcast, you’ve heard from founders, big tech PMs, and unicorn product minds on what it takes to build a great product.Today, we’re bringing you a fresh perspective — from an operator who’s deep in the trenches, building products for multiple companies and startups as a Fractional CTO.But that’s not all; he’s also a founder, offering us the unique opportunity to hear different perspectives from the same person.What makes this episode even more exciting? He’s been honing his craft for 15 years, working across industries, collaborating with diverse teams, and doing it all at the same time.We're covering:Preview – 00:00:00How Much Time Should a CTO Spend on Product? – 00:01:10Profile of a Good Early-Stage Startup PM – 00:03:08Compensation of an Early-Stage Startup PM – 00:10:00Best Way to Hire Early-Stage PMs – 00:15:30Challenges with the "Trial-Based Work" Approach – 00:18:38Stanford Study: "10% of Engineers Are Ghost Engineers" – 00:22:43Rule of Thumb Behind Product Hires – 00:25:07Who Should PMs Report to in Startups? – 00:28:55Mental Model for Scaling the Product Team – 00:34:44Mistakes Early-Stage PMs Make – 00:37:46Minimum Viable Process for Developing Features – 00:41:40Believing in a "Cutting Down Scope" Philosophy – 00:46:18Why You Should Launch Early – 00:49:24Honest Opinions on Scrum – 01:00:11Managing in a Global Workforce – 01:07:35Hidden Incentives for Big Companies – 01:15:32Aakash’s Experience Before and After COVID – 01:17:15Are AI Tools Worth the Hype? – 01:19:53How Should PMs Use AI Tools? – 01:26:31What’s Going on in Sergio’s Professional Life – 01:36:12How He Manages Time to Do It All – 01:42:01Brought to you by:Vanta: Automate compliance, manage risk, and prove trustAttio: The next generation CRMWhere to find Sergio:LinkedInTwitterStartupNewsletterWebsiteEmail [email protected] to discuss advertising or guest opportunities.We have some great podcasts coming from Pierre Herubel ( B2B Content Expert, 122K+ on LinkedIn), Mario Gabriele (Founder, The Generalist; Former VC), and Marily Nika (AI PM at Google, Former Meta).I’m so excited to share them with all of you. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.news.aakashg.com/subscribe

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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