The Product Growth Guy 🚀 | Helping you land your next job + succeed in your career | Newsletter Writer and Podcast Host

TL;DR: I write a newsletter for product managers, product leaders, and aspiring product managers. I focus on actionable and deep tips to improve your career.

The Longer Version:

After a long career in PM - rising to VP of Product at a Unicorn - I have made the shift to writing about it.

In particular, I write about product growth. That is, the art of growing via your product. 

This means I also talk a lot about product-led growth (PLG), the SaaS B2B motion.

My newsletter doesn't just focus on growth though. 

I also break down technology, product management, product leadership, and how to get a PM job. 

It's all the things that make for a great use of your learning & development budget. 

Or even personal spend. 

The math is pretty great. 
↳ $150 for an annual subscription
↳ $211K average PM salary in the US
↳ 0-10% average range of raises offered

If the newsletter helps you get a 0.07% better raise, it pays itself. 
That's 1/142th of your raise range.

It's a pretty smart investment for every level of PM.

http://www.news.aakashg.com

Aakash Gupta

Here's your free Product Management MBA:

(Better than any $165K course.)

I've published 200+ deep dives and 100+ newsletters. Here's the best of everything into one complete curriculum for product management. 

15 courses, 112 classes, 1 PM MBA:

📚 CORE CURRICULUM (Required for All Students)

PM 101: Product Management Foundations
↳ From the basics of PM teams to key deliverables
↳ Start with Marty Cagan to be Inspired: https://lnkd.in/eb5hbA28

PM 201: Product Strategy
↳ The core skill for every PM
↳ Start with the 2025 playbook: https://lnkd.in/e8EUQHAW

PM 301: Product Discovery 
↳ The foundation of building what users actually want 
↳ Start with legend Teresa Torres: https://lnkd.in/ezV6YF8N
 
🎯 SPECIALIZATION TRACKS
 
B2B 401: B2B Product & Pricing 
↳ Master SaaS pricing, packaging, and positioning 
↳ Start with B2B SaaS Pricing: https://lnkd.in/dXmJ9TAY
 
DESIGN 401: Product Design 
↳ From design systems to wireframes to working with designers 
↳ Start with Design Systems: https://lnkd.in/eENpfV9A
 
STARTUP 401: Building Startups 
↳ Learn from the best founders
↳ Start with Eric Simons from Bolt: https://lnkd.in/eKZtzVD5
 
🚀 GROWTH DEPARTMENT
 
GROWTH 301: Growth Fundamentals 
↳ Activation, onboarding, expansion, and flywheels 
↳ Start with Activation: https://lnkd.in/ef8sBydx
 
GROWTH 401: Growth Systems 
↳ Build the right experimentation culture
↳ Scaled experimentation programs: https://lnkd.in/etAGf7Nu
 
GROWTH 402: Company Case Studies 
↳ How the hottest companies grow 
↳ Start with Cursor: https://lnkd.in/eq8xvCAK
 
GROWTH 403: PLG & GTM 
↳ Tactical go-to-market and product launch playbooks 
↳ Start with Product Launches: https://lnkd.in/eB7s6umA
 
👔 LEADERSHIP DEPARTMENT
 
EXEC 401: Product Leadership 
↳ Grow into a leader
↳ Start with Empowerment: https://lnkd.in/d_uR5bGJ
 
💼 CAREER DEPARTMENT
 
CAREER 301: Interview Mastery 
↳ Learn every type 
↳ PM Interview Guide: https://lnkd.in/e8WkHDbK
 
CAREER 401: Job Search Systems 
↳ The key mechanics 
↳ How to Get Interviews: https://lnkd.in/eqn5Eqq6
 
CAREER 402: Big Tech & High Comp 
↳ Get $700K+ PM roles 
↳ Google's PM Interview: https://lnkd.in/ezAHYXhV
 
CAREER 403: Career Acceleration 
↳ Going the next level 
↳ Start with Satish's journey: https://lnkd.in/epwZ3Dfw
 
🎓 GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

1. Complete 12+ courses
2. Implement them in your work
3. Come back and show me proof

Why spend $ on an MBA or cert when you have this?

All episodes + direct links: https://lnkd.in/euGGNj57

AI + Product Management 🚀 | Helping you land your next job + succeed in your career

I got a Google AI PM to demo her entire AI tool stack.

It's 6 major tools:

Marily Nika, Ph.D joined the podcast for a second time (her first episode is my 7th most popular ever).

This team, she live demoed all 6 tools in her stack.

Watch Now: https://lnkd.in/eWukygbk

Available Everywhere:

Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eyt7agKj
Apple: https://lnkd.in/eVZf64gB
 
✍️ Here were my favorite takeaways:
 
1. Marily's stack is 6 power tools. Google AI Studio for prototyping, Opal for mini apps, Notebook LM for learning, Perplexity for user research, ChatGPT for PRDs, and Fireflies for meetings. That's it. No tool hopping.
   
2. Prototype before writing PRDs. Marily builds a working app in AI Studio first, then brings engineers in to debate the actual thing. Saves weeks of back-and-forth on documents. PRDs are now for complex cross-functional work only.
   
3. Notebook LM learned a 4-hour video in 15 minutes. Marily had an interview the next day. She uploaded the job description and a 4-hour investor relations video. It gave her 15 key points. She memorized them and crushed the interview.
   
4. Perplexity's Reddit filter is your secret weapon. Turn off web search, turn on discussions and opinions. Ask "would young professionals be interested in a fitness ring?" Get 20+ Reddit sources instantly. Know what users actually want.
   
5. Marily's PRD generator has 10,000+ users. She trained a ChatGPT custom GPT with her voice and old PRDs. It asks probing questions before generating. Gets PRDs done in days instead of weeks. She's not embarrassed to use AI at work.
   
6. Tool selection has 4 rules. Does it save 10x time (not 2x)? Does it work across contexts? Does it work with your company's limitations? Does it compound over time? If not all 4, delete it.
   
7. "Be like a crab" for AI PM roles. Move adjacent to your experience. Hearing aids → AirPods PM. ESPN journalism → Meta sports AI PM. Don't ignore your past experience. It's your competitive advantage.

🏆 Thanks to our sponsors:

1. Maven: Get a 15% discount off Marily's courses with code AAKASHxMAVEN - https://maven.com/x/aakash
   
2. Jira Product Discovery: Move discovery and roadmapping out of spreadsheets - https://lnkd.in/ecr-6F7w
   
3. Vanta: Automate compliance across 35+ frameworks - http://vanta.com/aakash
   
4. Mobbin: Discover real-world design inspiration - http://mobbin.com/aakash
   
5. Product Faculty: Get $500 off the AI PM Certification with code AAKASH25 - https://lnkd.in/eZ2uUySG

🤖 You'll have to watch the ep for the live demos! 

What should we cover in our third ep?

Business Insider picked up the podcast!

"Be like crabs"

That's the insight from Marily Nika, Ph.D, Google AI PM.

🔗: https://lnkd.in/guACSAtK

If you want to shift into an AI PM role, don't make all the jumps at once. To AI. Into PM. 

That's too many jumps. 

She says more here: https://lnkd.in/g6PQNnux

You want to move progressively adjacent:

1/ Learn AI fundamentals
🔗: https://lnkd.in/e6zyYugs

2/ Learn AI prototyping
🔗: https://lnkd.in/eJujDhBV

3/ Understand AI evals
🔗: https://lnkd.in/eGbzWMxf

4/ Write AI PRDs
🔗: https://lnkd.in/eMu59p_z

5/ Develop AI strategy
🔗: https://lnkd.in/egemMhMF

6/ Build AI products right
🔗: https://lnkd.in/eDGmsvZ5

8/ Learn how to interview
🔗: https://lnkd.in/eZZ_vvQc

9/ Build your portfolio
🔗: https://lnkd.in/eT3RvQiM

10/ Learn how to apply
🔗: https://lnkd.in/eEpKEQWM

That's the roadmap.
And why the episode has 200K+ views on X.

For my coaching: https://www.landpmjob.com/
For my next update: https://lnkd.in/gp2cCv8K

Be like a crab!

Will the ChatGPT app store be the next big App Store? 

Here's how to take advantage of this opportunity:
 
I brought on Colin Matthews to discuss the opportunity and how to build ChatGPT apps that get distribution. 
 
🎬 Watch Now: https://lnkd.in/gSzuSR9q
 
Available Everywhere
 
Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eyt7agKj
Apple: https://lnkd.in/eVZf64gB
 
✍️ Here were my favorite takeaways:
 
1. 900M Weekly Users - ChatGPT's user base is more than the entire population of Europe. Even a small percentage discovering your app is meaningful distribution.

2. 26% Higher Conversion - Users from AI sources convert 26% higher than traditional search. By the time someone asks ChatGPT to book a hotel, they're ready to act.

3. Three Types of Potential Apps to Build - Utility apps (self-contained tools), Integration apps (connect to your APIs), Complex apps (full experiences). Start with utility to learn.

4. Follow Target's Pattern - You can't checkout in ChatGPT. But you can build a cart. Then pop users to Target.com to finish. Use ChatGPT for discovery, your product for transactions.

5. Use Streaming to unlock Distribution - Apps that stream responses feel instant. ChatGPT is more likely to surface them. Enable in your manifest, implement server-sent events.

6. Smart Trigger Phrases - Define trigger phrases in your manifest. When ChatGPT detects them, it surfaces your app - even if user hasn't installed it. This is how organic discovery works.

7. Proactive Surfacing Beats Search - Most powerful distribution is ChatGPT analyzing requests and surfacing relevant apps inline. Not users searching for apps.

8. Lead Gen Model Wins - Many apps won't monetize directly. They'll use ChatGPT as top-of-funnel. Acquire high-intent users, own relationship after handoff, avoid platform fees.

9. Build When You Have APIs - If you have good APIs, building ChatGPT app is mostly frontend work. Not building new backend. Building new interface to existing capabilities.

10. Don't Build for Non-AI Users - If target customers aren't using ChatGPT, building app is premature. Meet users where they are today, not where you think they'll be in 3 years.

Watch the full episode for the step-by-step on how to build ChatGPT apps.
 
🏆 Thanks to our sponsors:
 
1. Colin's ChatGPT Apps Course: Next cohort starts February 13th on Maven - https://bit.ly/4qd2ryx  

2. Vanta: Automate compliance, Get $1,000 with my link: https://lnkd.in/eQkkTZhT  

3. Land PM Job: 12-week experience to master getting a PM job - https://www.landpmjob.com/  

4. Naya One: Accelerate AI adoption in financial services - https://nayaone.com/  

5. Mobbin: The world's largest mobile & web design library - Get 20% off: https://lnkd.in/ewpCc7mz
 
Will you be building a ChatGPT App? 👇

Helping you succeed in your career + land your next job

Enterprise product intrapreneur delivering at intersection of strategy, marketing, and organizational design | People, Behavior, Process, & Outcome Watcher

I’ve delivered $50M+ in enterprise value by transforming how professional service and product-led organizations operate—from Fortune 100s to PE roll-ups to VC-backed startups.

My track record spans 20+ years co-creating products, aligning design, technology, and operations teams, turning chaos into executable strategic roadmaps for growth.

I specialize in the niche which most consultants avoid: bridging the gap between C-suite vision and ground-level execution.

A native speaker of Standard American English, I hold an MBA from Cornell and am certified in information management, with cultural fluency in boardroom politics, street Spanish of Mexico City, and Portuguese of São Paulo.

I’ve spearheaded transformations across global corporates, middle market private equity portfolios, and family businesses where every decision is personal.

What makes me different? I don’t just diagnose problems; I roll up my sleeves as a player-coach and fix them alongside the team.

My particular set of skills acquired over a very long career: spotting invisible puzzle pieces around the corner, then mobilizing cross-functional teams accountable for execution and delivery of solutions.

I build leadership & grow culture where colleagues “read the room, know what time it is, and understand the assignment.”

My teams are joyful and ruthless about chasing results.

I have high conviction that real innovation requires vulnerability, and lasting change happens when sunk costs, egos, and motivated reasoning are managed effectively.

If you need a pathfinder to navigate hard (strategy, operations) and soft problems (culture, alignment), let’s talk.

Kolbe: 7364
PRINT: 7-4

⁂

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