Product Management in a Scale-Up with Isaac Tay

Analyse Asia with Bernard Leong

"If I were to summarize it, your job as a product manager is to deliver the right product to the right users, to solve the right problems at the right time. Now, your role is very contextual because you will focus on different parts of that statement, depending on the founders, the stage of life of the company, which industry it is and everything else. There are some core functional skill sets that you can't run away from, and you must have them. But I don't think there is a cookie-cutter template on what you must do to succeed in product management." - Isaac Tay

Fresh out of the studio, Isaac Tay, VP of Product at Shopback shares his thoughts on how to be a product manager in a scale-up. Reflecting on his experiences as a co-founder in his former startup Honestbee, he offered his perspectives on the lessons he had learnt and what he could done differently. From there, he elucidates the concept of distance to understand how to align and work with teams across different cultures on building and developing products in different stages of maturity for a company. Isaac ties in his unique stint in stand-up comedy, revealing how it has influenced his professional life. Last but not least, Isaac shares what great would look like for product management in a scale-up.

Audio Episode Highlights: [0:50] Quote of the Day #QOTD by Isaac Tay. [1:21] Introduction: Isaac Tay, VP of Product at Shopback. [7:40] Isaac's Adventure in Stand-Up Comedy and Travel. [9:10] Lessons from Isaac Tay’s career journey. [10:34] Founding, Evolution, and Collapse of Honestbee. [15:26] What could you have done differently with Honestbee? [18:15] Navigating the complexities of product management. [25:06] Product Management in different stages of a company. [30:23] Refining Product Strategy in a Fast-Paced Environment. [33:06] Advice for Aspiring Product Managers. [34:00] Essential Skills for Aspiring Product Managers. [35:18] The Importance of Technical Skills in Product Management. [38:33] The Role of Distance in Product Management. [39:40] Understanding and Managing Different Types of Distance. [44:37] The Challenge of Remote Work and Communication. [48:06] Evolving Leadership Styles and Building Cohesive Teams. [54:16] Balancing Professional Growth with Personal Interests. [59:29] Insights on Great Product Management and Leadership. [61:00] Closing.

Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. Proper credits for the intro and end music: "Energetic Sports Drive" and the episode is mixed & edited in both video and audio format by G. Thomas Craig.

You can find Isaac on his LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isaactimothyt/ and X (formerly known as Twitter): https://twitter.com/isaacttsg and more on him here: https://www.isaactay.com/about/

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